Harvest festival season is in full swing! While the Mid-Autumn Festival, Oktoberfest and Halloween are around the corner, it’s the Kerala harvest festival of Onam that is kicking celebrations off from August 26 to September 7. The 10-day South Indian festival’s highlight is the traditional feast served on a banana leaf called the Onam sadhya.
Malayalis (and foodies) around the world indulge in a lip-smacking lunch of over 20 different dishes ranging from tangy and spicy mains to sweet desserts. Thanks to the UAE’s huge Keralite community, the country is no stranger to lavish sadhyas. And the food comas that follow. Here are 12 best Onam sadhya spots to visit in Dubai and stuff yourself to the gills!
1. Calicut Paragon
The world’s 5th most legendary restaurant is no small title, and Dubai has not one but two outposts of this iconic Indian restaurant in Al Nahda and Karama. The special Onam sadhya on September 5, 6 and 7 comes with both takeaway (AED 49) and dine-in (AED 46) options, where you can sit back and gorge on 25 dishes. Pre-bookings have started. Dine-in lunches start at 12pm and wraps up around 3:30pm.
Call 04 251 2545 for Al Nahda and 04 335 8700 for Karama
2. Jamavar
An Onam sadhya with a gourmet edge is what’s on the menu at this Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in Downtown Dubai. Owned by the famed Malayali hotelier family who founded India’s iconic Leela Group of Hotels, a multi-course vegetarian (and optional seafood) feast that recreates matriarch Leela Nair’s (fondly called Leelamma) recipes and homemade sadhya will be served from August 26 to September 5 during lunch and dinner.
Classics like the paal payasam (rice pudding), koottu curry, matta rice and sambhar are accompanied by innovative items like the banana elaichi in this 20-dish spread. Spiced King Fish and a vibrant Alleppey prawn curry are available for a carnivorous flourish to the meal. Veg platter is AED 165; Non-Veg platter is AED 195.
Call 04 553 7852 for reservations
3. Punjab Grill
For more upscale sadhya experiences, head to this Michelin-recognised Indian eatery at Anantara Downtown on August 30-31 and September 5 and 7. They’re hosting their first Onasadhya, and it goes the whole nine yards with 33 dishes for the unbelievable pricetag of AED 99 per person.
Dig into staples like kalan, olan, cheera thoran, rasam and moru kachiyathu along with golden poori, as a nod to the north. Tying all that up are beautifully plated desserts like Tender Coconut Elaneer Payasam served in its own shell and Pal Payasam Ice Cream. An exclusive Onam mocktails with cheeky references to Kerala culture and arts like Mahabali’s Blessings and Chenda Chiller have been created. From 12pm-3pm.
Call 050 194 1107
4. Aaraamam
Another outlet beloved by Malayalis in Dubai (for the beef curry and parottas) with multiple locations across the city, Aaraamam, which means relaxed in Malayalam, will be anything but on September 5. There’ll be a buzzing melee of sadhyas being laid out and parcelled away for hungry patrons, featuring 21 dishes. Lunch starts at 10am as queues run long! Takeaways cost AED 43, and dine-in is AED 40.
Call 04 396 1962
5. Dhe Puttu
Owned by South Indian actor Dileep, this multicuisine restaurant’s calling card is their puttu – a steamed rice and coconut dish, but they know how to dole out a blockbuster of a sadhya. This one’s bursting with 27 items and runs from September 5-7. No bookings for dine-in, only takeaways. AED 46 for dine-in and AED 44 for takeaways.
Call 043477774 or 0565243989
6. Khadak
This Bib Gourmand-approved Indian restaurant in Al Wasl is diving into the soul of Kerala (and the bounties of its backwaters) with an Onam Sadhya feast for lunch and dinner. From August 29 to September 5, gorge on the usual, beloved suspects – heirloom Palakkadan Matta rice, avial, erissery, pachadi, parippu curry. However, it’s the presence of the festive mambazha pullissery (ripe mango in yoghurt gravy) that sets this meal apart. Non-vegetarian connoisseurs can wipe the banana leaf clear off finger-licking good mutton ullarthu, chicken roast, and prawn mappas.
From 12pm-3pm for lunch and 6pm-9pm for dinner. AED 175 for vegetarian and AED 195 for non-vegetarian. Call 058 979 7830, pre-bookings are a must.
