Al-Sayed Café

Inside the historic Qaisariyah Souq in Hofuf sits Al-Sayed Café, run by Al-Sayed Hassan Al-Hussein. It opened in 2013 at the hands of Ali Al-Haji, then director of the Al-Ahsa branch of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, and the press coverage of the opening described it as a tourism product supporting heritage travel. The café was built in the old style and with old materials, its doors and windows among them, across some 150 square metres, and its gateway was designed after the gate of the historic Al-Uqair port. Its walls are given over to corners representing the old quarters of Hofuf: Al-Koot, Al-Naathil, Al-Fawaris, Al-Fareeq Al-Shamali and Al-Hillah. It combines sitting rooms in the local majlis tradition with a display of Hasawi antiques, and serves popular dishes such as balilah, bajilla, kleija and zalabia alongside tea and Arabic coffee.