Dubai is a wonderful city where if you are like me and love to shop and dine, you will be spoilt for choice. It is the hub for famous international restaurant chains and hence you do not need to travel all the way to USA or to UK to enjoy some of their famous brands. Personally, this is what I appreciate most about Dubai as it brings together so many mind blowing restaurants from different parts of the world. Below I list some of the restaurants I have been to during my trips to Dubai. This is as per my personal experiences, there are so many more restaurants I have to still visit, feel free to explore and choose as you see fit.
Decadent Diaries Tips:
There is a lot of walking in malls themselves, you may enter Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates and walk for hours without realising it, so wearing comfortable shoes is key.
Some hotels like Burj Al Arab do not allow you to enter their premises without a reservation, so do not forget to reserve the restaurant you want to visit.
Some restaurants are highly popular and do not take reservations, head to their counter and put your name on their waitlist on time, then roam around the mall till you are called when your table is ready.
Stay at a hotel that is nearby a popular mall or connected to a mall. This makes it highly convenient when you maybe want to have a late dinner or watch a late show at the movie theatre and then you can just walk to your hotel, some hotels are connected to malls as well (for eg. many good hotels have direct access to Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall etc.) and during off-season they are competitively priced, so do check that out.
1.Kaleidoscope at Atlantis Dubai
Atlantis The Palm is one of the most magnificent, glorious hotels in Dubai, situated on the crescent of the luxurious Palm Jumeira this hotel looks like an Arabian palace and exudes opulence. There are so many well-known restaurants in this hotel from Nobu to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal! There are over 20 dining options that I counted at least listed on their website! We came across Kaleidoscope (a buffet restaurant) while visiting the Atlantis and were surprised to see the wait staff dressed in Saris! We realised as it was Diwali time, they had a celebratory Diwali buffet! What a mind blowing experience it was! You are spoilt for choice with themed buffets featuring live counters, international cuisine ranging from Asian to European, local delights and the most decadent dessert spread I have ever seen! Yes, there is also their other popular buffet restaurant called Saffron which I wish to visit soon, but this experience at Kaleidoscope was truly memorable and I kept coming back here. It is a bit pricey but if you are celebrating a festival or a special occasion, you should try it out.
My Review: Must Try
2.Skyview Bar at Burj Al Arab
Burj Al Arab is an uber luxury five-star hotel, probably one of the most iconic hotels in Dubai. It is shaped like the sail of a ship, located on its own independent man-made island, it is the world's tallest all suite hotel and it is really really expensive to stay here 😅 It is understandable as I have heard that many of their interiors have been gilded in 24-carat gold 😯 So yeah if you like me wish to experience this hotel and not spend a butt load of money, experiencing one of the restaurants for one of your special occasions is suggested. You cannot enter this hotel without a reservation, so make sure you have the same. I browsed the options here and decided the best one would be their Skyview Bar located on the 27th floor for its scenic views of Dubai. Entering this hotel I was in awe of its lofty gold columns and the central fountain and when you look up you can see all the floors of the hotel, it is a sight to behold. And then you head in a glass elevator to the 27th floor and enter this glamorous lounge with a decor of shades of blue like the ocean. If you are lucky you are seated at one of the tables at the edge with beautiful views. Interesting cocktails and mocktails and some great finger food to go along with it, while viewing the twinkling lights and expanse of Dubai during nighttime was an extremely unforgettable experience. If you wish to visit during the daytime to get the gulf view as well you can visit there for afternoon tea. Yes once again this place is pricey but it is worth it if you have a very special occasion.
My Review: Must Try
3.Eataly
Eataly is an Italian market chain where you can shop for Italian food products from dry pasta to fresh Italian breads, olive oil to cheeses and you can enjoy some authentic Italian food as well! Oh my god, the food here is soo good. We had the bruschetta with ricotta and cherry tomatoes, the eggplant parmigiana and the Neapolitan style Margherita pizza which was to die for. The tiramisu was so indulgent and authentically delicious. The quality of this food really transported me to Italy, my tummy was so happy after this meal, lolz! This chain originated in Italy and hence I reiterate Dubai is amazing because I do not need to travel all the way to Italy or USA to be able to eat at this awesome restaurant.
My Review: Must Try
4.Magnolia Bakery
The famous Magnolia Bakery of NYC is located in Dubai as well! Enjoy their signature banana pudding, their yummy cheesecakes, melt-in-the-mouth cupcakes and more. This bakery is truly fantastic, it must not be missed. The best part is that you do not need to go all the way to New York to try this bakery, the quality and detail to attention is the same in Dubai!
