If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably figured out that having a coffee in Msheireb has recently grown to become my #1 morning activity. I absolutely adore Msheireb Downtown. It’s calm, sophisticated, walkable (!!), NOT located a million miles away from my house (sorry, Lusail Marina!), and bursting at the seams with hip eateries and cafés. The only thing missing is the sea, but I guess you can’t have it all.
And so it felt natural for me to combine my two hobbies: blogging and lounging in cafés, while spending as much time as I can in my favorite location. Unfortunately, the recently imposed restrictions forcing restaurants and cafes to close for dine-in made my whole article basically irrelevant! So I decided to change things up a bit and still share it, but focusing on the delivery aspect. Because not all is lost, and you can still enjoy their amazing coffee & treats at home! 🙂
P.S. Since I like my coffee with milk, I hired hubby as a taste tester for black coffee. Which backfired a tiny bit, because he scored them all high!! All the more reason to have a coffee delivered from one of Msheireb’s many cafes! 🙂
P.S. 2: Timings are back from those great days when we were allowed to dine-in. Best to contact the restaurant to make sure there’s no change!
Note that all opinions in this article are my own (or hubby’s), take them with a grain of salt!
Before you start, here is the directory of delivery apps in Qatar:
10. N3 Espresso Bar
Also offering their own delivery service.
Timings:
10am – 10pm daily
Coffee price:
(americano) – 21 QAR 
(latte) – 35 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
4/5
The good…
N3 espresso bar is conveniently located inside the newly opened Galleria Msheireb. The ambiance is ok, I liked their choice of music and comfortable seating area. Those aspects are not very relevant right now since we’re not allowed to sit in. As far as their coffee is concerned – it’s good, BUT…
The disappointing…
…I don’t think that the price of their latte is justified. I liked it, but it didn’t “wow” me (which I expected after paying 35 QAR for a cup). Also, the fact that the barista thought it’s ok to wear his facemask on his elbow (!) is a big no-no. This is, luckily, not relevant for takeaway orders 🙂
Overall score:
9. NOMAD Coffee
Timings:
Sun-Thu: 6am – 11pm, Fri: 3pm – 11pm, Sat: 9am – 11pm
Coffee price:
20 QAR 25 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
3.5/5
The good…
Nomad Coffee is pretty unique. Their Yemeni origin coffee stands out, they also have a selection of house speciality coffees available. It opens at 6am, so early enough to have your dose of caffeine before work! Interior is quite cool, and definitely in line with their main theme (“Nomad” – right?). If you like fruity notes in your coffee, this one is for you.
The disappointing…
The location. Nomad serves their coffee in the underpass between Msheireb Downtown and Souq Waqif. There isn’t much natural light inside, which makes it feel quite gloomy and uninviting. Luckily this doesn’t make much difference now when you have to take your coffee to go.
Overall score:
8. Ministry of Coffee
Timings:
Sun-Thu: 7am – 12am, Fri-Sat: 9am – 12am
Coffee price:
20 QAR 28 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
3/5
The good…
The ambiance inside is lovely and highly instagrammable (is that a word? :D). On top of that, they have an extensive breakfast menu, to go with your coffee! I haven’t tried their food, but my friends who did are all raving about it and I’ll definitely place an extensive food order soon!
The disappointing…
Their outdoor seating area is located right by the street, looks pretty basic, and has the “eat & leave” kind of vibe to it. So it’s not much of a bummer that we are not allowed to sit in anymore. 😉 Also, hubby says that despite their name, it was his least favorite coffee of all the locations (my latte tasted fine).
Overall score:
7. Caffeinated
Timings:
6:30am – 12am daily
Coffee price:
22 QAR 27 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
4/5
The good…
I loved the interior, it is well designed and full of natural light – feels almost as if you’re sitting outdoors! You can still enjoy it briefly when you collect your take away order. Location of Caffeinated is great, too – very central, right by the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Outstandingly pleasant & accommodating staff is the cherry on top. Hubby liked his coffee a lot – it was balanced and not overly strong.
The disappointing…
Caffeinated would have landed much higher on my list if their coffee wasn’t served in paper cups. Or at least – if the cups were bigger. I mean, my flat white and hubby’s americano were served in those tiny cups that reminded me of a vending machine. Which brings me to my other grievance: with cups so small, prices are quite hard to justify.
Overall score:
6. L’Eau de Café
Timings:
Sat-Wed: 8am – 11pm, Thu-Fri: 8am – 12am (they do close for Friday prayer)
Coffee price:
18 QAR 25 QAR
Signature coffee – 38 QAR (you’ve gotta try it!)
Coffee flavor score:
3.5/5
The good…
If you know me, you’re aware that I’m not a big fan of flavored coffee (and of sweetened coffee in general). However, I do have much appreciation for L’Eau de Cafe’s signature coffee! Think: coconut with churros on the side, yum! Served in a coconut shell, it’s probably the most instagrammable coffee I’ve ever had. I did ask for it to be less sweet though. It’s also worth mentioning that service is quick and efficient.
