Ask A Local is a new series where we ask clued-up insiders to share their top tips for the place they call home.
“I like to show people the beautiful sides of Riyadh—it’s a really underrated city,” says Rae Joseph, founder of 1954 by Rae Joseph, the first vintage fashion retail platform in the Gulf. While she splits her time between Riyadh, Dubai, and New York, she loves to spend hometown weekends (Friday and Saturday in Saudi Arabia) hiking, gallery-hopping, and scouring historic souks in search of antique finds.
Hiking above a sea of palms
“Whether it’s Friday or Saturday, we have to do a hike. I pick up a couple of my friends, and then we go to DQ—the Diplomatic Quarter, or Al Safarat, as we say. The hiking trails are not too hard, but it’s enough to get your body moving. The views are spectacular: It overlooks some farms, and you have a sea of palm trees and beautiful rock formations.”
Breakfast, dates, and coffee
Rae’s go-to for a post-hike breakfast is Bateel, a much-loved chain of homegrown Saudi cafés and restaurants. “The way they make Arabic coffee and the types of dates they serve are super authentic,” she says. The branch in the DQ is always full of familiar faces: “We meet other people by coincidence and the table gets bigger and bigger.” As a sufferer of celiac disease, she seeks out gluten-free options that are “tasty, not just healthy” and the staff here are “really well-educated” in choices that are safe for her to eat. Rae loves the salads, but the breakfast menu here also includes organic date and yogurt bowls, date French toast, and truffle scrambled eggs. After breakfast, she’ll drink Arabic coffee made in the authentic way with fresh cardamom, served with organic dates from Bateel’s farms outside Riyadh. “My first coffee in the morning is more like a let’s-get-the-day-started, let’s-go-on-a-hike coffee, but the coffee after breakfast sets the mood for the day,” she says.
Shopping malls and concept stores
When the city heats up, Riyadh’s residents hit the malls. For high-end designer brands, Rae heads to Centria and the new Via Riyadh, a much-hyped collection of luxury boutiques, restaurants, and cinemas. For a mix of designer and everyday items, she’ll go to two of the city’s most iconic buildings—the mall at the Kingdom Centre and Mode Mall, attached to the Faisaliah Hotel. But far more exciting are the city’s concept stores. To discover an interestingly curated selection of local brands, Rae recommends Eastway Market, an elegant, modern, colorful space with “a refined aesthetic.” She also loves Pattern, for its young, cool vibe and sneaker lab.
Vintage and pre-loved finds in the souqs
“In the old downtown of Riyadh, where the king had his court years and years ago, Souq Al-Zal is a beautiful location for vintage shopping. I’ve purchased two 100-year-old hand-painted carpets there. A man called Abu Reem owns four stores with home decor, art, and jewelry, and I go there all the time, to the point that we know each other on a first-name basis. In that area you also have the gold souk, and some of the stores have beautiful jewelry from the ’70s. Not everyone knows, so you need to tell the guy to show you the vintage pieces.”
While in the area, Rae also suggests popping into the Qormuz store, filled with “stylish items inspired by Saudi culture, but designed for modern-day use.” Her current Qormuz favorite is the Aldalam bag, inspired by the region’s historical pigeon towers.
Lunch with a side of architecture
“For lunch, I enjoy going to KAFD—it’s a business area with high-rise buildings; everything is glass and modern, but it has beautiful restaurants. I love Il Baretto and A.O.K. Kitchen—the food is exquisite and the setting is beautiful, with lots of natural light. Il Baretto is open, modern, and sleek, while A.O.K has a bit of a French vibe with floral details and matte gold touches. They’re two different vibes, but they’re both gluten-free-friendly, so I can go and eat delicious food and not feel restricted."
Hanging with Riyadh’s creative crowd at JAX
“JAX District has warehouses with artist studios, fashion pop-ups, movie showings—there’s always something new that you weren’t expecting to see. It’s a very raw setup, so everyone can come and bring their vibe, their artistic vision, and make things happen. I love being around that energy.”
Dinner at a World Heritage Site
“Bujairi Terrace is an amazing oasis where you can have dinner overlooking the UNESCO-protected site of At-Turaif, which has a lot of historical significance. The way they light it at night is beautiful. I love Takya; it has a modern take on Saudi food, with architectural details from an original Saudi structure. The owner is actually a family friend. I love how they present Saudi food with a twist—like their interpretation of saleeg, an ancient dish that’s like the risotto of Arabia.”
