Restaurants in United Arab Emirates
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Emporio Armani Caffé
The revolution in Dubai’s mall food offers no better example than this outpost of the Armani empire. The coffee is as smooth as an Italian server, the food is as stylishly presented as the staff, and the Italian flavours so good we wish it had a liquor licence.
reviewed
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Marrakesh
If the exotic Moroccan décor and the authentic cuisine, including delicious tajines and couscous, aren't enough to bring you here, there's an excellent Moroccan band and bellydancer. Evenings here are memorable and go late.
reviewed
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Al-Mallah
Dependably sublime chicken and lamb shwarmas. The juicy chicken is loaded with pungent garlic sauce and jammed with pickles; lamb is tender with tons of fresh tomato, parsley, pickles and hummus. Great felafel, too.
reviewed
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Afghan Kebab House
Big hunks of meat – lamb, beef, chicken – charred on foot-long skewers come served with rice and bread. That’s it. Think caveman food. Eat with your hands. Tricky to find but locals can direct you.
reviewed
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Automatic Restaurant
This Lebanese eatery is a branch of the successful national chain, and while everything on the menu is good, their tangy shwarmas are some of the most delicious around.
reviewed
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Yum!
Yum! is a good pick for a quick bowl of noodles when you’re wandering along the Creek – and you can be in and out in half an hour.
reviewed
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Verre by Gordon Ramsay
The eponymous British chef hardly ever comes by anymore, but fortunately executive chef Matt Pickop is competently helming the kitchen. Long one of the top eateries in town, Verre continues to stand out for embracing the gentle art de la table in all its sensuality – from your first sip of champagne to your last bite of chocolate, this is one meal you won’t soon forget. The menu plays to sophisticates who recognise subtlety: there are no distracting gimmicks, no silly flourishes and no dumbing down of culinary traditions. Near-perfect executions of French-inspired classics are served with choreographed precision in an austere white-tablecloth dining room. If you’re…
reviewed
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Al-Meshwar
Long the most popular eatery in town, this excellent restaurant (in a bizarre building that looks like a cross between a set from the Flintstones and a crusader castle) serves up the best Lebanese food outside of Lebanon. The appetiser plate is delicious (the spicy sausages are scrumptious!) and excellent value. Add a fattoosh salad and baba ghanooj and it's enough to fill two. Make sure to try the fresh pomegranate juice. If you're with a big group, phone ahead and order the house speciality Ouzie (a moist tender roast whole lamb with rice and pine nuts). Sit in the sheesha section downstairs – the people-watching possibilities alone make a visit worthwhile.
reviewed
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Noodle House
The concept at this reliably good, always-packed pan-Asian joint is simple: sit down at long wooden communal tables and order by ticking dishes on a tear-off menu pad. There’s great variety – curry laksa to pad Thai to roast duck – to please disparate tastes. Some dishes even come in small and large sizes to match hunger levels. Wines by the glass and several Asian beers, including Tiger on tap, are available. If there’s a wait, leave your mobile number and head next door to Agency for pre-dinner drinks. There are now four other branches around town, including in Souq Madinat Jumeirah and Dubai Mall.
reviewed
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Grand Abu Shakra
Black-and-white TVs show classics (sound off) from the golden age of Egyptian cinema, a fitting backdrop for Dubai’s best-known Egyptian restaurant. Come at lunchtime on Tuesday or Thursday for the classic carb-rich koshary, a combination of rice, lentils and pasta, with chilli sauce, lemon and fried onion. The adventurous should order the charred whole pigeon (Dh90), but be forewarned: it’s unboned – and still has its head. The red, gamey meat is richly flavourful, but boy, it’s a struggle to get at it. If you’re hungry, stick to the fava-bean falafel instead.
reviewed
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Pisces & P2 Brasserie
Stylish and slick Pisces is Dubai’s top table for seafood. The chef has a knack for eking out intensely bright flavours from his ingredients; dishes are elegantly light and melt on the palate. We’re not too keen on his overdependence on foams and nages, but with talent this good, we can forgive a few idiosyncrasies. The understated dining room echoes the colours of the sea: wear blue-grey Armani and blend right in. (No sneakers.) Note: there’s a cheaper, more accessible menu upstairs at the adjoining less-formal French brasserie. Think duck confit and mussels marinière.
reviewed
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Sayad
This swish seafood restaurant at Emirates Palace is a stunner. While the whimsical interior with its fabulous blue-lit interior (designed to make you feel like you're underwater) can be distracting, the creative seafood dishes easily command your attention. From its champagne trolley and caviar menu to its impeccable attentive service, this is a memorable restaurant that you should save for that last night of the trip or special celebration.
The mixed appetiser plate with tuna carpaccio with foie gras and truffles, lobster salad with sevruga caviar, and veal carpaccio was a work of art.
reviewed
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BiCE
With a reputation for being one of the best Italian restaurants in town, BiCE is often fully packed, which can prove challenging for the servers. Still, the food is solid, prepared in an unfussy, classic way using just a few top-quality ingredients and letting them shine. The recipes are traditional – beef carpaccio, veal Milanese, house-made pasta, wild-mushroom risotto – but presented with a contemporary style that matches the elegant, continental dining room. This being an Italian eatery, there’s even a play area and games room for the kids. Great tiramisu. Reservations essential.
reviewed
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Zheng He’s
An army of 20 clatters pans and fires woks behind the glass of the open kitchen at Zheng He’s, the spectacular contemporary Chinese restaurant known for its fresh, light dim sum and stellar seafood specials (many diners go for the live tank, but others prefer the wasabi prawns with black pepper). The Sino-chic room is gorgeous, with a pagoda-style ceiling and good symmetry. Alas, the hard surfaces mean high decibels, and the location at Madinat Jumeirah means high prices. Score an outside table for romantic views of the water and Burj al-Arab. No children under four years old.