7. Nalukettu, Dubai Grand Hotel by Fortune
Can’t visit Kerala this Onam? Then a trip to this veteran South Indian restaurant will come close enough to a trip to ‘God’s Own Country’. Modelled after traditional Kerala homes with a central courtyard and exquisite woodwork, this one gets the cultural vibes right. The staff dress up traditional sarees, and besides the heaps of nostalgia, they’ve got heaps of delicious food – 28 dishes. Onam sadhya will be served from September 4-7 with takeaways for AED 49 and dine-in for AED 47. From 12pm-4pm.
Call 04 261 5688
8. Kayaloram
Seafood lovers will be privy to this not-so-hidden gem in Karama that rustles up some of the most mouth-watering Keralite fish preparations. Except the same level of yumminess with their Onam sadhya on September 5 too with a smorgasboard of 26 dishes. Prices TBA. From 12pm- 4pm.
Call 04 336 5412
9. Amrutha
This pure veg restaurant outdoes itself when it comes to an Onasadhya. Go there for the avial (I vouch for it) prepared in the traditional Northern Kerala style and stay for all the other 26 dishes of their 27-item feast. They’ve only got one outlet in Dubai, and if you’re loath to wait around for scrummy food, hit up one of their 3 branches in Sharjah. It’s worth the drive. AED 45 for takeaways and dine-in. From 12pm-4pm.
Call 04 263 9977
10. Lallumma’s
Sadhyas for Onam are usually home-cooked. If you’re missing that homemade touch of mum’s food, this female chef-run eatery delivers that and more. Chef Fathima Razoo and team are dishing out a bountiful banquet of 33 dishes from September 4-7. Dining in requires bookings too. AED 46 for dining in and AED 49 for parcels. From 12pm-14pm.
Call 04 273 3411 for Karama and 04 262 1885 for Qusasis
11. Woodlands
Another old hat of Dubai’s South Indian food scene, this little foodie haven in the Karama Shopping Complex has fed generations of UAE Malayalis sumptuous Onam lunches. They will do so this year too; ditch the cutlery and dive in with both hands to devour 23 dishes plated on a banana leaf. Dining in is AED 32 per person, and takeaways cost AED 35.
Call 055 437 1663 or 04 337 0253
12. Salkara
Located in Nahda, this concept-based restaurant knows the cuisine of the Malabar coast like the back of their hand. Specialising in dishes popular in Kerala in the 1970s and 1980s, this spot is perfect for immersing yourself in nostalgia. For Onam, they’ll be recreating the ceremonies, traditions and food with a spectacular 25-dish sadhya on September 5 all day long. AED 47 for dine-in and AED 50 for delivery.
Call 04 263 1110
13. Sangeetha
Another favourite 40-year-old South Indian restaurant chain that is famous for its breakfasts in Dubai, is dishing out an Onam lunch to remember on September 5 and 6. They’re flying in Chef Unni Krishnan Kuttan Nair from the Kerala district of Palakkad (my hometown) to rustle up an Onam Sadhya featuring 23 dishes. The varathaarucha sambar, crafted with a roasted coconut paste, takes the spotlight as the showstopper—a Palakkad speciality rarely found in Dubai! AED 40 for dine-in and AED 45 for takeaway. From 12pm-3pm
Multiple locations in Dubai, find them here
14. Spice Haven
This Keralite restaurant in Dubai Silicon Oasis is doing Onam Sadhya in a big way with 27 dishes. You can start arriving for their sumptuous sadhya that’s available for both dine-in and take-away from September 1-7. AED 49.50 for dining in and AED 50 for takeaways.
Call 0506781305 for bookings
15. Malabar Tiffin House
While the hallmark of this Karama outlet is their street food and snacks that are signature to Kerala’s Malabar coast – think, pazhampori, kudukaachi parotta, idli and mutton stew, and more, they also do sadhyas with style and tradition going hand-in-hand. This Onam, they’re inviting diners to feast on a 25-dish spread of kalan, thoran, erisherry, kootu curry and more with both dine-in (AED 45)and takeaway ( AED 46) options. Available on September 5,6 and 7.
Call 050 522 7391 for bookings