Eating Out in Dubai

Dubai is a very cosmopolitan city and this is refelcted in its range of restaurants and the cuisines they offer. The local flavor of Arabic food borrows heavily from Lebanese, Iranian and Indian traditions. Finding restaurants that offer ethnic cuisines, be they Chinese, French, Indian, Italian or Persian is not very difficult.

The ubiquitous problem that the tourist in Dubai currently faces is transport. If you are relying on taxis it is best to choose a restaurant locted in one of the larger shopping malls or some of the better 5 star hotels. There are some high street restaurants in Dubai that are well worth the visit. Finding taxis back to your hotel from the upscale ones is not too difficult since there is a steady stream of patrons arriving in taxis - just make sure you tell restaurant staff grab one for you.

Dubai Restaurant Reviews

Some of the better restaurants in Dubai are reviewed on this site. Select an area of Dubai or a type of cuisine from the links at the foot of this page.

A word of warning for Western aficionados of Indian cuisine - given the large population from the sub continent the food served in Indian restaurants tends to be far too spicy for occidental tastes. However, most restaurants will adapt dishes to your level of tolerance - just make sure that you let them know!

To choose from a range of cuisines served in a relaxing atmosphere with good service try the Pyramids, Wafi City. This is a leisure complex designed with an Egyptian theme. Of special note are the Sphinx restaurant for International cuisine and Asha for excellent Indian food.

Quick Snacks & Meals

All shopping malls in Dubai, even the minor ones, have a food court. Mall food courts are extremely noisy places and have the ususal selection of junk food outlets. However, there are exceptions

• The food court at Deira City Center has a good Pizza restaurant (not the well known chain), excellent Indian food at the Shamiana restaurant and a, genuine, Harry Ramsden fish and chips. For a quieter snacking/dining experience try the restaurants on the second floor. Swiss Cafe with its excellent range of snacks and icecreams is of particular note.
• Apart from a wide selection of restaurants the Mall of the Emirates has a number of food courts. The Shamiana restaurant is of particular note. Although it is located in the food court, all food is made to order and they do takeaways.