As part of our irregular series on exploring various areas of Kuwait, Kuwait Times visited Riggae to discover the main features of this area.

Riggae is located in Farwaniya governorate, southeast of Kuwait City, between the Fourth Ring Road and Fifth Ring Road, bordering Andalus, Rai, Ardiya and Shuwaikh. Riggae is home to the Courts Complex and the Public Authority for Youth and Sports. The Avenues, the largest mall in Kuwait, is separated from Riggae by the Fifth Ring Road. The area is divided into old Riggae and new Riggae.

Riggae is a busy area, with crowds around the Courts Complex and in Block 2 around the school zone during rush hours. For foodies, Riggae has plenty of restaurants and cafes in the midst of residential buildings serving a variety of cuisines, which makes this area bustle in the evening by attracting youths. Riggae is also known for having a lot of Asian massage parlors.

The downsides of this area are round-the-clock street noise, while many of the roads are potholed. This may be due to the multitude of trucks parked in the large, empty lots in the area. The open yards also give rise to dust in the summer, while they become muddy in the winter rains.

Although not a posh part of town, it is nonetheless a busy, highly visited area and there are little gems to be found in small family-owned ethnic restaurants and neighborhood park.

By Faten Omar