• 3
• Good food

I expect very good things for the future from Cafe Bateel. As it is, they are one of a very small number of restaurants in Riyadh with a decent selection for Vegans. Veganism is very new in Riyadh, so to find a restaurant that does vegan AND gluten-free is a dream come true for me. The staff at Cafe Bateel are wonderful and will bend over backwards to meet your needs. The only thing is, they are new to Veganism and you need to check they understand everything when you order. They do a selection of hearty soups and salads that are sufficient for main. Just ask for the cheese to be left out if it is listed on the dish. The main dish will be pasta or risotto. You can ask them to swap the mozzarella or parmigiana for black olives or maybe pine nuts. Between these things and the fresh mocktails, there is enough for you to be excited about the menu, which is a godsend after my experience at Tokyo restaurant last week (literally Tokyo had nothing, even the salad is soaked in fish sauce marinade ) I had an amazingly fresh quinoa tabbouleh, perfectly chilled and with pomegranate! Plus I had a spicy fusilli pasta with black lentils and cherry tomatoes which was very nice. For dessert, I had the only option available: dates (they were very nice) and a nice coffee with soy milk. Next time, I’ll be trying a Mocktail or sparkling date drink (their speciality) and a risotto, plus I’ll try another salad. I told them they need to add a vegan dessert. They said they only had their vegan options since a few months ago, so they are still learning. If they add a vegan dessert, a main that is not pasta or salad, and ensure their already excellent staff are trained fully about Veganism, I’d give them 4 stars which is the maximum possible for a non-vegan restaurant. As it is, I still recommend you go there. Just wrap up warm if you want to sit outside. The ambiance is wonderful but the wind is icy, despite the fire heaters! If you sit inside, insist on a table at the back, AWAY from the door. You can thank me later 