Draft beer, peanuts and big-screen sports... the scene is reminiscent of pubs worldwide, but in Saudi Arabia's capital, customers in white robes or black veils sip alcohol-free pints with no expectation of a hangover.

"The idea is to offer customers an original experience they can share on social media," Abdallah Islam, manager of the A12 cafe in Riyadh, told AFP.

At the cafe, Saudi women lift their black face veils to sip ice-cold beer.

"Is there alcohol in this?" one customer asked, nervously eyeing his pint.

The incongruous scene, with veiled women clinking glasses, signals the changes under way and in the conservative kingdom, home to Islam's holiest sites, as deep-seated taboos are gently prodded.

The A12 cafe, on one of the busiest avenues in the capital, displays a large pictur

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