Erbil’s women-only restaurant making girls feel comfortable

At Luxury Time, a restaurant in the Kurdish city of Erbil, there are no man-size portions.

The women-only restaurant, with its all-female staff, was opened this month by 23-year-old business graduate Tara Mohammed Ihssan who was fed up of unwanted attention on nights out with friends in northern Iraq.

“If you want to go out, it is so uncomfortable because everyone is starring at you,”she told Reuters. “So I have always thought about doing something like this for me and for the rest of the girls to feel comfortable.’

Waitresses serve an order at Luxury Time in Erbil on July 17, 2018. (Reuters)

The restaurant's sleek, modern interior, with hanging chandeliers and colorful couches, has drawn unwanted attention, however, with some men coming to the door to see what the fuss is all about.

“I have been thinking, if it stays this way I will put security on the door,” Ihssan said. “I find it unfair as all the cafes here are just for men, why can't you accept that there is this cafe for ladies.”