If, like us, you’ve long been fans of the Junkyard concept inspired by street classics, then you will share in our joy when we learned about this dining sensation’s latest location in Al Hamra Luxury Center’s Café Court.
Considered as the concept’s third location, the downtown rendition in Al Hamra Luxury Center fulfills Junkyard’s promise to get even closer to their ever-growing fan base. What began as a kitschy, underground concept in Abu Hassaniah’s The Village soon saw the brand open a second location in Arabella in Al-Bida’a. Now famous for its breakfast menu, the opening of an Arabella location familiarized residents of the Salmiya district, along with its neighboring suburban areas, with Junkyard’s ethos of “keeping it simple.” Today, Kuwait city-goers, whether residing around the Al-Asimah district or working in the city, have the fantastic opportunity to get to know the concept’s most loved classics along with new menu additions that are inclusive of most peoples’ favorites.
By focusing on excellent execution of a pared down menu, and using superior ingredients of predominantly in-house preparation, Junkyard successfully accomplishes their goal of delivering tasty “Street Classics.” All of the items are prepared in house, and the result is freshness with every single order. The playful name of a concept built on daring to be different is part of this brand’s charming personality. Founded by Mubarak Jaffar, Junkyard is a locally crafted concept from start to finish, making this establishment a preferred option for out-of-towners who are looking to try restaurants that are born in Kuwait, and even locals who like to stay away from franchises and would rather dine locally.
Upon arrival to the Al Hamra Luxury Center’s Café Court, the restaurant’s aesthetic resembles a cool, upscale cafeteria. The setup of Junkyard is quite simple and chic, complete with a homely chalkboard that clearly denotes the menu. Unlike the concept’s other branches located in Arabella and The Village, you make your order at the main counter and receive a modern pager. Once ready, you would be paged to come up and receive your order. We loved how all of their trays were made out of repurposed wood, and the dishes we sampled were well presented in brightly striped blue and white packaging and never messy. Clean, elegant and simple with an edgy street attitude.
When it comes to the menu’s evolution and development, we tried out a selection of new items at Junkyard. These include new sandwiches, salads, quesadillas, and vegetarian options, while classic items have been updated. If you’re thinking of a movie night at Al Hamra’s Grand Cinemas, then head to Junkyard with friends prior to the screening, and order a multitude of ‘street’ sides. We loved their classic street fries; hand cut and loaded with beautifully melted mixed cheese, chopped up bits crispy beef bacon, onion tanglers that effortlessly intermingle with every bite and their signature homemade sauce. The chili cheese fries are great for those looking for a spicy kick, while the crunchy onion rings manage to be down right delicate with their understated and minimalistic breading that allows the onion flavor to pronounce itself more than expected. Wing lovers will relish the street wings, also breaded in house and tossed with their signature buffalo sauce and side of blue cheese dip. Also on their list of street sides, we loved the jalapeno bites that were expertly offset with blue cheese sauce.
The quesadillas, also a new addition to the menu, are soon to become everyone’s favorite. We sampled the chicken option, and absolutely enjoyed the freshness of the grilled chicken chipotle-infused strips, mixed cheese and sautéed onions that were balanced out by the moist guacamole and sour cream dip. You can also go for a vegetarian or beef option. Before we delved into the Junkyard world of sensational burgers, we opted to try their new selection of salads, of which the Portobello Mushroom Salad was the star of the afternoon. Think one, commanding and carefully battered Portobello mushroom set aside a bed of rocket leaves, freshly sliced tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese. The texture of the salad is built by the addition of toasted pine nuts, shaved Parmesan cheese and finished with their homemade pesto and balsamic dressing.
If you’re looking to stay away from burgers, then the new sandwiches at Junkyard deliver a multitude of options for you. The thickly baked toast bread makes for an amazing home to a variety of fillings. Marinated grilled chicken topped with cheddar cheese, or pastrami and mustard combinations, to vegetarian favorites like Mozzarella and mushrooms, offer diners the option of trying something different while still indulging in a filling meal. However, we couldn’t come all the way to Junkyard and not try their infamous burgers. Their namesake Junky burger with top-secret sauce was both good and inventive, despite our own partiality to the Bacon Burger. The “Chubby Cheese” is also a strong standout here. With regards to the sizes of the burgers, you can even go for a smaller slider size if you wish to leave room for dessert.
What we love about Junkyard’s menu is that it cleverly caters to different palates while still remaining simple. If you are less inclined towards burgers, there are also a combination of chicken options, most notable for the fact that all breading is done on premises, a welcomed departure from the frozen and pre-breaded varietal used by so many other places. Their Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, which they pride themselves on, is delectable and every bite proved more addictive than the one before it.
As far as desserts are concerned, we went for the Salted Caramel Brownie topped off with chocolate sauce and creamy vanilla ice cream. However be sure to try their bestselling Chubby Balls, balls of baked biscuits drenched in a mixture of their homemade signature sauce and further drizzled with chocolate sauce. By the end of our meal, we left Junkyard with a sense of pride of a concept that was locally founded, and is quickly expanding across the country and the GCC.
Get your Junkyard fix by heading to the Café Court at Al Hamra Luxury Center (2227 0292), Arabella in Al-Bida’a, or The Village Complex in Abu Hassaniah (2390 1022/33). Follow them via Instagram @junkyardkw or order from Talabat.com.
Check out our directory listing for Junkyard‘s contact information and location.
