# good restaurants in dubai



## beyza (Dec 6, 2009)

hi. i live in turkey. i will make my first abroad trip to dubai on 18th of december. i like to know about good restaurants in which i can eat traditional food of dubai or in common middle east.in addition if u can help me about the things should be done in dubai i will appreciate it. thank you


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

beyza said:


> hi. i live in turkey. i will make my first abroad trip to dubai on 18th of december. i like to know about good restaurants in which i can eat traditional food of dubai or in common middle east.in addition if u can help me about the things should be done in dubai i will appreciate it. thank you


Hosgeldiniz

There are loads of great restaurants in Dubai, so it would help if you specified which ares of town (this is a big place) and a budget.

Emirati food isn;t really available, but there are numerous Lebanese or generic Arabic places all over town. You 'll find that a lot is not very different from traditional Turkish food.

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## Dannysigma (Feb 22, 2009)

I think Bin Eid in Deira (near the corniche) does Emirati food, but I can't vouch for this myself.


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## beyza (Dec 6, 2009)

Elphaba said:


> Hosgeldiniz
> 
> There are loads of great restaurants in Dubai, so it would help if you specified which ares of town (this is a big place) and a budget.
> 
> ...


Hosbuldum : )

we will probably stay at atlantis the palm or burj al arab hotel. we may only stay for 4 or 5 days. we will visit RAK for business too. 

thank you for your help


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

beyza said:


> Hosbuldum : )
> 
> we will probably stay at atlantis the palm or burj al arab hotel. we may only stay for 4 or 5 days. we will visit RAK for business too.
> 
> thank you for your help



Either of those places have Arabic/Lebanese restaurants if you want high end. If you want the cheaper and probably more daily style version try any branch of Al Safadi or Beirut. I also like ARZ Lebanon - the nearest branches will be those in Marina or on Jumeirah Beach Road. 

There are also a number of Iranian restaurants here - as well as every other type of food from around the world.

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## beyza (Dec 6, 2009)

Elphaba said:


> Either of those places have Arabic/Lebanese restaurants if you want high end. If you want the cheaper and probably more daily style version try any branch of Al Safadi or Beirut. I also like ARZ Lebanon - the nearest branches will be those in Marina or on Jumeirah Beach Road.
> 
> There are also a number of Iranian restaurants here - as well as every other type of food from around the world.
> 
> -


i find the telephone number of those 3 restaurants on the net so thank you very much if you have further suggestions i will love to hear them (also if you can make suggestions about what we should especially choose i assume you now traditional turkish cuisine as well)


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## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

beyza said:


> Hosbuldum : )
> 
> we will probably stay at *atlantis the palm or burj al arab hotel*. we may only stay for 4 or 5 days. we will visit RAK for business too.
> 
> thank you for your help


I'm sure they could recommend some great places - have you not thought about using their concierge service? While you're at it book their white phantom's to get you there too.

It'll be an unforgettable night....


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## beyza (Dec 6, 2009)

Andy Capp said:


> I'm sure they could recommend some great places - have you not thought about using their concierge service? While you're at it book their white phantom's to get you there too.
> 
> It'll be an unforgettable night....


truly i wasn't aware of such kind of services: ) but thx


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

My comment is that a concierge here will often be a little biased as there may be reasons why he recommends one restaurant in place of another and it's not just to do with the food...

Let me know the kind of food you like and I can recommend some excellent restaurants.

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## beyza (Dec 6, 2009)

Elphaba said:


> My comment is that a concierge here will often be a little biased as there may be reasons why he recommends one restaurant in place of another and it's not just to do with the food...
> 
> Let me know the kind of food you like and I can recommend some excellent restaurants.
> 
> -


ok indeed thats one of the things come to my mind when i read the post about concierge service. but than i tought maybe i am too suspicious and this can be good and easy way of finding what i am looking for.

it maybe better to ask someone who has no benefit about what you asked for.so i appreciate your help.

i will try to tell you about what kind of food i like. as you mention in one of your posts i like to taste traditional food but not five started version but as it is eaten in that culture . but also i like to taste that kind of food in a restaurant which is really good about it. 

my personal choice i don't like food too oily. but i like spices very much and don't matter how chilli it is. i like salads and soups as well. i prefer to eat chicken instead of meat regularly but sometimes i also eat meat too but both they have to be cooked well. i like appetizers which we call it like 'meze' in turkey as you can see i like nearly everything but try to explain you the way i like : )

ah there is something i want to try but that can sound weird i want to try camel meat...

when it comes to sea cuisine we also have a saying in turkey for that which has a meaning like ' even if my father comes out of the sea i eat him '.so thats all i can mention. thank you for your help


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Only a few places serve camel meat. I tried it in Shoo Fee Ma Fe, a Moroccan restaurant in The Madinat.

What about Thai food? I really like Mango Tree in Souk al Bahar. There are loads of good Indian places (Coconut Grove in Rydges Plaza does great, authentic Southern Indian food).