The disappointing…
We don’t have anything negative to say about the coffee! The ambiance in L’Eau de Cafe is not really my cup of tea (or coffee 😀 ). It’s pretty obvious who their target customer is, and it’s definitely not me or hubby. 😀 The design feels a bit chaotic and over the top. Not that it matters in present circumstances…
Overall score:
5. Arabica
Timings:
7am – 2am daily
Coffee price:
16 QAR 21 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
3.5/5
The good…
Conveniently located in one of the main pedestrian alleys in Msheireb Downtown, Arabica has a good-sized outdoor seating section, coffee that tastes really good, and it stays open until 2am. It’s a solid choice for someone who just wants to have a coffee-to-go in Msheireb, without walking around and discovering the place itself.
The disappointing…
Avoid during the weekend – it gets really busy. Also, there are no sunshades in the outdoor seating area. Similarly to Caffeinated, coffee in Arabica is served in paper cups. They are, however, much bigger than in Caffeinated, so you don’t get the cafeteria vibe when you drink it. 🙂
Overall score:
4. Empire Coffee
Also offering their own delivery service.
Timings:
Sat-Thu: 7am – 11pm, Fri: 3pm – 11pm
Coffee price:
15 QAR 21 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
4/5
The good…
It is such a shame as Empire’s major advantage was basically cancelled by the quasi-lockdown which we’re in at the moment. Empire Coffee has the best location of all the cafes we’ve visited! It’s a hidden spot, away from all the big city noise. You feel a sense of accomplishment when you manage to locate it! The service is lovely too (they made a drink which wasn’t on the menu for my 6 year old son, because they didn’t want to disappoint him!). What’s also important, Empire offers quality coffee for a very reasonable price.
The disappointing…
If you are looking for a take away coffee, Empire is a bit off the beaten path – if you’re in a rush it might not be the most convenient location.
Overall score:
3. Anis
Drive thru service available. Delivery might be available depending on location, via Park Hyatt hotel.
Timings:
9am – 11pm daily
Coffee price:
25 QAR 28 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
4/5
The good…
Located by the same pedestrian alley as Arabica, Anis offers not only great coffee, but also plenty of yummy & healthy savory food options if you fancy a light meal. The service is attentive (this cafe belongs to a hotel, and it shows), and desserts are to die for!
The disappointing…
Price of their americano is a big mystery to me – why oh why does it cost 25 QAR? Is it a mistake that hasn’t been corrected? I have a sneaky feeling this might be the case, especially considering that their latte costs only 3 QAR more 😀 I also wish it opened a bit earlier! 9am is way too late for those who’d like to grab a cup of coffee before work. As of the beginning of April, Anis doesn’t offer delivery via any of the popular apps. They do offer a drive thru service, and a possibility of delivery to nearby locations via the hotel they belong to (Park Hyatt).
Overall score:
2. Go Home Café
Timings:
Sat-Thu: 8am – 11pm, Fri: 12pm – 11pm
Coffee price:
18 QAR 23 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
4.5/5
The good…
This place came at a very close 2nd, and if it was up to my hubby, Go Home Cafe would have probably won! Best tasting coffee in Msheireb (balanced flavor and on-point strength, according to my personal taster), and one of the least expensive, too. They’re also offering free detox water (yay!) and loads of pre-packed takeaway food options. We couldn’t stop ourselves and tasted some of their treats – food was inexpensive and yummy.
The disappointing…
The only negative thing about Go Home Cafe (which is not really relevant at the moment anyway!) is their outdoor seating area, located on the pavement right by the busiest road of Msheireb Downtown.
Overall score:
1. Rusk
Timings:
Sun-Wed: 7am – 10pm, Thu-Sat: 8am – 12am
Coffee price:
22 QAR 26 QAR
Coffee flavor score:
4/5
The good…
Everything is good about Rusk, haha! Ok, almost everything. Before the recently imposed restrictions, I used to enjoy their ambiance, the fact that they expanded their outdoor seating section and that they thought of having some music outdoors, too. I love their almond croissants (the best in Doha, sorry Paul!), their breakfast menu (everything tastes so fresh!) and their artisanal bread. And of course, coffee is lovely, too. Hubby says it’s quite strong with good, well-balanced flavor.
The disappointing…
The only small issue I have with Rusk is that the service is a tad on the slow side. Could be because it’s quite popular, especially around breakfast time! Delivery, however, is fast and efficient. 🙂
Overall score:
There you have it, our list of places in Msheireb Downtown to provide you with your daily dose of caffeine. If you’d like to see us exploring other locations, make sure to follow me on Instagram – I might not update my blog that often, but my social media game is always strong. 🙂
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