Irth Saudi Restaurant and Café at Expo 2025 Osaka immerses visitors in the rich Saudi hospitality and culinary tapestry of the five regions of Saudi Arabia, along with its diverse landscapes and cultures.
Adding an exciting element to the national pavilion during the six-month event, this venue invites visitors into a rich culinary journey shaped by heritage and delivered with contemporary flair.
TGP International defined the narrative and guest experience for Irth Saudi Restaurant and Café, developing a concept rooted in cultural heritage and overseeing daily operations to deliver world-class service.
Spanning a standalone café and an immersive restaurant, our scope covered the creation of an authentic, culturally rich experience through culinary direction, graphic and brand identity, storytelling integration, menu development, local and international supply chain strategy, operational planning, service training, and full operational support from pre-opening through to ongoing management.
The development of Irth reflects 14 months of dedicated collaboration, initiated in January 2024. Developed for and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia, the project evolves the original “Irth” concept introduced by the Culinary Arts Commission, celebrating the Kingdom’s heritage while looking toward its future.
The name Irth, meaning “legacy” in Arabic, forms the conceptual foundation of the brand. It conveys a deeper narrative of the Kingdom’s identity, bringing together stories, traditions, and knowledge passed down through generations. In doing so, it highlights cultural treasures that continue to shape Saudi Arabia’s contemporary identity.
Inspired by the rich human mosaic of Saudi Arabia’s five regions, North, East, South, West and Central, Irth transforms this heritage into a journey through time, history and the culinary arts.
The experience invites discovery for all generations and offers a celebration of Saudi culture that resonates with both local and international audiences.
The dining experience centres on the spirit of sharing, with both set and à la carte menus. Each dish is introduced with its own background and culinary significance, contributing to a broader narrative that unfolds throughout the guest journey and draws on the Kingdom’s rich culinary heritage.
The menus serve as a tribute to Saudi Arabia’s five regions, thoughtfully curated to offer more than a meal but a gateway into the Kingdom’s rich culinary legacy. Each dish is rooted in tradition and presented with context, highlighting its origin, ingredients sourced from within Saudi Arabia, and cultural relevance, from its role in hospitality rituals to its symbolic meaning within the community. This transforms the menu into an educational and sensory journey for guests.
Irth Saudi Restaurant presents an upper-casual dining experience. Guests are welcomed with Saudi coffee, prepared and served by the Saudi Coffee Master, poured from dallahs (traditional Saudi coffee pots) into finjans (small cups used in Saudi coffee service). This symbolic act of generosity sets the tone for a warm and respectful encounter.
Throughout the meal, the spirit of hospitality continues, not only through the flavours shared, but through the stories and knowledge offered with each dish. As a final touch, each guest receives a beautifully designed postcard featuring a meaningful recipe from the Kingdom, extending the experience beyond the table and into their own homes. The menu, offered as both à la carte and set options, encourages a spirit of sharing throughout the meal.
Irth Saudi Café serves as the Pavilion’s closing experience. Guests are immersed in a journey of performative Saudi coffee-making, with coffee prepared à la carte by the Saudi Coffee Master and served with dates for those who order it.
Alongside, the café offers a grab-and-go selection of sandwiches, pastries and sweets showcasing authentic Saudi flavours, fresh Saudi bakery items, and a curated retail range from collaborating Saudi brands. This experience allows visitors to take home a piece of Saudi culture while concluding their journey through the Pavilion.
Every touchpoint at Irth was carefully designed to reflect Saudi hospitality and culinary heritage. The guest journey was scripted alongside the brand narrative to maintain warmth, identity and engagement.
A key strength of the experience lies in its predominantly Saudi front-of-house team, whose personal connection to the culture brings an added depth to each guest interaction.
A specially designed collection of uniforms was created for Irth, celebrating Saudi heritage through subtle Japanese-inspired details. Every element, from front-of-house to back-of-house and café teams, was crafted to reflect both cultural authenticity and contemporary elegance.
Graphic elements played a central role in conveying the narrative across the entire guest journey. From storytelling cards and QR code menus to queue signage, coffee service cards and packaging, each touchpoint was designed to bridge cultural gaps and provide context for unfamiliar rituals.
