By Janelle Vales-Yasay
With its long lines in the morning and busy nights, it took us quite a while before we finally set foot in Urth Caffé in Tahlia Street, the first of its branches in the Middle East. The hype is real. It’s truly worth the wait. Urth Caffé ticks off every box in one’s gustatory bucket list.
Urth Caffé in Riyadh been a top-rated restaurant ever since it opened in 2017. Its rich history and unique features got everyone talking. The brand started in Los Angeles around 30 years ago; it was the dream of Jilla and Shallom Berkman who decided to become pioneers in health-conscious coffee after an encounter with farmers producing organic, heirloom coffee in Peru. Urth Caffé derived its name from the old Welsh root spelling of Earth and the Italian word for coffee. With its slogan of “people, planet, pleasure”, Urth Caffé cares about the planet and its people.
The two-story café in Riyadh is the first to serve exclusively heirloom, organic coffees in the Gulf. It welcomes guests with a display of their baked goods from luscious pies to decadent cakes to simple yet hearty breads. The interiors composed of retro photos in the walls, furniture with pops of colors, and trees illuminated by fairy lights in the middle of the dining area are appealing and enchanting. The kitchen channels the magic with mostly organic food with options of gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
Vitality and variety is clearly visible in their menu. Their breakfast fare is pretty popular and diverse; a great way to start a day. The salads, sandwiches, and main courses, made up of the freshest ingredients, are flavorful and well-balanced. The Caravan Kale Salad is a great starter with its organic Tuscan kale, red quinoa, and heirloom tomatoes. Pizzas are available all day! The Melanzane Pizza is a wonderful cornucopia of house roasted eggplant, parmigiano reggiano, fresh basil and tomato sauce on a thin crust with a crisp so fine and satisfying. The Lasagne Bolognese is subtle in its flavor but it kept us coming back for more spoonful. The addition of pistachios is surprising but its crunch is very much welcome. The Beef Sliders blew our taste buds away! Even though Riyadh has a lot of burger joints, we’ve never had something this juicy, flavorful, and solid burger in a while. Urth Caffe serves comfort food that are fresh and exuberant in its promises and delivers wonderfully.
Their freshly-baked breads and desserts are equally spectacular, if not more. The display of sweets upon opening their door makes a statement: this is a place for everyone. Whether you’re a family with kids picky on food, a group of girlfriends catching up, a group in talks of business, there’s a special bread or cake made in house that suits you.
The Tre Latti, a vanilla sponge cake soaked in 4 different sweet milk, is the sensible choice; it’s the one people are raving about. But the pies were the ones that beckoned. The Sweet Potato Pie was glorious in its smoothness and creaminess while the Banoffee Pie got us with its varying textures: soft bananas, smooth cream, and gritty in a good way crust.
Urth Caffé owes its stellar reputation to its coffee and teas. Sourced from various parts of the world, Urth’s coffee is carefully selected, roasted using secret techniques, and blended well to lure out its full potential in flavor depth and complexity. The tastes vary from season to season but their signature blends are always the best of each season’s coffee crop. We tasted that in their must-try Italian Cappuccino. This coffee shop was also one of the first cafés that brought the Spanish Latte to Riyadh.
The same high quality goes with Urth’s teas which are sourced from the most famous tea gardens in the world. The Urth Iced Tea has a unique flavor and the Boba drinks made from different kinds of organic tea, milk and tapioca pearls are a hit. We highly-recommend the Organic Green Tea Boba and Thai Red Tea Boba. Whether on ice or blended, they’re both refreshing.
Apart from the branch in Tahlia Street, Urth Caffé has a branch in Le Prestige Mall in Jeddah and a food truck in Oud Square in the Diplomatic Quarter, which is also available for private events. A full restaurant with gorgeous outdoor seating will soon open in the same area.
We are so glad we finally tried Urth Caffé. Unbeknownst to us, we’ve been missing on good food and good beverage for quite a while. It truly embodies the values and principles it stands for. By providing organic drinks and healthy options combined with attentive service and directed by its love for nature and people, Urth Caffé makes us want to linger longer in its unique, noteworthy space. We don’t want to leave; we’re in this for the sustainable gustatory journey.
Urth Caffé
Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz Rd,
As Sulimaniyah, Riyadh 12243
New branch soon to open in Oud Square.
They also have a branch at Dubai’s Citywalk.
Opening Hours: 7:00 AM-1:00 AM
Contact No.: 9200 07498
