Camel Step in Alkhobar is more than a coffee shop. A favorite among customers who want to sit and enjoy a leisurely coffee while scrolling on their phones, this laid-back establishment also caters to time-pressed business clientele who want to order, tap their phones to pay and depart.
A communal table is full of hushed chatter between business partners and people wearing headphones and tapping away at their laptops, while a nearby seating area offers outlets to power customers’ devices.
The cafe’s minimalist decor is matched by a simple logo combining a coffee bean and a camel, making it easily identifiable among a niche crowd of coffee lovers in the Kingdom.
Camel Step’s barista recommends iced latte, their best seller in summer, and advises customers to add a medium amount of sweetener from their own blend to balance the milk-and-ice ratio.
The cafe has a modern, industrial feel, with exposed brick columns and basic flooring. Limited outdoor seating is available for smokers or those who want to watch the passing traffic as they sip their coffee.
A single bench at the back of the cafe offers another indoor seating option. Offices occupy the floor above, which feels like it should be part of the cafe, but is a separate establishment.
Shelves around most of the walls display a range of merchandise, including branded Camel Step notebooks, bagged coffee beans, and coffee-related items, such as coffee filters and milk pitchers to make latte art.
Camel Step, which started in Riyadh in 2014, has branches around the Kingdom. For more, visit them @CamelStep on Instagram.
