Eating out in Dubai can be expensive. A lot of great restaurants are located within hotels and Scotch and I seem to frequent the same ones over and over again.
But to get to really know Dubai, I think it’s also important to visit the more modest establishments and the stand alone restaurants.
A bunch of girls and I have been visiting a different restaurant every 2 weeks. We take turns organizing each dinner and the only criteria is that the meal has to be less than 100 Dirhams ($27) per person.
It’s a great way to explore different parts of Dubai, eat lots of delicious food, and best of all, meet new people and catch up on girl talk.
So far, we’ve been to the following restaurants:
1. Nanking (Chinese, Indonesian – Bur Dubai). The food was good and portions were huge. There was a lot of doggy-bagging that night.
2. Shahjahan (Indian – Metropolitan Hotel). Unfortunately, I missed out on this one 
.
3. Noodle Bowl (Chinese – Satwa). Good Cantonese food. We sat outdoors as the weather was still nice.
4. Thai Terrace (Thai – Bur Dubai). Mmm….great Thai food and the flavors were very authentic. So much better than Smiling BKK.
5. Curry On (Thai, Indian – Beach Road). This used to be the old Noshi Noshi. We visited on another beautiful day in May and were able to sit outside again. The food came in tastings of threes so it was quite fun!
6. Nando’s (South African – SZR). This is a South African chain that serves up some pretty good chicken with their Peri Peri sauce. The Chicken Espetada was my favorite. I love the way it was presented with the vegetables on the bottom and the meat skewer hanging above the platter:
7. Royal Orchid (Thai – Dubai Marina). Really great Thai food but pricier than the other places we’ve been too. Loved the fish cakes:
8. Ravi’s (Indian – Satwa). The food was pretty good and was the best deal yet at 25 Dirhams a head! They serve Lamb’s Brain so if you like odd food like me – give it a try.
And there is still many more to visit – we’ve got at least 20 more restaurants on the list so far!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
We’ve just about given up eating in hotel restaurants. There are so many excellent individual restaurants around, and plenty of them cost less than Dh100 for the two of us.
seabees last blog post..What a brilliant idea!
Hello! Nice post! I found this blog randomly.
Great list, been to 1), 6) and 
and love them..
I’ve been in Dubai all my life, so I have a couple of suggestions:
1. Lemon Grass – near Lamcy Plaza, my favorite Thai place.
2. Calicut Paragon – If you’ve never tried Malabar (South Indian, but not dosas) food before, this is a great place. It’s in Karama opposite the Karama Park. (http://wikimapia.org/255315/). I suggest you try this restaurant by take-out coz I usually have to wait up to an hour for my table, outside in a queue. Seafood is great there, especially the Mango fish curry.
FYI – You should know that both can be extremely spicy.
Cheers!
peekus last blog post..webFind: Wordle
going to Lemongrass this week – can’t wait!
Thanks for the tip!
My favorites here:
1. Coco’s – big enough servings with friendly staff (City Center outlet-wise).
2. Wagamama – funky fusion food. If you crave for Ramen, they have big bowlfuls of it there!
3. On the Border – just opened at the Festival City. Closest thing to real TexMex. Try the fruity drinks which are served by the pitcher and are made to share.
4. Thai-Chi – at Wafi City. Buffet lunches at around 90dhs come with one drink, all the bottle water you can drink, and tea or coffee. Simply love the selection!
5. Ponderosa – close to City Center, good enough buffet at around 40 dhs.
HEY!!!! I want to see you before I go back home – are you around for the next few weeks? I can’t wait to experience the exciting food choices. That is a good picture of Curry On – I would like to try it when I come. This is a great blog, for sure – lots of good, honest information!