Key Takeaways
- Top dining spots in mall of the emirates include Antonia, XU Dubai, and Konjiki Hototogisu, known for their high ratings.
- The mall features a diverse range of restaurants, from casual food courts to fine dining experiences in hotels.
- Families can enjoy dining at Nando’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Eat Greek Kouzina, which cater to groups.
- For those looking to venture outside, Yoko Sizzlers and Spice Avenue offer highly rated options in nearby Al Barsha.
- Planning your visit early is key, as popular spots can get crowded, especially on weekends.
Short answer: go to Antonia on Level 2 for a proper sit-down meal, Konjiki Hototogisu for the best bowl of ramen in any Dubai mall, and XU Dubai inside the Kempinski if the occasion deserves a tablecloth. Mall of the Emirates stacks three dining tiers on top of each other — a ground-floor food court shifting serious volume, a Level 2 restaurant strip people drive across town for, and hotel restaurants attached to the Kempinski that most shoppers never notice.
Below is our shortlist, built from Google ratings and review counts rather than a directory dump.
Best restaurants in Mall of the Emirates
The highest-rated sit-down options in the building, ranked by what diners score them.
- Antonia Mall of the Emirates — 4.9 from 2,142 Google reviews. Level 2, near VOX Cinema. The strongest all-round score here and the one to book for a mixed group. Open 11.30am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday, to midnight Friday and Saturday — either side of a film.
- XU Dubai — 4.9 from 1,082 Google reviews. Asian restaurant and bar in the Kempinski. Split service: lunch 12pm to 4pm, dinner 6pm to 1am Sunday to Friday, Saturday an hour later. Turn up at 5pm and the doors are shut — the one people get wrong.
- Konjiki Hototogisu — 4.8 from 5,623 Google reviews. Level 2. A ramen specialist holding that score across more than five thousand reviews. Open 11am to midnight, seven days.
- Nando’s Mall of the Emirates — 4.8 from 5,758 Google reviews. Level 2, moderate price level. A chain that still outscores most independents here. Open 8am to midnight daily.
- The Butcher Shop & Grill — 4.8 from 5,041 Google reviews. First floor, by Ski Dubai. A steakhouse with a butcher counter attached, and the best-rated red meat here.
- L’ETO — 4.8 from 4,947 Google reviews. Café and restaurant, 9am to midnight midweek, 1am Friday through Sunday — the latest reliable finish here for anything that is not fast food.
- PAUL Bakery & Restaurant — 4.7 from 6,707 Google reviews, the largest review base of any restaurant here. Opens 8am, closing 11.30pm Sunday to Wednesday and midnight Thursday to Saturday.
Eating next to Ski Dubai
Two restaurants list addresses that put them by the slope — the answer for parents killing ninety minutes while the children are on the snow.
- The Butcher Shop & Grill — 4.8 from 5,041 Google reviews. First floor, address given as near Ski Dubai. For anyone wanting a steak rather than a coffee while they wait.
- St Tropez Bistro — 4.5 from 1,128 Google reviews. First floor, West End, near Ski Dubai. A French bistro and steakhouse; the quieter, slower option of the two.
We have not verified which tables face the slope, so ask when you arrive.
Fine dining and the hotel restaurants
The Kempinski Hotel opens directly into the mall, and its restaurants are where Mall of the Emirates gets genuinely grown-up. Most shoppers walk straight past.
- Eugène Eugène — 4.6 from 778 Google reviews. Kempinski Hotel, midday to 11.30pm daily. No split service, which makes it the easiest hotel venue here to plan around.
- Olea — 4.6 from 364 Google reviews. Second floor of the Kempinski, listed as an Arab, Lebanese and hookah venue. Smaller review base than its neighbours.
- Salmontini — 4.6 from 806 Google reviews. Seafood and sushi, on the Sheikh Zayed Road side. The obvious call when someone has decided against meat.
- Tribes Mall of The Emirates — 4.4 from 1,092 Google reviews. Level 2, and the only mall restaurant Google flags at an expensive price level. African-themed grill and steakhouse, 11am to 11pm midweek, to midnight Friday to Sunday.
- Emporio Armani Caffè — 4.5 from 766 Google reviews. Fashion-house café dining; a long lunch rather than a dinner.
The food court and quick eats
The food court sits on the ground floor. Burger King’s listing places it at Entrance D near Carrefour — the fastest way in from the car park if you are only here to eat.
- Texas Chicken — 4.7 from 1,711 Google reviews. Ground floor food court, 10am to midnight. The best-scoring counter down there by some distance.
- Burger King — 4.7 from 220 Google reviews at the food court branch, 10am to midnight.
- Cinnabon — 4.7 from 682 Google reviews. Food court, 10am to 11pm.
- Doner & Gyros — 4.3 from 438 Google reviews, moderate price level. Watch the hours: 10am to 10pm, the earliest close down there.
- Jollibee — 4.2 from 855 Google reviews. Level G food court, 9am to midnight. Expect a queue at weekends.
- Kyochon — 4.2 from 388 Google reviews. Korean fried chicken, food court.
- KFC — 4.1 from 2,891 Google reviews at the in-mall food court branch, 10am to 11pm.
Breakfast, coffee and long sits
Several venues open at 8am, well before the shops — a workable weekday breakfast stop if you are already on Sheikh Zayed Road.
- Jones the Grocer — 4.8 from 1,153 Google reviews. 8am to 11pm midweek, midnight Friday to Sunday. The most reliable full breakfast in the building.
- Common Grounds — 4.7 from 3,716 Google reviews. Level 2, from 8am, closing 10.30pm midweek — earlier than you would expect, so treat it as a daytime pick.
