Opened in February, Soma Book Station has filled the space of Prishtina’s resident new hot cafe. It’s a tough spot to fill, but Soma’s chances seems promising. The interior, located where a former Red Cross building used to be on Fazli Grajqevci street, is spacious and well-lit. Clearly, a lot was invested in making Soma the kind of place you don’t want to leave.
As far as I’m concerned, the bar is definitely the high point of the space: large, well-appointed, and in the center of the room. One corner of the space is dedicated to shelves stacked with books, records, tote bags, and high quality tea for sale – all things that are hard to come by in Prishtina. One complaint I’ve heard is that there aren’t enough electrical plugs to go to the book corner with a laptop and a cup of coffee, so it’s best to go with a book or a friend.
As a hangout spot, Soma definitely hits the mark: the music is tasteful but not too loud, the book and record selection are clearly curated, the space is hip but not pretentious, the beer on tap is good (both in terms of selection and taste), and the staff actually says hello and smiles when you interact with them. I have a friend who’s been to Soma almost every day since it opened, with meetings naturally gravitating towards it.
I haven’t had a chance to delve into their food menu, but did try a strange interpretation of a tiramisu on their opening weekend. I asked if they had any sweets, and was told that although the menu wasn’t ready yet, they could prepare a tiramisu for me. A kind offer, but it probably would have been better if they’d just told me to hold off until the menu was ready.
Soma’s atmosphere and crowd make it the closest thing to direct competition for Dit’ e Nat’ (literally one minute away), and it does have the space, the bar, the attentive staff, and the cool vibe going for it. It’s clearly been earning a loyal following, but they have to watch out for reports of spotty service and subpar food. To take Soma to the top, it’ll need a bit more of the boring stuff: consistent quality, over a prolonged period of time. I think they can do it.
13 March 2015 - 14:26
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