NAC Opens Its First Kuwait Restaurant in Hessah District, Where Nobu Is Also Due
The Mayfair-born French bistro has opened a two-storey, 350-square-metre site with a terrace in the sea-facing mixed-use district, run by a local franchise partner.
NAC, short for North Audley Cantine, has opened its first restaurant in Kuwait, in the Hessah District on Kuwait City’s waterfront. The opening was reported on 18 May 2026 by trade site No Garlic No Onions in a piece on the interior design, which gave no exact opening date or address. The French bistro began in Mayfair, London, in 2013, according to FACT Magazines, and has since opened in Doha, Dubai and Riyadh, with an Abu Dhabi branch at Marina Mall.
The Kuwait site is run by a local franchise partner, Food-Serv Wholesale & Retail Trading Co. W.L.L. It covers about 350 square metres over two storeys, with double-height glazing, a sculptural staircase connecting the levels and an outdoor terrace facing the district plaza. Inside there are banquettes, communal tables and a central bar; the terrace is dressed with Mediterranean planting, parasols and lounge seating.
A design for the coast
DLSM Studio, formerly DesignLSM, created the interior. It says the concept carries over NAC’s design identity and adapts it to Kuwait, blending European and Middle Eastern influences through layered textures, neutral tones and handcrafted details. The materials listed are washed rattan, ribbed bamboo joinery, textured plaster, walnut detailing, green marble and bespoke lighting. DLSM co-owner Holly Hallam said the aim was to capture NAC’s European elegance while reflecting its new coastal setting.
This is DLSM’s sixth NAC project in the Middle East, after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh and Khobar, and the studio says three more are in design across the GCC.
The district around it
Hessah Al Mubarak District was described when its infrastructure was completed, at the end of 2017, as Kuwait’s first comprehensive mixed-use district. It overlooks the sea close to the downtown business hub, and Kipco is its master planner, according to Middle East Construction News.
NAC is not the only name headed for it. In October 2025 Nobu Hospitality announced its first Nobu residences and restaurant in Kuwait, at Hessah Plaza, a retail and dining destination within the district. The plan, with United Real Estate Company, the real estate arm of Kipco, and Dhaliliyah Company, includes 90 serviced residences, flexible meeting and event spaces and a Nobu restaurant with views of the Arabian Gulf. No opening date has been announced, and Nobu’s own Kuwait page still reads “coming soon”.
For the wider pattern of London brands reaching the Gulf through local partners, see our report on the franchise pipeline connecting London, Dubai and Riyadh.
Sources & fact-check5
- DLSM Studio designs NAC’s first Kuwait locationNo Garlic No Onions, 18 May 2026
- Nobu Hospitality announces first Nobu luxury serviced residences and restaurant in KuwaitMann Report (Nobu Hospitality release), 30 October 2025
- Nobu Residences and Restaurant KuwaitNobu Hotels
- Infrastructure work for Kuwait’s Hessah Al Mubarak District completedMiddle East Construction News, January 2018
- London’s famous French bistro NAC Abu Dhabi is opening in Marina MallFACT Magazines, 27 December 2024
Every name, number and date in this story was checked against the sources above before publication. Spotted something wrong? Tell us — we correct errors openly. See our editorial standards.
