Elixir Bunn Coffee Roasters

Elixir Bunn Coffee Roasters has been operating in Riyadh since 2014, among the first dedicated specialty coffee spots the city had at a time when specialty coffee was still a niche category in Saudi Arabia. It sources and blends beans from both Latin America and Africa, drawing on two of the world's major coffee-growing regions rather than limiting its list to a single origin area.

Opening as early as it did put Elixir Bunn ahead of Riyadh's broader specialty coffee growth, giving it a decade-plus head start on a scene that has since expanded considerably around it. That early positioning, combined with a sourcing list that spans two continents, has kept the roastery relevant as Riyadh's coffee culture has matured past its early years into a more crowded and competitive market.

For a city where specialty coffee is a relatively recent development, Elixir Bunn's decade-plus history and Latin America-and-Africa sourcing give it a longer track record than most of the shops that have opened around it since.