I spent a few days in Bahrain in late 2025, and without a fixed agenda for the trip I decided check out as many cafes as I could. Some googling led me to the Adliya branch of famed traditional Bahrainian coffee shop Bindaira (to be discussed in a later post).
Before entering that shop, I saw a small sign across the street with simply “Coffee, v60, espresso”. Really looked like nothing at all but what the heck, let’s take a look at it after I finish at Bindaira.
What a pleasant surprise was hidden behind the modest entrance! The coffee shop was not really a coffee shop per se but a cafe/art space/furniture and design shop. Honestly I am not sure which is the main business of Soho homes but it doesn’t matter as the space and the ambiance were very welcoming indeed.
I was greeted by the friendly barista (whose name I unfortunately did not catch) who recommended an iced coffee, a local Colombian roast (unsure of the process) made in the Japanese flash brew style. Right up my alley, so yes, of course.
The front register area holds a baked goods case with a nice array of cakes and cookies made on site. I wasn’t hungry as I had just eaten at Bindaira but the cookies looked fantastic so I had to indulge. Very, very glad I did as the chocolate chip cookie I ordered was served warm, very soft, and delicious. One of the reasons I am starting my international blog posts with this shop is because this cookie was just so luscious.
As I found in several other shops throughout the Middle East, hospitality at Soho Homes was superb. I asked the barista about the equipment he was using (v60 for pourover, as mentioned, and a Simonelli espresso machine) and to my surprise, he offered to make an espresso drink of my choice for free, as a way to welcome me to Bahrain.
If you find yourself in Bahrain, I do recommend popping to relax at Soho Homes for a bit. It’s not really a coffee nerd place as the beans, while nice, were pretty limited. But the drinks were well made and satisfying, and the baked goods + hospitality made up for any lack of diversity in coffee offerings.