All content was carefully translated and adapted for Japanese audiences, ensuring clarity and emotional resonance. The graphic language created cohesion between the restaurant and café experiences, with subtle distinctions tailored to each setting, and served as an integral part of how guests engaged with the concept.
The interior styling of Irth Saudi Restaurant was conceived as a curated exhibition celebrating Saudi Arabia’s culinary heritage.
Artefacts sourced from local souqs and regional artisans across the Kingdom, including woodwork, ceramics, palm weaving and culinary utensils, were displayed as cultural signposts.
Each piece was accompanied by stories that revealed its origin, significance and role in Saudi hospitality and culinary traditions. Positioned throughout the ground and first-floor entrances, these elements created an inviting gallery-like atmosphere that deepened guest understanding and appreciation.
A unique fragrance, crafted from Saudi essences, envelops the restaurant entrance, further deepening the sensory experience.
Both front-of-house and back-of-house teams were carefully developed to deliver an experience that reflected the authenticity of Saudi culture while resonating with international audiences. The service team, comprising Saudi, Japanese and international members, was united through a tailored training programme.
Designed to bridge languages and cultures, this included modules on brand immersion, storytelling, sequence of service, Japanese etiquette and guest engagement, ensuring a consistent level of world-class service with a genuine cultural expression.
In parallel, back-of-house culinary development was led by a team of young Saudi talent, working to bring traditional recipes to life in a way that would appeal to Japanese tastes and Expo audiences.
The menu was crafted to preserve the authenticity of each dish, with thoughtful adaptations for local preferences and dining formats. The result was a dynamic and accessible expression of Saudi culinary heritage, supported by a service team that brought each element of the experience to life.
Operating within a World Expo environment brought a unique set of challenges. Ingredient sourcing was among the most complex areas, particularly for products native to Saudi Arabia. TGP collaborated closely with logistics partners to import select ingredients, such as Jazean coffee beans, while navigating Japan’s strict import controls to ensure flavour authenticity.
Beyond sourcing, operational complexities extended to staffing, compliance and site preparation. Securing visas and permits for team members from Saudi Arabia, balancing local and Saudi staff to maintain both authenticity and effective communication, and managing accreditation processes required extensive coordination. Language barriers were addressed through ongoing translation support across all phases of the project.
Establishing the operational groundwork in the host country also required close attention. Tastings were conducted in Japan to align with stakeholder expectations, while suitable warehousing, storage and training facilities had to be identified and secured well ahead of opening. Ensuring compliance with local laws, Expo regulations and licensing requirements was a continual focus throughout the pre-opening phase.
In tandem with this, local suppliers were engaged for packaging and support, with eco-certified credentials aligning with Expo sustainability standards. Waste was tracked and sorted in line with Expo guidelines. Operational flow was carefully designed to ensure consistency during peak traffic periods, contributing to the smooth delivery of service on the ground.
During the pre-opening phase, soft opening service trials were conducted within the distinctive operating environment of a World Expo. Guest access involved coordinated accreditations and security clearances, which required thoughtful planning.
The restaurant featured multiple seating formats including standard table seating, an outdoor terrace and traditional floor seating. Each area required a tailored service approach to ensure consistency across all zones.
Launch events welcomed numerous high-level guests and VVIPs, which called for elevated service, careful attention to protocol and close collaboration between operational, culinary and protocol teams.
Since opening, Irth has drawn strong interest from visitors. Japanese culture’s appreciation for quality experiences has contributed to early and orderly queue formation, adding a distinctive dynamic to service flow. An exclusively designed client feedback programme, active since launch, continues to support ongoing enhancements to service and delivery.
Guest response has been highly positive, with repeated praise for the team’s professionalism and for the thoughtful representation of Saudi culture throughout the venue.
The Saudi Pavilion, one of the Expo’s most visited, has already drawn over 1,000,000 visitors to date.
A special thanks to the project team who brought Irth to life: Vinoth Mudaliar, Madeline McLeary, Chiara Rivero, Samantha Toscano, Gabriel Murray, Engy Aly, Ivan Sabol, Jenine Bedua, Jim Kersey, Fahad Noman, Hardik Patel, Simon Wright, Ryan Waddell, Anna Turai, Umadharshan Balasingham, May Ei Mon, Abdulrahman Enan.