Saudi Arabia is set to become Café Kitsune’s third Middle East market after Qatar and an imminent debut in the UAE
.png.aspx?lang=en-GB&width=700&height=488)
A Café Kistune store front in Paris, France | Photo credit: Café Kistune
French-Japanese inspired café and dining concept Café Kitsuné is to debut in Saudi Arabia with a store in the capital city, Riyadh.
The boutique brand will launch at Laysen Valley, according to a LinkedIn post from the mixed-use development site, which also shared photos of Café Kitsuné hoarding on the premises.
Read related content: Inside Saudi Arabia’s coffee shop boom
Launched in Tokyo in 2014, Café Kitsuné currently operates 26 outlets globally and has a presence in Japan, China, South Korea, France and the US.
Café Kistune made its Middle East debut with a store in Doha, Qatar, in February 2022 and is expected to open its first UAE store before the end of the year at Dubai’s H Residence, a residential and commercial development.
Speaking to 5THWAVE magazine in 2022, Johanna Lellouche, Director of Business Development and Operations at Café Kitsuné, said the group had seen ‘amazing’ demand for new stores in the Middle East and cited Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain as other potential markets for the brand.
Laysen Valley currently houses South African café Nooa and Japanese restaurant Sumosan Riyadh. Spanish dining concept Asador De Aenda, UAE-based Café Bateel and Lebanon’s Em Sherif Sea Café are also set to debut at the venue in the coming months.