reviewed
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Rhodes Mezzanine
Celebrity chef Gary Rhodes is famous for bringing British cuisine into the 21st century and has a Michelin star to prove it. At his Dubai outpost, the emphasis is squarely on quality ingredients prepared in fresh, surprising ways. There’s fish on the menu but it’s meat lovers who will discover culinary nirvana in such dishes as rack of lamb or slow-roasted pork belly. Unlike the food, the modern baroque setting is anything but understated, with its candy-coloured Lucite room and shimmering chandeliers. But do leave room for the divine bread-and-butter pudding.
reviewed
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Pierchic
Looking for a place to drop an engagement ring into a glass of champagne? Make reservations for this stunning seafood house at the end of a long pier jutting out to sea. The best tables line the outdoor decks and provide drop-dead-gorgeous vistas of the Burj al-Arab and Madinat Jumeirah. The food is solidly good, but the overambitious menu gets a little heavy-handed with its ingredient combinations; order simple and you’ll fare better. But with so much romance, you’ll hardly notice what you’re eating. Note: sitting inside defeats the purpose of coming here.
reviewed
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Smiling BKK
Locals will kill us for including this indie hole-in-the-wall Thai gem, but it’s too good not to share. The walls of the cheek-by-jowl space are covered with hipster mishmash (think Van Gogh paint-by-numbers postcards), and scratchy rock-and-roll blaring through big speakers (sit outside for quiet conversation). A Thai national cooks your dinner. The food is good, sometimes very good, but what’s even better is the adventure of finding this underground bo-ho hangout. (Hint: look for the moustachioed neon Mona Lisa, just west of the Jumeirah Post Office.)
reviewed
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Thiptara
Thiptara wows with its romantic setting in a lakeside pagoda with front-row views of Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain. The food’s just as impressive, with elegant interpretations of classic Thai dishes, although portions are small and the final bill can be quite steep. The chef grows his own herbs, which perk up such dishes as green-papaya salad and beef in spicy brown sauce with on-the-vine peppercorns. Alas, the interior is too austere (sit on the deck), but the exceptional cooking and the solicitous service by the all-Thai staff make up for it.
reviewed
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Benjarong
Gold-leafed columns, drop-dead views and a carved wooden ceiling make quiet Benjarong the prettiest Thai restaurant in town, ideal for a tête-à-tête with your paramour. Start with gung hom sabai (deep-fried prawns in egg noodles) or tom yam goong (spicy prawn soup with lime, lemongrass and chilli), then move on to the specialty: coconut curry – red or green – best served with duck and pineapple. For maximum atmosphere, book the tatami-style Ayotoya room and sit on cushions on the floor.
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Awtar
Locals love the opulent Bedouin-tent-like atmosphere and warm welcome of this formal Lebanese restaurant, complete with a belly dancer and live band – it’s not uncommon for women to stand up, clap and sway to the music. The menu lists the usual mezzes and kebabs, as well as a full page of raw-meat dishes, all served in mountainous portions. If you’re loath to shout over the noise, book for 8pm. But for maximum fun, round up a posse and come at 10pm, when the scene gets rockin’. Request one of the swoop-backed booths for the best views.
reviewed
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Bastakiah Nights
One of the city’s most romantic restaurants, Bastakiah Nights occupies a restored courtyard home with fabulous old Arabian-style atmosphere. The menu is mostly Lebanese but also includes a few Emirati dishes. Though you can order à la carte, we recommend the set menu, which includes soup, copious mezzes and a choice of mains, such as mixed grill or lamb stew. It’s not the best food in town and service is sometimes weak, but on a balmy evening the candlelit courtyard, with the indigo night sky overhead, can’t be beat. No alcohol.
reviewed
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Nina
Follow the locals to this lush den whose floor-to-ceiling purple fabric, red-orange light and beaded curtains set a seductive backdrop for the dynamic cooking on offer. The chef combines Indian with a touch of Thai and tempers it with European techniques. The results will perk up even the most passive proboscis: rich spicing means flavours develop slowly on the palate with an elegant complexity that demands savouring. Choose the chef’s selection of starters and curries for a sense of his broad repertoire. Reservations essential.
reviewed
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Options
Beaded glass curtains, tufted red-vinyl walls, and glittering crystal chandeliers set a Subcontinent-fancy mood at Indian celeb-chef Sanjeer Kapoors’ Options. Though noteworthy for consistency, the kitchen’s real excellence lies in the chef’s exquisite spicing. Standouts include tandoori-grilled citrus-marinated prawns with green cardamom, cream and cashew paste; chicken tikka with saffron gravy and rose petals; and vegetarian slow-cooked black lentils with pomegranate, finished with housemade butter.
reviewed
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Lime Tree Café
Herbivore or meathead, no matter your persuasion, your tastebuds will love the carefully composed salads, imaginative wraps and perky smoothies (try the blueberry) at this expat favourite on the Jumeirah strip. Other assets are its use of fresh ingredients, including some organic produce, and the wholesome cooking, just how the yoga mammas, power shoppers and health nuts like it. Portions are generous, prices good, and the carrot cake the best in town. Also in the China Court in Ibn Battuta Mall.
reviewed
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Pars Iranian Kitchen
This convivial alfresco dining room often fills with patrons lusting after bread, tickled crisply by flames in the brick oven, fingerlickin’ muttabal (purée of aubergine mixed with tahini, yoghurt and olive oil) and hummus, and juicy kebabs paired with perfect piles of saffron rice. You’ll feel like a pasha lounging amid the fat pillows on a carpeted platform surrounded by twinkle-lit hedges. Too authentic? Opt for a traditional table. Alas, the lack of indoor seating makes Pars a poor choice in summer.
reviewed