The holy month of Ramadan has been confirmed to begin in the UAE on Thursday, March 23 by the moon sighting committee. As always, Dubai is going to pull all the stops to serve up some spectacular iftars. The fast-breaking meal, which is consumed at sunset, is an excellent way for people from different nationalities and faiths to bond while they break bread together. We’ve compiled the ultimate guide to iftar in Dubai so whether you’re fasting or not, you can embrace the festive spirit of the holy season. Here’s our pick of 30 best iftar in Dubai, in no specific order.
1. Address Fountain Views
The hotel known for its stunning views is serving up an equally stunning iftar this Ramadan. At sunset, break your fast with an extensive buffet spread featuring traditional delicacies, live stations cooking up fresh mezzes and dishes from various cuisines. Salads, delicious mains, desserts and Ramadan juices are also part of the buffet. Traditional Ramadan music will play while the glorious Dubai Fountains come to life in the background.
Price: AED 265 per person
Booking: Call 04 245 8888 or email dineatfountainviews@addresshotels.com
2. Royal Majlis at Emirates Golf Club
Lush greens create the setting for Emirates Golf Club this Ramadan. The Royal Majlis transforms into a verdant location for iftar with a regal spread. A Ramadan tent inspired by Bedouin architecture will host iftars from sunset to 11pm. Traditional iftar delicacies will be part of the menu.
Price: AED 260 per person
Booking: Call 04 417 9999 or email emiratesdining@dubaigolf.com
3. Pincode
Enjoy the best of both worlds at this Indian fine-dining restaurant by celebrity chef Kunal Kapur – you get to sample both a buffet spread and a set menu. Tuck into Ramadan juices such as rooafzah and vimto, dates, chaat like gol gappa and chaat hummus, refreshing salads such as eggplant salad, Indian dishes such as Kerala fried chicken and lamb chapli kebab for mains and desserts like coconut payasam and rasmalai. From sunset till 8:30pm.
Price: AED 169 per person
Booking: Call 04 566 1424
4. Aamara
Trade-in a regular iftar for one that weaves in and out of the historic trade route – the Silk Road – at Aamara. This new themed eatery from the Tresind team VOCO Hotel has plucked the best of the dishes from their menu for iftar. You’ll end your fast with dates and dry fruits, then progressing to appetizers and mains that are a fusion of culinary cultures and spices from around the world.
Price: AED 200 per person
Booking: Call 052 573 5723
5. QD’s, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht club, Dubai Creek Resort
This veteran of Dubai’s dining scene is rolling out a splendid outdoor iftar. Catch waterfront views of the sun go down by the Dubai Creek while nibbling on Arabian classics – hot and cold mezze, salads, soups, live cooking stations roasting up mixed grills and more. Dessert sections includes classics like umm ali, fresh melt-in-your-mouth kunafa, saffron rice pudding and more. From sunset to 9pm.
Price: AED 175 per person
Booking: Call 04 295 6000 or click here
6. Bombay Bungalow
The highly Instagrammable homegrown Indian restaurant adds a spicy spin to iftar with their four-course set menu for iftar that spans the length and breadth of Indian cuisine. Highlights include kadai hummus with mango, sizzling mutton, mushroom gujiya, afghani chicken tikka, biryani bowls and a curry of the day you can mop up using an array of Indian breads that are part of the meal. Carrot Baklava emerges as dessert champion and you can wash it all down with delicious beverages such as Arabic coffee, tamarind juice, fruit punch, and roohafza.
Price: AED 110 per person
Booking: Call 04 427 0758
7. Jun’s
Already one of MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants, this trending Downtown Dubai restaurant by Chef Kelvin Cheung doesn’t miss a beat with their iftar menu. Switch up lentil soup with a Miso butternut squash soup, dates, a mezze platter to share whose contents you ironically might not want to – vine leaves, Jun’s hummus, Chinese lumpia and other delicacies populate it. Mains are family-style dishes of Malaysian Wagyu short rib mandi clay pot rice, sweet and sour snapper, braised lamb neck congee, etc.
Price: AED 200 per person
Booking: Call 04 457 6035 or WhatsApp 050 938 9099
8. Palazzo Versace
Italian opulence blends with Arabian flamboyance at Palazzo Versace’s annual Ramadan Hikayat Garden. You can break your fast under the stars in an extravagant setting of plush sofas, Arabian carpets, and glamorous table setting from sunset until 8:30pm. The iftar buffet at this five-star hotel nestled by Al Jaddaf waterfornt features traditional Ramadan dishes.
