DUBAI: IFTARS TO TRY THIS RAMADAN
IFTAR AT YALUMBA
LE MERIDIEN DUBAI HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTRE
Not far from Duabi Creek, and named for the South Australian wine region, Yalumba provides a perfect iftar backdrop. Arrive to break your fast at sunset with dried fruits, dates and jallab, but you'll want to linger into the evening as the tunes of an Arabic trio lull you into relaxation mode in the beautiful garden setting, helped along by your food coma!
If last year’s offering is anything to go off, iftar at Yalumba is sure to be a hit. With fall-off-the-bone lamb ouzi, generous tureens of Indian favourites including biryani, butter chicken and rogan josh alongside the Arabic section, hot and cold mezze, mixed grill, live stations serving up shawarma and plenty more, you will struggle to taste everything. Luckily there is always room for dessert: as well as impeccably presented traditional desserts, there are international favourites on offer too, all as pretty as a picture.
Time: daily | sunset until 9.30PM | suhoor from 10PM
Price: AED165 per person | AED85 for children
Bookings: +971 4 702 2455 | restaurants.lmd@lemeridien.com
IFTAR AT LATEST RECIPE
LE MERIDIEN MINA SEYAHI BEACH RESORT & WATERPARK
A stone’s throw from Palm Jumeirah, this indoor/outdoor setting challenges you to find a more pleasant way to spend an evening while the weather is still on our side. Serving up a lavish buffet, get ready for morish appetisers, tasty mains and of course, dessert: little ones and big ones alike can enjoy sweet treats from the Turkish ice cream purveyor - dessert and a show in one!
Yes, we know that the main focus of an iftar is the food, but this is one you won’t want to dine-and-dash from! Enjoy the sounds of the oud player as you eat, along with a resident henna artist should you fancy a little decoration. The evening lingers on with the backdrop of palm trees framing the terrace: shisha is available from 8PM, a single flavor for AED140 or a double flavor setting you back AED175. All that’s left to do is relax!
Time: daily | sunset until 10PM | shisha and alcohol served from 8PM
Price: AED185 per person | AED75 children aged 7-12 | under 6 free
Bookings: +971 45117373
ASATEER TENT
ATLANTIS THE PALM
Under the soaring fabric ceilings and ornate lighting, settle in for an evening to remember at the Asateer Tent. Break your fast with this delicious buffet offering, and look out for daily culinary specialties: every Monday is Arabesque night, Turkish night is on Tuesdays, Persian night on Wednesdays and Khaleeji night rolls around on Thursday each week. Friday to Sunday, you’re in for a treat with their traditional offering.
Everyone knows Ramadan is a marathon, not a sprint, and the Asateer Tent keeps things fresh with their changing dishes and twists on the traditional. An unnecessary excuse to try this one out more than once, the delicious buffet and refreshing Ramadan juices are top notch. Relax, and let the mood - set by glittering lights and oriental entertainment - take hold.
Time: daily | sunset until 8PM
Price: AED270 per person Monday - Thursday | AED 290 per person Friday - Sunday | children under 3 dine for free
Bookings: visit https://www.sevenrooms.com/reservations/asateer to book
ZABEEL TENT
MARRIOTT HOTEL AL JADDAF
Take a step into another world when you enter the Zabeel Tent this Ramadan. Instead of a hotel ballroom, you’ll walk into an Arabian Nights themed setting for a properly authentic iftar experience. From the beautiful tent and decorations, displays of dates and twinkling lights to the qanun musician providing the perfect ambient music, there is something we really love about Ramadan tents.
You’ll love the generous Ramadan buffet spread which includes whole roasted lamb ouzi, a shawarma station, hot and cold mezze galore, traditional Arabic dishes including chicken kabsa, fish with sumac and daoud basha, and plenty more to work your way through! An impressive dessert display takes center stage, so you’re evening is guaranteed to end on a sweet note.
Time: daily | sunset until 9.30PM
Price: AED199 per person
Bookings: +971 04 317 7777
IFTAR AT QD'S
DUBAI CREEK RESORT
An al fresco creekside iftar with views across the water of the Dubai skyline? You’ve come to the right place! Having stood the test of time as one of Dubai’s longer-lasting venues, it’s easy to see why, and their daily promises to be a treat.
The line up of Ramadan favourites features an array of hot and cold mezze, salads and soups to get you started, before you roll on into the live cooking stations and mixed grills aplenty. After ending strongly with dessert - look out for highlights umm ali, saffron rice pudding and fresh kunafa - and washing the whole thing down with refreshing fruit juices, don’t rush off - the setting really lends itself to an evening by the water, shisha optional!
Time: daily | sunset until 9PM | shisha and a la carte menu available from 9PM - 2AM
Price: AED195 per person | children 6-12 dine at 50% off | buffet and selected soft beverages
Bookings: +97142956000
IFTAR AT THE RESTAURANT
ADDRESS BEACH RESORT | JUMEIRAH BEACH RESIDENCE
Enjoy your iftar beachside at the Address this Ramadan: splendid sea views unfold before you, while the backdrop of the iconic hotel rises behind. Begin with artfully laid out dates and sip on Ramadan juices, before making your way to the enticing buffet.
