London’s Famed WatchHouse Opens At Marsa Boulevard, A Must-Visit Destination For Specialty Coffee In Dubai
WatchHouse, London’s renowned Modern Coffee brand celebrated for its design-led Houses and thoughtful guest experience, opens its first location on Saturday, 1st November in the United Arab Emirates at Marsa Boulevard, a new seasonal waterfront destination along Dubai Creek. The launch marks the beginning of WatchHouse’s presence in the Middle East and its continued evolution from a Bermondsey Street original into a global Modern Coffee movement.
Positioned at the edge of the Creek, opposite the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, the House forms part of a curated neighbourhood that celebrates food, design, and culture. The opening introduces the brand’s signature blend of craftsmanship, design integrity, and sensory hospitality to a city where innovation meets heritage, bringing WatchHouse’s philosophy of Modern Coffee to the region, a pursuit of connection and intent that transforms the everyday coffee ritual into something meaningful.
“Dubai has always been a city that marries ambition with taste, heritage with innovation, making it a natural step in our ambition to bring WatchHouse to a truly global audience,” said Roland Horne, CEO and Founder. “From the material palette to the menu, this House is a love letter to what we do best, designed for a region that’s not just ready for Modern Coffee, but hungry for it.”
F&B Highlights
The WatchHouse pop-up at Marsa Boulevard will bring the brand’s signature menu to Dubai, curated to reflect its Modern Coffee principles. At its core is Rarities, a collection celebrating some of the world’s most exceptional coffees. Sourced from renowned producers, each is prepared with precision to preserve its distinct flavour profile, from the Wilder Garcia Gesha, Peru, with notes of lemon verbena and nectarine, to the Los Rodriguez SL28, Bolivia, layered with hibiscus and blackberry, and the Sebastian Ramirez Gesha, Colombia, defined by lavender, peach, and fig. Together, they reflect WatchHouse’s dedication to craft, sourcing, and the pursuit of quality in every cup..
The menu will also introduce the Golden Cardamom Latte,-combines the soothing fragrance of cardamom with the vibrant glow of turmeric. Blending cardamom and turmeric in a chai-based recipe, it embodies the warmth, balance, and intention behind every WatchHouse creation. With a creamy base and gentle spice profile, this latte feels like a ‘warm hug’.
Guests are invited to sit and savour by the water or take their experience to go, each moment reflecting WatchHouse’s dedication to craft, design, and connection.
Design Highlights
Designed in collaboration with Berlin-based architect Kirill Borisov, the architect behind several WatchHouse interiors in London, the Marsa Boulevard space draws from Dubai’s desert architecture and Creek-side heritage to form a structure that feels both grounded and contemporary. “WatchHouse Marsa is a spatial study of local vernacular architecture, desert materiality, and the brutalist modernist language once prominent in the region,” explains Borisov. “The design centers on four sculptural wind towers, a brutalist reinterpretation of a traditional natural ventilation element that also serves as a lighthouse, referencing Dubai’s maritime heritage and proximity to the Creek waterfront. Locally sourced materials and a reduced, rhythmic composition merge rationalist precision with abstract symbolism, creating a dialogue between modernist clarity and cultural memory.” A palette of earth-toned materials and subtle barjeel (wind tower) draws inspiration from the textures and warmth of the UAE landscape, while open, modular lines frame views of Dubai Creek. The result is a calm, design-led retreat that embodies WatchHouse’s minimalist aesthetic and philosophy of purposeful beauty.