Price: AED 200 per person
Booking: Call 04 556 8888
9. Yalumba, Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre
This award-winning restaurant has whipped an iftar buffet that’s packed with traditional dishes and Ramadan juices, hot and cold mezze, dates, succulent mains and an array of appetizers and desserts. From sunset until 9:30pm.
Price: AED 185 per person
Booking: Call 04 702 2455 or email restaurants.lmd@marriott.com
10. Queen Elizabeth 2 Hotel
Iftar aboard this historic cruise ship-turned-floating hotel is one that’s sure to make waves. Lido Restaurant will serve both sea views and a scintillating ifftar buffet that reels in the best of Ramadan cuisine from the region. Graze on hot and cold mezze, traditional Ouzi, lamb harris, Arabic mix grill, and a full-fledged kebbeh station. Desserts and juices such as katayef, halawet, Ain Al Jamal, Kamar-El-Den, jalab, and karkade make this a delightfully traditional affair. From 6:30pm to 9:30pm.
Price: AED 159 per person
Booking: Call 600 500 400 or email reservations.qe2@accor.com
11. Social Distrikt
This modern food hall and the multipurpose venue is hosting an iftar that truly embraces the social aspect of observing the end of fast. All the six different outlets inside this food hall in The Pointe offer a set menu. Pick the menu from an outlet that caters to your particular cuisine craving – Italian, Mexican, Japanese and more are on offer – and dig in. Each set menu also includes unlimited drinks including juice, sodas or traditional Ramadan drinks. There’s both outdoor and indoor seating, but plump for the terrace area as it opens up to the stunning vista of the world’s largest fountain. Backgammon boards and playing cards will be provided at the tables so you can truly immerse yourself in Ramadan vibes.
Price: AED 129 per set menu per person
Booking: Call 052 515 8995 or visit www.socialdistrikt.com
12. Olea, Kempinski Mall of the Emirates
The all-day dining venue at Kempinski Hotel, Mall of the Emirates, has an buffet menu in store for iftar. Arabic specialities – cold appetizers like tajin quarnabeet, hot appetizers like spinach fatayer and cheese rakakat are highlights. Expect lamb shakriya, chicken maqlooba, butter chicken and biryani for mains or make a beeline for the dessert and pastry section that will dole out hits scuh as kunafa, umm ali, mamoul mad pistachio and the showstopper – a chocolate fountain with condiments. An oud player will set the mood 7:15pm onwards
Price: Price: AED 250 per person
Booking: Call 04 341 0000 or email dining.moe@kempinski.com
13. Kitchen 6, JW Marriott Marquis
The buffet-style iftar meal here is an extensive offering, with six live cooking stations that each give you a taste of different cuisines form around the world. Middle Eastern dishes t such as mixed grill, shish tawook, desserts such as kunafa and baclava and more make the list.
Price: AED 215 per person
Booking: Call 04 414 3000 or email jwmmrr@marriott.com
14. Palm Garden, Park Hyatt Dubai
A picturesque garden setting is the main feature of this open-tent style iftar. Green lanterns, flowers and foliage and a live oud player will create a peaceful ambiance while you end your fast with grilled meats, seafood, international dishes like risotto and cheese plates, or opt for tried-and-tested favourites such as chicken tikka and malai kebab. Shawarma lovers must definitely hit up the dedicated shawarma station.
Price: AED 325 per person
Booking: Call 04 602 1814 or email restaurantreservations@hyatt.com
15. Lapa Eatery
The vegan restaurant on Jumeirah Beach Road is offering what is perhaps the most nourishing iftar spread. Free of preservatives, gluten and dairy and refined sugars, the special Ramadan menu features dishes perfect for clean eating – baked falafel, tabbouleh salad, creamy and meaty hummus bil lameh, gluten-free spicy chicken quinoa biryani, Karan beef bowl and more. It’s an ideal choice for those looking to detox their bodies during the fasting period without compromising on flavour.