A spread bursting with flavours, you’ll be spoilt for choice with selection of Arabic cold and hot mezzeh, a seafood counter, traditional soups, a live BBQ station featuring Arabic mix grill and seafood, a generous dessert spread and various traditional Arabic sweets.
Time: daily | 6-11.30PM
Price: AED228 per person | children aged 6-12 dine at 50% off | buffet with Ramadan juices and water
Bookings: +971 4 879 8866 or email DineAtBeachResort@addresshotels.com
GRAND IFTAR AT ATRIUM
MILLENNIUM PLAZA DOWNTOWN HOTEL DUBAI
With its high ceilings and Italian-style architecture, Atrium offers a Venetian backdrop for your iftar feast. A great option in the heart of downtown Dubai, the little ones can enjoy their own dedicated play area while the grown ups turn their attention to the serious business of the evening meal.
This iftar has the numbers to impress, perfect if you and your loved ones have different culinary preferences: over 120 international dishes from 8 different cuisines are served alongside fresh grills and appetisers prepared at the restaurant’s multiple live cooking stations. The dessert choices are equally inclusive: traditional offerings including kunafa, baklava and osmaliya share the stage with their more international cousins. Coupled with Ramadan beverages such as qamar al-din, julab and Moroccan tea, you might find yourself booking a return visit for the chance to taste everything - one night is not enough!
Time: daily | sunset until 8.30PM
Price: AED249 per person | early bookings can secure a 35% discount
Bookings: 04 429 9999 | WhatsApp: 055 561 2122 or email fbreservations.gmhd@millenniumhotels.com
IFTAR AT TAGINE
ONE&ONLY ROYAL MIRAGE DUBAI MARINA
Feel a little fancy as you enjoy iftar at the opulent One&Only Royal Mirage this Ramadan. Already conjuring up a feeling of mystique and an escape from the ordinary with the beautiful Moroccan furnishings - from the ornate doors to the embossed tagine covers - you’ll find yourself whisked away for a few hours as you break your fast in this ornate setting.
Serving up a carefully crafted, family-style Moroccan iftar, your senses will be in for a treat with spices like cinnamon, saffron and ginger heroes of the meal. You’ll be glad to arrive hungry: tagines, spiced kebabs and plenty of the restaurant’s signature dishes will have you going back for seconds.
Time: daily | from sunset to 9PM
Price: AED260 per person
Bookings: click here to make a reservation
OASIS IFTAR | HAI RAMADAN
EXPO CITY
With a focus on family-friendly dining, iftar at Oasis Food Hall isn’t just a breaking of the daily fast, it’s a whole evening out. You don’t have to argue with us - we know food is the most critical part - and you will be well looked after. Nine food pods offer plenty of options for families, whatever their preference. From a start of soups, salads and a medley of cold and hot mezze, to main courses that range from authentic fish biryani, lamb okra stew and baked vegan cauliflower gratin to roasted dukkha chicken and tagliatelle pasta, there is plenty to work your way through. Finish up your meal, but not your night, with sweets including halawet el jibn with pistachio cream, lokaymat with organic date syrup, assorted qatayef, umm ali and locally grown and exotic fruit.
Post-iftar? Make your way to the souk, alive with shoppers, to peruse a range of traditional garments, handmade crafts and Ramadan-themed gifts. You’ll have to drag the kids away from Magic Planet’s arcade games, and take some time to check out Dukan Yadoo (‘Grandmother’s Supermarket’). This, and plenty more, makes up the Hai Ramadan extravaganza. Entry is free if you have an iftar or suhoor booking, or AED20 per person otherwise (children under five go free!).
Time: daily | from sunset | Hai Ramadan opens from 5PM
Price: AED150 | AED90 children aged 6-12 | children under 5 free
Bookings: for bookings, click here
GIARDINO IFTAR
PALAZZO VERSACE JADDAF WATERFRONT
Based on the jungle motif wallpaper alone, no one could argue that Giardino at Palazzo Versace does anything by halves, and their daily iftar experience is no different! With attention to every detail - from the Ramadan decorations to the designer crockery - you won’t know where to look.
Comprising a broad offering of traditional Middle Eastern and international dishes, the iftar menu features a selection of live cooking stations dishing up kebabs, rotisserie, grilled meats and of course the quintessential lamb ouzi. Salad and fresh juice stations allow you to balance out the richness, before you dive right back in for the literal centrepiece: an island in the middle of the restaurant groaning under platters of mezze and tempting desserts. Mix it up and go for dessert first, we won’t judge - and at Giardino, anything goes!
Time: daily | sunset until 8.30PM
Price: AED250 per person | includes Ramadan juices and house still water
Bookings: for reservations, click here
Danika Star
3/5/2024
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