Flat White has opened a new chapter at one of Doha’s most celebrated cultural landmarks, with the opening of MIA Café by Flat White at the Museum of Islamic Art.
Created as a natural continuation of the museum experience, the café brings Flat White’s approach to specialty coffee and hospitality into the heart of MIA, offering visitors a place to pause and connect before or after exploring the galleries.
The idea behind MIA Café by Flat White is rooted in the relationship between the two institutions and their shared appreciation for craft. Through coffee and food, the café creates another way to experience the museum, whether beginning a visit over coffee or gathering around a table after exploring the collection.
For Flat White, the opening marks a significant moment in its journey. Since opening Qatar’s first third-wave coffee shop in 2016, founders Maryam Al-Bader and Nasser Al-Naemi have built the brand around specialty coffee and the relationships that form around it. Over the past decade, Flat White has grown alongside Doha, becoming a familiar part of the city and helping shape Qatar’s contemporary coffee culture.
“The Museum of Islamic Art has always been a very special place in Doha, so opening MIA Café by Flat White here feels incredibly meaningful to us,” said Maryam Al-Bader and Nasser Al-Naemi, founders of Flat White. “We wanted the café to feel connected to the museum experience and to give people a place to spend time together and continue the conversations inspired by what they have seen.”
That connection extends into the design of the café itself. Conceived as a bridge between MIA and Flat White, the space builds on Philippe Starck’s original vision for the café while introducing Flat White’s contemporary approach to hospitality. The design celebrates the openness and architectural character of the existing environment, allowing the identities of MIA and Flat White to come together naturally.
Coffee remains at the centre of the experience. Flat White’s specialty coffee programme brings the same focus on quality and craft that has defined the brand since its beginnings in Doha, giving museum visitors the opportunity to experience its approach within one of the city’s most important cultural settings.
MIA Café by Flat White also arrives during a milestone year for the homegrown brand. Ten years after Maryam and Nasser opened the first Flat White, the café represents another expression of the philosophy that has shaped it from the beginning: creating places where people want to spend time.
Today, Flat White operates ten locations across Qatar and has earned a place among the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops.
At the Museum of Islamic Art, that philosophy takes on a new context. MIA Café by Flat White offers visitors a place to settle into the surroundings and take in the views, extending their experience of one of Doha’s defining cultural institutions over coffee and food.
MIA Café by Flat White is now open at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.