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## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

beyza said:


> truly i wasn't aware of such kind of services: ) but thx


You're well versed in the services that 6 and 7 star hotels provide then


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## Loladada (Nov 17, 2009)

Ask the cab driver. 

When we lived in Toronto, a friend from out of town took us to the most amazing Pakistani restaurant, a place that we would not otherwise discover on our own. His secret? Wherever he goes, he would ask his cab Driver where this Driver dines with his family for very special occasions. He said it never fails him, great authentic food all the time.

Caveat: might not work here in Dubai as Drivers doesn't earn much and no family to celebrate special occasions.


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## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

Loladada said:


> Ask the cab driver.
> 
> When we lived in Toronto, a friend from out of town took us to the most amazing Pakistani restaurant, a place that we would not otherwise discover on our own. His secret? Wherever he goes, he would ask his cab Driver where this Driver dines with his family for very special occasions. He said it never fails him, great authentic food all the time.
> 
> Caveat: might not work here in Dubai as Drivers doesn't earn much and no family to celebrate special occasions.


And half of them don't know where they're going at the best of times - you'd probably end up in some eat and drink cafe in Sonapur and would pay 20x the food cost just for the taxi fare to get there.

Incidentally, a great Pakistani restaurant is Ravi's in Satwa.... AED20/head, can't go wrong.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Is there any place to go to get authentic italian, mexican or german?


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## beyza (Dec 6, 2009)

Elphaba said:


> Only a few places serve camel meat. I tried it in Shoo Fee Ma Fe, a Moroccan restaurant in The Madinat.
> 
> What about Thai food? I really like Mango Tree in Souk al Bahar. There are loads of good Indian places (Coconut Grove in Rydges Plaza does great, authentic Southern Indian food).
> 
> -


i tasted chinese food and japanese food a couple of times but never tasted thai food. r they alike


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

No, they are different. Different spices, different dishes. I LOVE Thai food


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## beyza (Dec 6, 2009)

Jynxgirl said:


> No, they are different. Different spices, different dishes. I LOVE Thai food


do u also have suggestions about restaurants maybe thai food


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## meee (Dec 2, 2009)

Jynxgirl said:


> Is there any place to go to get authentic italian, mexican or german?


there is a maxican res at the JBR

an italian one in Dubai marina hotel 


good places are SADAF after crown plza hotel 

Reem al bawadi in Jumirah


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## meee (Dec 2, 2009)

thai in JBR also


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Are these places in hotels? For mexican in JBR, are you referring to el chico or on the border? These are the type of places I want to avoid. Are there any mom and pop restaurants just owned by individuals who migrated here?


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## meee (Dec 2, 2009)

no not hotel, only what i mentioned in hotels are in hotel 
no idea about ndividuals one


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Are we allowed to put links? There is a timeoutdubai.com site that I just found searching for restaurants that seems to list alot of restaurants and have personal comments on them. Can search by area and price. Seems useful for a new person to dubai.


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

beyza said:


> do u also have suggestions about restaurants maybe thai food



I mentioned Mango Tree in an earlier post. That is an excellent Thai place in Souk al Bahar (old town, nr Dubai Mall). 

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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Jynxgirl said:


> Is there any place to go to get authentic italian, mexican or german?


Yes, loads!

Italian - lots of Italian places, but I'd suggest Il Rustico at Rydges Plaza (good value too)

Mexican - Pachanga at the Jumeirah Hilton or Mama Bonit's Taco Shop, Umm al Sheif Street in Umm Sequim 1

German - Brauhaus in Jumeirah Rotana (Al Diyafa Street in Satwa) or Hofbrauhaus in JW Marriot in Deira


TimeOut is a great resource for this kind of information. I have suggested people look at their site hundreds of times... 

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## cautious_mover (Dec 9, 2009)

The best steak is JW's Steakhouse at JW Marriott, Deira. Trust me on this one.

The best REAL Indian is in Bur Dubai, near Astoria Hotel - I think its called Punjab - out of this world chicken tikka plus other delights...all in for 60 AED for 2 persons. No frills place - food is excellent !


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

There's a new Mexican restaurant called Salsa just opened up on Marina Walk. Not sure how authentic it is, but the ingredients all tasted very fresh and would highly recommend.

Also, a couple of units down is an Italian called Stefano's which is excellent. They have a place in Al Barsha too.


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## vincetruong (May 10, 2009)

Elphaba

Is mama bonita's the same as maria bonita's or different?


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## vincetruong (May 10, 2009)

Elphaba said:


> Yes, loads!
> 
> 
> Mexican - Pachanga at the Jumeirah Hilton or Mama Bonit's Taco Shop, Umm al Sheif Street in Umm Sequim 1
> ...


Is mama bonita's the same place as maria bonita's or is this a different one?


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## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

beyza said:


> do u also have suggestions about restaurants maybe thai food


Lemongrass next to lamcy plaza is the best for Thai in Dubai. (Quite cheap too!)


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## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

vincetruong said:


> Is mama bonita's the same place as maria bonita's or is this a different one?


Same place - and yes it's authentic and rather splendid!


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