The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards are an annual competition that judges the room rather than the plate: how it was built, how it was lit, what was done with its ceiling and its walls. The shortlist for the 2026 round came out in the week of 10 August, and five places in Kuwait are on it.
The dates
The awards schedule gives the shortlist as announced in the week of 10 August 2026, and the winners in the week of 5 October 2026.
Who made the list
Studio Roast — café and roastery, nominated in three categories: café, sustainability, and ceiling. Designed by Seba Spaces.
Odachi — a Japanese restaurant, nominated in two: sustainability and surface treatment. Also designed by Seba Spaces.
Mizu Mesa — a Nikkei kitchen bringing Japanese and Peruvian together, in Al Shaheed Tower in Kuwait City, nominated for surface treatment. Designed by Aces of Space.
Chops — two branches made the list, each in different categories: the first for luxury, lighting and multiple categories, the second for surface treatment. Designed by Lines.
Why Studio Roast in particular
The roastery opened in March 2026 and is described as the first in Kuwait to run entirely on air roasting. It is run by Kuwait’s two-time barista champion Hamad Al Majed, and uses coffee waste in parts of its tables, walls and preparation bar.
What we don’t know
The awards site publishes no count of entries per country, and no prices or opening hours for any of the five.
Photo: a restaurant dining room. By Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards schedule page and the five entry pages on its site, the Chops and Mizu Mesa sites, and La Marzocco’s report on Studio Roast in May 2026.
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