When it comes to brunch, Dubai knows how to do it and do it well. The ‘Friday brunch’ has become somewhat of a tradition in this gleaming desert city obsessed with good food. There’s an enormous spread of lavish, often hours-long affairs to be found across the city every week once Friday rolls around. Thankfully, you are more than welcome to linger. Here are our favourites.
Maya Modern Mexican Kitchen
How about brunch with a sunny side of Arabian sea and sand? At Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort + Spa, their Maya Modern Mexican Kitchen does a wonderful beachfront brunch package that includes beach and pool access. Between dips in the sea feast on modern twists on traditional Mexican cuisine, from home-made Huarache and signature nachos to rib-eye steak fajitas through to banana filled crepes for dessert.
Toro Toro
For Latin American flavours by the bite, Toro Toro offers pan-Latin ‘Hola Hola brunches’ at the hands of celebrated chef Richard Sandoval. This special brunch is made up of a wide spread of small plates perfect for sharing – think guacamole, ceviche, yucca fries and tasty salads – as well as their signature churrasco grill as a mouth-watering mainstay. Enjoy it all to the sound of Latin beats from a resident DJ.
Bubbalicious
Love to be spoiled for choice? There’s no looking past Bubbalicious at The Westin Dubai Min Seyahi. It’s one of the most popular Friday brunch spots in Dubai with a string of awards to its name. Across three different restaurants, there’s an unimaginable banquet of variety on offer including more than 10 live cooking stations. You’ll find everything from Arabic mezze to Belgian waffles, Italian pastas, spicy Asian dishes and everything from grills to delicious cheeses and a huge dessert range. The entertainment comes in the form of Chinese acrobats, live bands, a petting zoo and a Kids corner.
Al Qasr
Imagine 48 hours of preparation, 130 chefs, 533 kilograms of meat and seafood, 35 live cooking stations and over 280 dishes from around the world. Al Qasr dishes up one of Dubai’s biggest brunches and also one of its finest, spread across three restaurants. It has also just recently been relaunched, so you can trust it’s a brand new dining experience through and through. It also flaunts exception views over the waterways facing the Madinat Jumeirah to admire between top-ups and a live band is often around to keep the atmosphere pumping.
Splendido
For brunch with an Italian heart, the award-winning Splendido inside the exquisite Ritz Carlton Hotel is the place to go. Much loved for its artisanal Italian cuisine and its tranquil and charming setting inspired by the villas and patios of Tuscany, this refined brunch stop is just as good for its beautiful sea views. The buffet is laden with grilled fish, salads, pastas, grilled fish and more while the live cooking stations extend the variety. Immaculate service tops off the experience every time.
Forty Four
Forty Four is one of the newest additions to the Dubai brunch scene. The atmosphere is perfect for the discerning diner and even better for those who don’t like the usual brunch time – at Forty Four it doesn’t kick off until 4pm. This bistro and lounge has a French flair and that influence lightly extends to the tantalising range of 20 dishes, with live cooking stations for the pastas, grills, egg dishes and crepes. The set menu also comes with bubbly on free flow and a live jazz band sets the scene just perfectly for a lazy afternoon out.
