Guess what? Drake loves his bed, his mama, AND Vibe cafe in Dubai. The Canadian rapper loves it so much, that he gave the electric pink cafe a shout-out on his Instagram account well before it threw open its doors to the average Joe back in 2018.
In fact, it’s got a serious rep for being rap star-friendly. Ne-Yo has dined here, and its flashing neon signs have lit the way for Fat Joe too.
That’s some serious flex for this blazing bright café tucked away on a corner of Al Wasl road, considering its blindingly pink-and-neon aesthetic is more Barbie’s dreamhouse than Hotline Bling.
But as they say, never judge a café by its Pantone colour code. Vibe’s got more substance than its candy floss ambiance suggests and is a force to reckon with on the Dubai food scene.
Besides its celebrity clout and funky décor, this brainchild of Emirati restaurateur Noora Salem packs a delicious menu that has ushered it on to many a ‘best breakfast spot’ and ‘best diet-friendly menu’ lists in the city and scored awards.
And while its faux pink pineapples – the chosen motif – and rosy-hued plastic palm trees draw in the Instagram crowd, it’s the good food that keeps them there. And then coming back for more.
Dishes based on clean, wholesome ingredients are the bedrock of this successful establishment. The idea for the original Vibe cafe in Al Wasl stemmed from founder Noora’s quest for healthy restaurants that weren’t boring. That belief shines louder (through Vibe’s food) than it’s cheeky neon signs.
The menu is swarming with scrummy recipes made of clean ingredients that will please diet-conscious eaters. Clean ingredients and naughty names, mind you. Rife with double-entendres, the tongue-in-cheek menu is a hoot-and-a-half and satisfies your appetite for good food and puns simultaneously.
Case in point the ‘Nut’in in In My Bowl’ – a granola bowl of raspberry infused yoghurts, caramelized banana and mix berries, ‘Taco Dirty To Me’ or ‘My Butter Chicks Bring All The Boys To The Yard’, which is a sumptuous meal of boneless tandoori chicken, fenugreek sauce and cashew nut pilaf.
Dessert continues the jokes with a sea salt caramel ice-cream topped French toast named ‘Pardon My French.’
They’ve also created Dubai’s first plant-based pink pizza.
Drake superfans should definitely test out the signature mocktail called ‘Drake’s Vibes’ based on a recipe by Drizzy himself. Coffee, almond milk, banana and crunchy peanut butter blend together for a caffeine kick.
For drinks that give you a kick of a different kind, Vibe’s licensed second branch in DIFC, a restaurant and bar, is a great bet. The same wickedly delicious and wickedly funny menu follows, but it’s joined by cocktails that take their inspiration from the champagne in Champagne Papi.
With its special menus, hip-hop-themed ladies nights, fun happy hour concepts, and delectable diet-friendly bites, Vibes is definitely worth an outing with your crew and deserves at least one dance. Oops, we meant chance.