Price: AED 125 per person and AED 199 for two people
Booking: Call 056 545 8538 or visit www.lapa.ae
16. August
After flooring diners with their dazzling Burj Khalifa views, this French-Mediterannean restaurant located on the 12th floor of the Address Downtown hotel is now set to bowl guests over with a thoughtfully curated iftar menu. Blending Ramadan favourites and French flavours, you’ll be served lentil soup, feta watermelon salad, chicken skewers, lamb tagine or grilled prawns for mains and a crumbly baklava cake for dessert.
Price: AED 200 per person
Booking: Call 058 641 9294 or visit www.addresshotels.com/en/restaurant/august/
17. Bushra
Share Dubai Marina views and a sharing-style iftar menu at this Grosvenor House restaurant. Fattoush, silky hummus bi tahini, hot mezze such as Turkish piden and mains such as mixed grills and ouzi are menu strong contenders. Dessert will include traditional Arabic and Turkish delights, fresh fruits and heaps of cakes and pastries.
Price: Aed 275 per person
Booking: Call 04 317 6000 or email resbook.grosvenorhouse@luxurycollection.com
18. Clap, DIFC
This glamorous restaurant in the Gate Village, DIFC, has a four-course set iftar menu. Munch on miso soup, edamame, shrimp tempura, sea bass panko, marinated lamb rack, spinach miso risotto and eclectic desserts such as the cheesecake goma kunafa.
Price: AED 275 per person
Booking: Call 04 569 3820 or email reservations@clapdubai.com
19. Baofriend
Now, this is an iftar menu that’ll be light on your wallet but heavy on the stomach. The Asian fusion restaurant has an elaborate four-course menu for iftar at just AED 69 per person.
Turkish dessert expert Abbasoglu will be supplying mouth-watering baklava and other items on the menu are street food favourites from around Asia. Dig into tangy and spicy bala-bala, a vegetable fritter, gado-gado – a mixed vegetable salad topped with creamy peanut sauce and crunchy crackers, chicken wok-fried noodles and Hambagu rice, kimchi ramen and more for mains. Try out crispy fried plantain with vanilla ice cream and Indonesian favourite ‘Es Campur’ – a mixed-ice concoction made with jackfruit, avocado and grass jelly.
Price: AED 69 per person
Booking: Call 04 287 5120 or visit www.baofriend.com
20. Al Mashowa, Riverland
The Europe-inspired theme park inside Dubai Parks and Resorts is home to authentic Emirati seafood restaurant Al Mashowa. For iftar this year, they’re rustling up an outdoor buffet that lets you relish recipes handed down through generations of Emirati families: Emirati chicken machbous, Dawoud basha, a live barbeque station with lamb kofta, sherry fish and refreshing drinks such as jallab, qamar al fine, tamer al hendi and more.
Price: AED 95 per person
Booking: Call 04 590 5455
21. Onze
Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club’s newest addition, Onze, is set to brandish its culinary hold of Japanese-Peruvian cuisine with a set iftar menu. Traditional Ramadan favourites such as dates and laban along Onzoe’s signature white miso soup, appetizers such as spicy tuna maki, Wagyu taquitos, organic baby chicken platter, a fried rice platter with mushroom and eggs, steak and more. Dive into desserts for an additional AED 35 – you can choose from four different options ranging from tres leches rose kintsugi to churros, mochis and molten chocolate cake.
Price: AED 200 for one main course and side dish
Booking: Call 04 250 6567 or visit www.onzerestaurant.com
22. Jones The Grocer, Emirates Golf Club
The Arabic-themed Iftar set menu here is designed for big families or groups of friends to share; when you book a table for 10, two people dine for free. Tuck into Arabic dates, a special Jones the Grocer lentil soup and traditional juices. Crispy cauliflower and preserved lemon Croquettes, chickpeas and eggplant moussaka, baked barramundi roll and lamb fateh make up the mains while warm sticky date and walnut cake is the dessert.
Price: AED 295 for two people
Booking: 04 417 9999 or email jonesthegrocer@dubaigolf.com
23. The London Project
Head out to this Bluewaters Island Prepare to break your fast with a delectable three-course iftar menu that includes a side salad. Indulge in stone bread with smoked aubergine dip and parsley, harira soup with beef, tomato, chicken skewers and more for starters. Mains spring up a choice of grilled seabream with a fennel salad or baby chicken accompanied with a green salad, rigatoni Arabiatta pasta and grilled Australian black angus sirloin with chimichurri. Dessert choices include options of cheesecake with berry compote, chocolate fondant or citrus creme brulee.
