Cafés in Sweifieh

Wakalat Street, Jordan's first pedestrian street

Wakalat Street is described as the first pedestrian zone in Jordan, with dozens of cafés alongside stores such as Zara, Adidas and Massimo Dutti.¹ Its name is usually translated as 'brands', after the brand-name clothing shops that drew shoppers here from the 1990s.³⁴ The city rebuilt it in 2007 with the heritage consultants Turath, led by the Jordanian architect Rami Daher, from guidelines drawn up by the Danish urban designer Jan Gehl.³

The new benches did not last. Shop owners complained that people sitting on them put customers off, the city removed them, and by 2011 visitors perched on steps and ledges instead.³⁴ La Season, on Wakalat Street itself, has Wi-Fi, outdoor tables and a smoking area.

The 7th Circle and Abdullah Ghosheh Street

Many of Sweifieh's coffeehouses crowd toward the 7th Circle, officially Prince Talal bin Muhammad Square, although it has not been a roundabout since 2014, when traffic lights replaced it.⁵ Abdullah Ghosheh Street runs from Mecca Street to the airport road as a bypass south of the 6th Circle, carrying Sweifieh and Bayader traffic.⁵

At the circle itself are Ahwet Al Asfahani, Tofa7teen and اهوة كوتشينا (Ahwet Kotchina), and Castana Cafe is in the Rozana Hotel Suites building on Masoud bin Saad Street. السابع (Al-Sabe', 'the seventh') is at No. 21 Abdullah Ghosheh Street. The big local chains are here too: in 2025 Qahwa BLK, Coffee Factory, Coffee Co and Dimitri's all named the 7th Circle among their branches.⁶

Malls, study lounges and opening hours

Arabic sources name Al Baraka Mall and Sweifieh Avenue as the district's landmarks, along with the American schools on the airport road.² Al Baraka is the best known of the malls, largely because it is easy to reach.¹ Viaggio Caffe is on the B1 floor of Sweifieh Avenue Mall on Salah Al Shaimat Street, and Choco Chino Cafe in the Eastern House Complex on Abd Al Rahim Al Hajj Mohammad Street.

For a quieter table, studyloungeamman on Ibn al-Fatta Street is named for what it offers, and Kitab Coffeehouse takes its name from the Arabic for book. ستوريا (Storia) on Sae'd Al-Moftee Street opens 10:00–22:00 from Saturday to Thursday and 14:00–22:00 on Fridays, with Wi-Fi and vegan dishes.

Getting to Sweifieh

Buses and taxis serve the district, and Queen Alia International Airport is about 20 to 30 minutes away by car or bus.¹ Exclusive clubs have tended to move on to calmer Abdoun.¹