GB Cafe Bahrain Fort Site Museum — Restaurant in Bahrain Island

As its name implies, GB Cafe Bahrain Fort Site Museum sits right next door to (well, you guessed it) the Fort Museum and, naturally, not too far away, the fort itself. Prime real estate is prime.

Although modern and minimalistic, the interior is cozy and especially inviting, particularly during the evening thanks to the abundance of candlelight and pine wood furniture. During the day, however, you ought to be outside, dining on the edge of the open patio where no fence, railing, or barrier stands between you and the gentle waves that break against the sea wall. You could, if the mood takes you, plop your behind on the ledge, hang your legs, and submerge your feet in the well-mannered waters of the Arabian Gulf (although I don’t know if you’re actually allowed to do that).

The west-facing ocean view draws quite the crowd during Bahrain’s cooler months, so you might need to reserve a table. I know what you’re thinking: No brainer, book during sunset. Not so fast! A little foresight, as I shall now explain, is in order. What you want to do (especially if you’re going with someone you want to impress) is find out when high tide and sunset occur simultaneously and book a table then. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a barren wasteland for a view, unworthy of your Instagram account, according to which your life is picture perfect and everybody loves you.

What about the food? Is it any good? In short, yes. I went with the Lockdown Burger, which was delicious and, as far as fat sandwiches go, manageable (i.e., structurally sound as opposed to falling apart). It came with hand-cut, home-style chips and a dipping sauce to boot. My wife ordered the shawarma, which was unsurprisingly underwhelming. It’s not really a shawarma kind of place, but to her credit, the menu was limited. Still, it featured their own way-too-expensive kombucha. I ordered the ginger. My wife ordered the rose. The rose (not to be confused with rosé) was better.

My experience was as pleasant as “pleasant” gets. Pretty view, great weather, and good food. What this place does so well is… walk the line between “family friendly” and “date spot,” and it pulls it off so well. I can’t think of any other place that knows how to do that, so kudos to you, GB. Expect me back when the tide and sun...

Only my second time visiting the cafe but I came because I had a really love time the first time so I was excited to come back.

I came before lunch and seated by a friendly hostess

Someone came to me to take my order I asked about the lunch timing. The man said it didn’t start until 12. I showed him on my phone that it was 12:06. Then he said no it starts at 11:30… I pointed again to the time and said “it’s past 11:30.” He said something about how it’s not yet 12:30 and they need time to change things. I also mentioned that he said 11:30 and he argued with me that he did not say 11:30 but 12:30….

I said okay that’s fine I would take a plain black coffee until the lunch timing. He said “oh you mean an americano?” I said “just a plain black coffee yes.” He said “that’s what an americano is.” But in a tone that felt condescending.

I have been a district manager for a restaurant chain in the United States before….. and I know this kind of behaviour towards customers is considered unacceptable in any country. It’s just not done in customer service jobs.

Needless to say I tried to enjoy my coffee after that uncomfortable experience. Everyone was very kind and accommodation so I didn’t raise a fuss and complain. However, I didn’t feel like I could relax after the poor treatment of one staff.

I thought really everyone went out of their way to be welcoming… but one bad apple can ruin a...

Great ambience, good food, the price is reasonable for what you get. The only reason I put 2 stars is because there is an item on their menu, under pizzas, called Bresaola Pizza, that contains beef which my wife does not eat. To summarise the issue in bullet points:

They did not mention beef on the ingredients listing for this pizza; There is no clarification on which items are vegetarian and which ones aren't, as indicated by brackets; When we pointed this out the staff members proceeded to challenge us rather than admitting to this as a simple mistake, which it is. They had the impression that we "have" to know the ingredients just by reading the name of dish, which is ludicrous. This escalated things, in my opinion.

I hope management sees this review and will attempt to fix this. To me, I think it shouldn't even be legal to not classify vegetarian items on your menu for a restaurant/ cafe of this caliber. This is not a street food vendor, so please conduct yourself accordingly with a...