Much like me, if you’re constantly scouring the gram for new cafés and experiences you are familiar with the rush that accompanies discovering something in the peak of its newness. Such is the case with my latest discovery, The Lodge, Dubai.
Already packed with an ever-growing Emirati following and big names like Mona Kattan, this niche coffee place is causing quite the stir amongst the local coffee gang and as you read on, I’ll tell you why. Being a fan of the brew myself, I wondered what to expect as me and my colleague locked in the GPS and started towards the venue located off Meydan Road. As we neared the location, there was no signage, only two white gates that signaled the opening to a large parking space, fenced off from the service road before the petrol station, and peeking out from within this enclosure a powerful yet unassuming stone-black structure with the cafés TL logo. Easy to miss, but not if you’re in the know.
After easily sliding into a vacant parking spot amongst the other luxury cars (The Lodge is known to house quite the elusive and exclusive clientele) we made our way through the front door. Instantly, we were greeted by a wonderful attendant, who after screening our temperature, lead us into what can only be described as Q’s underground layer and for those not privy to Bond references, what we were standing in looked like a hanger for government super spies, complete with top notch classic and supercars. Oh, yes, in case I forgot to mention earlier, what really drew me into this open spaced beauty of a concept were the super cars, ranging from vintage Volkswagens to BMWS, Porsches, Mercedes and Superbikes. A collection, that has been generously provided to the café by various collectors and motorsport aficionados.
As we were being led into the open spaced hangar, the tables were spaced several meters apart from one another in spaces that each boasted a unique ambience. One at the corner of the room for extreme privacy, one at the center for people watching, one closer to the supercar partition area and even a working station. The cheerful service and demeanour of the waitstaff continued throughout our time as we ordered iced lattes with oat milk and discussed our plans for the rest of the day. The Lodge, Dubai primarily serves bites like brownies and coffees as it targets itself in the artisanal coffee arena, however meals are sure to follow soon. At the moment of publishing this, I’d advice anyone who wants to truly soak in the ambience to try and get to the venue at 10:30 or 11:00 AM, because while the venue boasts at least 18 tables and requires no reservation, the cheerful service, unpretentious nature and supercars ensure it is to become a cult classic, in 3, 2…1!!!!!
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