Price: AED 198 per person
Booking: Call 054 306 1822 or email info@thelondonproject.com
24. Copthorne Lakeview Hotel
The hotel’s all-day dining restaurant will serve iftar buffet from sunset to 9pm that’s perfect for families. Dates, cheese samosa, zaatar fatayer, chicken pastilla, lamb and plum tajine, kebah bilaban and other scrumptious dishes are part of the buffet lineup. Live cooking stations prepare lamb ouzi with oriental rice as well as lamb kofta, chicken kebab are something to look forward to here.
Price: AED 169 per person
Booking: Call 048852222 or email h1026.res@millenniumhotels.com
25. MyGovinda’s
The vegetarian Indian restaurant chain has a yoga-backed ‘sattvic’ diet that they’ve freshened up for Ramadan in the format of a five-course menu that feeds two people and cost only AED 89! Enjoy light but nourishing dishes made using season produce and free of preservatives when you break your fast – greek salad, beetroot hummus, soups, paneer malai tikka, hara bhara kebabs dals and breads and rice as part of the iftar menu. Traditional Indian sweets like ras malai and gulab jamun round things off in the dessert department. From 6:45pm to 8:30pm.
Price: 5-course set menu costs AED 89 for two; AED 179 for four
Booking: Call 056 261 4599 or visit www.mygovindas.com
26. Mina’s Kitchen
The home of the famous Bubbalicious brunch and The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi’s all-day dining restaurant is pooling its gastronomical chops into creating a splendid iftar buffet for Ramadan. International and Arabic dishes, from mezze to chicken and rice dishes, desserts and classic Ramadan juices are part of the spread here.
Price: AED 185 per person; AED 75 per child (aged 6 to 12)
Booking: Call 04 511 7373
27. Latest Recipe
The lunch and dinner spot at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Waterpark is pulling all the stops for Ramadan with a festive iftar buffet. A live chicken shawarma station, oud player, lamb tagine and peons and a dedicated Asian and Indian food corner are just a handful of the exciting features at this iftar feast.
Price: AED 170 per adult; AED 75 per child
Booking: Call 04 511 7373
28. Bull & Bear
The award-winning restaurant at Waldorf Astoria in Finacial Centre is celebrating Ramadan by adding an Arabic twist to their everyday menu. The à la carte fftar options include classics such as Josper grilled flatbread with dips, red lentil soup and Bull & Bear’s spin on traditional iftar mixed grill. You can also order lamb melanzane, homemade Mediterranean oriental rice and delicious desserts such as cheese kunafa, sticky toffee pudding, and carrot sliced baklava. From sunset to 8:30pm.
Price: AED 245
Bookings: Call 04 515 9888 or visit www.bullandbeardifc.com
29. Cafe Beirut
Café Beirut is going the whole nine yards to ensure Ramadan nights in 2023 are one for the books. After breaking your fast at this Lebanese institution in Al Murroj Complex in Downtown Dubai, revel in board games and cards to pass the time with family and friends in the run-up to suhoor. The iftar menu here commences with a starter of dates, dried apricots and olives as per Lebanese tradition. Followed by a soup. Fresh salads, hummus, moutabal, mezze dishes such as makanek, batata harra and hearty mains that change daily are sure to stuff you to the gills. Cold drinks special to Ramadan such as jalleb and Vimto will be staples here all through Ramdan. From sunset to 10pm.
Price: AED 165 per person
Call: 04 422 5211 or visit www.cafebeirutdubai.com
30. Asil, Rixos Premium Dubai
A bountiful iftar feast will be served at this waterfront restaurant from sunset till 8:30pm throughout Ramadan. Insured by the flavours and cuisines of Turkey, Lebanon and Morocco, you’ll find yourself working your way through mezzes, grill platter, crisy yet flaky su bourek (Turkish boiled pastry), manti (Central Asian dumpling) and imam bayildi (Turkish stuffed aubergines). Hearty tagines and coscous mechoui represent Morocco, and from Lebanon stuffed marrows, vine leaves, and shish do the trick. Cap it off with Ramadan desserts and Moroccan tea. Asil’s daily live acoustic band will perform Middle Eastern melodies.
Price: AED 260 per person
Booking: Call 04 520 0055, WhatsApp 052 160 0333 or email dine@asilrestaurant.com