The first-ever World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list was revealed this week at Madrid’s Coffee Fest. Dubai’s coffee lovers should perk up! One Life Kitchen and Cafe, the homegrown cafe and roastery brand made the cut representing our city’s vibrant coffee and cafe culture.
The D3-born coffee shop came in strong ranking at #23. For those of you, who are big breakfast fans or find yourself using cafes as workspaces, One Life Kitchen and Cafe is no stranger. The first F&B outlet to open its doors in the Dubai Design District, this cafe has been drawing digital nomads and the neighbourhood’s trendy fashion set for years.
Now, this list has locked it down as a coffee shop that’s recognised globally too.
World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops – ranking system
Coffee enthusiasts from around the world voted online for the best coffee shops. Evaluations by an expert panel of baristas, coffee roasters and other industry professionals were also part of the selection system. Cafes from far-flung corners of the world, from Peru, El Salvador and Colombia in South America to the Philipines and Norway were nominees.
One Life’s nomination was a result of it being an independently-owned cafe with ‘single-origin, speciality-grade, medium-roast’ coffee beans roasted in-house. One Life’s roastery brand, Machete Coffee is the Design District’s only roastery.
Unsurprisingly, Australia with its robust cafe culture dominated the top 10 spots of the world’s 100 best coffee shops ranking. The USA, Singapore, and France were some of the others. You can find the full list here.
Cafe that’s also a restaurant and bar
Besides crushing it at the coffee game, One Life Kitchen and Cafe is also a restaurant and bar that’s pet-friendly with outdoor garden spaces and airy indoor seating. They serve a menu packed with sumptuous all-day weekend breakfasts, mains and desserts, cocktails and bar bites with plenty of vegan options. A second branch in JVC boasts a wood-fired pizza oven and a third popping up soon in Alserkal Avenue.