- HuQQabaz Garden — 4.7 from 4,916 Google reviews, and listed as open 24 hours. Breakfast, dessert and shisha at any hour.
- Aspen Cafe — 4.7 from 255 Google reviews. Ground floor at the Kempinski, also listed as open 24 hours. The quiet, hotel-lobby alternative.
- The Lighthouse Cafe & Concept Store — 4.5 from 873 Google reviews. Level 2 atrium, next to the Rolex store, from 8am. Café and shop in one.
- BRĒD Bakehouse — 4.6 from 218 Google reviews. Open 8am to midnight daily; smaller review base, long hours.
- Café Bateel — 4.5 from 850 Google reviews. From 8am, to 10.30pm midweek and 11.30pm at weekends.
- More Cafe — 4.3 from 886 Google reviews. All-day café, big local following.
Best for families and groups
Three venues are categorised by Google as family restaurants — a useful filter when choosing on the move with children in tow.
- Nando’s — 4.8 from 5,758 Google reviews. High score, moderate price level, open from 8am. The default correct answer.
- Buffalo Wild Wings — 4.5 from 1,534 Google reviews. First floor. Loud, sports-led, and fine for a group that cannot agree.
- Eat Greek Kouzina — 4.3 from 950 Google reviews. Level 2, midday to 11pm midweek and midnight at weekends. Sharing plates make the maths easy for a table of six.
Worth stepping outside the mall for
Some of the highest-scoring food in this postcode is not in the mall at all, but in the Al Barsha streets around it.
- Yoko Sizzlers — 4.9 from 4,050 Google reviews, on Al Barsha Road. Continental and steakhouse cooking with a score most fine-dining rooms cannot match at that review volume — the best-rated restaurant in this area, full stop.
- Allo Sham Restaurant — 4.8 from 1,907 Google reviews, Al Barsha First.
- Spice Avenue Restaurant — 4.9 from 239 Google reviews, at the Rose Plaza Hotel near the mall. Small review base, exceptional score.
- Mr.Crab Restaurant — 4.6 from 4,459 Google reviews. Messy seafood, big following, not a first-date venue.
- Laffah Restaurant — 4.1 from 5,901 Google reviews. Shawarma, and one of the largest review counts in Al Barsha.
Planning your visit
Breakfast is the underrated slot. PAUL, Nando’s, Jones the Grocer, Common Grounds, Café Bateel, BRĒD Bakehouse and The Lighthouse all open at 8am, hours before the mall fills, and parking then is a non-event.
Late finishes are more limited than the mall’s size suggests. L’ETO and XU Dubai both serve to 1am, but most restaurants stop at 11pm or 11.30pm midweek — check before you drive out after 10pm on a Tuesday. Aspen Cafe and HuQQabaz Garden are both listed as open 24 hours, which makes them the fallback.
Weekends are the pinch point. This is a Ski Dubai and cinema mall as much as a shopping one, so Friday to Sunday evenings pull families and the food court and Level 2 take the brunt. Sit-down restaurants generally run an hour later then. Book Antonia, XU Dubai or Tribes rather than turning up, and use the food court only if you are relaxed about queueing.
FAQ
What are the best restaurants in Mall of the Emirates?
By Google rating, Antonia (4.9 from 2,142 reviews) and XU Dubai (4.9 from 1,082) lead inside the mall, with Nando’s (4.8 from 5,758), Konjiki Hototogisu (4.8 from 5,623), The Butcher Shop & Grill (4.8 from 5,041) and L’ETO (4.8 from 4,947) behind them on far larger review bases.
Where is the food court at Mall of the Emirates?
On the ground floor, near Entrance D and Carrefour according to the listings for the branches inside it. Counters include Texas Chicken, Burger King, Cinnabon, KFC, Jollibee, Kyochon and Doner & Gyros. Most run 10am to midnight; Doner & Gyros closes earliest at 10pm.
Which Mall of the Emirates restaurants serve alcohol?
Google lists XU Dubai, inside the Kempinski Hotel, under the bar category. Beyond that we cannot confirm licensing from listing data, and it typically sits with hotel-attached venues rather than mall units. Ring the restaurant before planning an evening around it.
Are there fine dining restaurants at Mall of the Emirates?
Yes, mostly around the Kempinski Hotel: XU Dubai, Olea, Eugène Eugène and Aspen Cafe. Inside the mall proper, Tribes on Level 2 is the only restaurant Google flags at an expensive price level; Salmontini and Emporio Armani Caffè carry no listed price level.
Are there Indian restaurants in Mall of the Emirates?
Not one we can verify inside the mall. In the surrounding Al Barsha streets, FiLLi Cafe is listed on Google under the Indian restaurant category (4.2 from 1,848 reviews), and WIDE RANGE RESTAURANT is listed as a South Indian restaurant (4.1 from 250 reviews).
Are there vegetarian restaurants in Mall of the Emirates?
No fully vegetarian restaurant appears in the verified listings for this mall. Eat Greek Kouzina, L’ETO and Salmontini are the easiest rooms to eat well in without meat, but none is a vegetarian specialist and we will not pretend otherwise.
What about the Sheraton Mall of the Emirates restaurants?
Our verified data does not cover dining at that hotel, so we are not going to guess. The hotel restaurants we can confirm here are the Kempinski’s: XU Dubai, Olea, Eugène Eugène and Aspen Cafe.
Can I see restaurant menus in advance?
Most publish menus on their own websites, linked from their Google listings — Antonia, Konjiki Hototogisu, Tribes, Jones the Grocer, PAUL and L’ETO all have one. Prices move often, so we would rather send you to the source than quote an AED figure that is stale by the time you get there.