My Review: Must Try
5.The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory has outlets all over Dubai. It is again an American restaurant chain well known as their name goes for their Cheesecakes and more. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical of visiting this restaurant as I was not sure that they would have stand-out dishes and have bland food, but boy was I wrong! I visited this restaurant only after watching it on the Big Bang Theory! I used to pass by this restaurant on earlier Dubai trips and ignore it. The menu is so extensive and there is so much good food to eat, I was so pleasantly surprised. The complimentary bread they serve at the start is warm and oh so delicious with butter. I was really blown away by the quality of the food here. We had the guacamole and the avocado toast and the avocados and the vegetables were crisp, fresh and juicy. The fettuccine alfredo was creamy, flavourful, not clumpy and simply fab. There is a veggie burger which is so full of flavour! The cheesecake selection is so vast and the flavours are amazing! I mean there is so much to try there and everything is so good! Even the mocktail that I had there (a strawberry based one) was so good! I have also observed that all their restaurants in Dubai have uniformity in their standard and quality of food and service and that in itself is a great feat according to me!
My Review: Must Try
6.Godiva Cafe
Godiva is known for gourmet chocolates and their cafes utilise their expertise in chocolates to create a dessert lover's menu of dreams. Since their chocolate is so good, all of their creations are simply fabulous. You can try their stuffed crepes, different patisserie items, waffles, chocolate fondue, the most delicious chocolate-covered strawberries, soft serve ice creams and other ice cream creations and even chocolate flavoured signature blend coffees. You can have savoury items as well but I suggest you eat a good meal somewhere and head over to Godiva for desserts.
My Review: Must Try
7.Al Halabi Restaurant
Yes, there are many authentic middle eastern restaurants throughout Dubai, but I personally stick to malls when I visit Dubai, I just like the convenience of dining, shopping and entertainment in one place. Al Halabi was a decent restaurant with a good mezze platter, crispy falafel and more. It's located on level two of the Mall of Emirates, there are many good restaurants side by side on that floor.
My Review: Must Try
8.Paul
Paul is a chain of French cafes located in 47 countries! Their Dubai restaurants are wonderful and full of French Patisserie elegantly displayed and a range of salads, sandwiches, burgers, soups and even a dedicated vegan menu. The ambience of these restaurants is elegant and they have chairs and tables laid out in an al fresco manner to give a French cafe vibe. Whatever we ate the quality was excellent and portions were good as well.
My Review: Must Try
9.Peppermill
Peppermill is an elegant Indian restaurant with north Indian food and chaat platters which tasted good. It is a fine dining restaurant and all the dishes have a finesse about them. Really decent Indian food in a sophisticated ambience, that says it all.
My Review: Must Try
10.Shake Shack
Shake Shack! Another American fast food chain! Tried their Shroom burger, a crispy fried portobello mushroom with melted cheese, along with their crinkle-cut fries and a vanilla shake. The burger was average but the presentation was good. Personally preferred the veggie burger at the Cheesecake Factory.
My Review: Average
11.Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung is a world-renowned chain of Taiwanese restaurants and their Mall of the Emirates outlet is a sight to behold. You can see a host of clean dressed and masked chefs making scores of fresh dumplings, this place is always full of people and during the peak meal hours it's very difficult to get a table here without at least a half an hour wait. However the food is excellent and the service is quick and efficient, just watching those chefs work is entertainment by itself!
My Review: Must Try
12.P.F. Chang's
Yet another American chain has its restaurants in Dubai, they are famous for their Asian Fusion cuisine. The food was good, tasted fresh and the ambience was welcoming and innovative. We tried their green beans, spring rolls and fried rice, we enjoyed everything. The mocktails were also refreshing.
All in all a good experience.
My Review: Must Try
13.Eat Greek Kouzina
Continuing the variety of cuisines that we tried, we ate Greek food at this restaurant. We had some traditional Greek dips, soup of the day, a Greek salad and souvlaki. There were not many people at this restaurant when we visited, but I found the food to be good and the quantity also excellent.
My Review: Must Try
14.Morelli's Gelato
Once long back in 2011, I had visited Harrods in London and over there amongst all of the high-end brands, there was this one area where there was an ice cream parlour filled with people trying these decadent sundaes. And being the ice cream lover I am, I had one of my most memorable experiences there, savouring a sundae with my little sis at one of their counters and watching other people enjoy their sundaes as well. That store closed down, but I was able to rediscover this amazing gelato brand in Dubai and it brought back such fond memories. Although there were no lines for their ice cream here, when I had a bite of my sundae, I was transported back to that day at Harrods, so yes the taste was still as good and the toppings were great.
My Review: Must Try
15.Tim Horton's
Tim Hortons is a Canadian fast food chain. As I love bagels hence I visited this place. The bagels were good, the coffee was great so yes if you want to try a bagel which is not easy to find in Dubai, you can visit this brand.
My Review: Must Try
16.Yo! Sushi
Yo! Sushi originated in the United Kingdom and is known for its conveyor belt sushi restaurants. This was an interactive experience where you can pick up sushi dishes right out of the belt and I had never tried this restaurant anywhere I visited before. The food was fresh and it was enjoyable to watch tasty treats pass by on the conveyer belt. I felt like picking up them all! I know that the conveyor belt trend has died down but for me it was my first time visiting this chain so I enjoyed this experience.
My Review: Must Try
For me, my personal experience and enjoyment of Dubai is eating at my favourite International restaurant chains, I find it nostalgic..So this blog was about my personal experiences! Thank you for reading! ❤️
Comments