al iwan - burj al arab

the service. the hospitality. the ambience. the location. the experience. all top notch. 5 stars. but cant say the same for the food taste quality and variety.arabicrestaurant but nothingarabicabout it. the price is absolutely a rip off if you are considering only the food. stop over at the mcdonalds outside for a refuel

just to describe in 1 word - highly disappointed

so after a big disappointment from a restaurant at a place also known as 8th wonder of the world, i decide to write my first review on zomato.. after recommendation from a friend and going by zomato reviews and rating, i planned to celebrate a very special evening at al iwan, reservation done, husband's pic given (as they mention in confirmation email - pic can be provided so the guest will be greeted at the entrance), special comments mentioned that its my husband's birthday which r are able to celebrate together after about 5yrs so request to provide the best possible table with best possible arrangements..

we arrived at the restaurant and here the disappointment starts - first, sending pic was of no use, second, there wasn't any sort of special decor on the table (which i expected to be atleast a few petal of roses), the table provided was rather so secluded that even the waiters couldn't see us when we needed them, the view on the table was of a lobby (which actually gave a feeling like we were sitting in a lobby cafe/restaurant - a table close to the window or anywhere in quite and a more romantic ambience rather than a lobby view and noise would have been appreciated) , sitting was really uncomfortable with the semi circle kind of sofa.

after that next was thearabicbread, labneh and salad served at our table, with this high standard of restaurant one can never expect a not so hotarabicbread platter and a bowl of salad with really poor presentation - a few long sliced cucumber and capsicums...then the food buffet, buffet spread out nicely with quite a few options but the food was already cold - chef was there to explain us all the dishes but to our disappointment, from bbq to lamb ozi, everything was cold as if they were about to close the restaurant...

a complimentary cake was given for my husband and a rose for me....thankyou for that

however, the only reason to give 2 points is the friendly staff, the waiter (noor) and the lady on reception to whom i also mentioned that it was quite a disappointment specially in regards to the sitting provided.

i chose al iwan thinking a restaurant at the best location would never go rong on anything and make this very special evening even more special for us.......but i guess my choice was completely wrong...there was not even one single special gesture which could make it different from any other restaurant

excellentarabicfood at the burj al arab, the restaurant makes homemade tasty recipes that cannot be compared to any other. the staff certainly know how to make you feel special 👌

my husband took me here for surprise birthday dinner, i was so aww struck, when we were in front of burj al arab and was soo excited to go in and have dinner from here.
interiors are too good. table was set up so nice, the colors on the table, rose and the candles,perfect for a date.
the service was really good too..
coming to the food part.. it was a wide spreadarabicbuffet.. not that great, it was just okay for the price. they had all kinds ofarabicsweets which was good.
overall very good experience, would recommend everyone for the ambience and the experience.

the cost was reasonable as we used entertainer coupon 1+1 free, so we paid only for one person.

service:5/5
food:3/5
ambience:4.5/5
price:3/5

the ambiance is nice and service is good but food is really below average and doesn't justify the price. also the live cooking stations were missing the staff to actually serve you. but in general i agree with most of the reviews that the food is really not 7star standard and you can get much betterarabiccuisine in dubai.

ambiance:
great ambiance and service, the atmosphere within the burj al arab is amazing and cared for to the littlest detail.

food:
the buffet spread is quite small, you would expect more.
also the quality of the food is good, it is not any better than otherarabicrestaurants around dubai. the shewarma was delicious but everything else was average.

i would recommend it for the ambiance and service, not really for the food.

really really disappointed with the variety of the food. ok so when i reserved my table on the phone they said they will send me a confirmation email which they didn't. then on the entrance the security guard wanted to see the booking reference. but any ways he let me in. when i was entering the view was to die for. the staff was very humble and nice they gave us welcome drink which was nice. but the decor didn't excite me at all. then the waiter shows us around the buffet 2 salad station no live cooking station if i count maybe 10 main course dishes. and dessert 😣 if anyone knows thosearabicsweet shops where they wrap gifts and all! yeah so that was the sweet counter for us and two hot desserts, umali which was nice and thats it. and yes they bought grills on our table freshly made for which i was impressed but again no taste what so ever. and 1ltr bottle of water costs you 55 dhs. do not recommend to anyone save your money and do research you will find decent places in half the price from here with great food. my recommendation giardino in versace. so much better with vast variety.

experience a true middle eastern journey and the most exquisitearabiccuisine in al iwan, located in one of the world’s tallest atrium followed by shisha with inspiring surroundings of burj al arab terrace.

having been to this restaurant last week, i was amazed by the beautiful surroundings and the amazing service. the food was flavoursome and mouthwatering, especially their range of mains and traditional desserts. the waiters were particularly accommodating and took extra care of our 4 year old who went with us, offering her child friendly options, which we truly appreciated.

experience all this for:
lunch - serving from 12.00 to 15.30- aed 375 per person
dinner - serving from 18.00 to 00.00 - aed 395 per person

and i would definitely recommend the shisha at scape lounge after, especially now that the weather has really cooled down :)

burj al arab known for luxury and class being a 7 star hotel houses many restaurants out of which is thisarabic, al iwan .
extremely luxurious interiors, comfortable seating which also has a view facing the sea. a very calm and tranquil place.
hospitality went above my expectations. each and every staff were polite , courteous , pleasant and had an eye to detail. we had small kids so their baby sear were laid down very beautifully with the table preset for them. this was very impressive. also, services like one being approached to hang their handbags on the edge of the tables were little element of surprise. they went extra mile to arrange snacks for the kids as per their choice. the food was explained to us (depicts their product knowledge). basically i found not a monotonous service but humans offering hospitality humbly .
the buffet was very presentable , clean and hygienic. 1 chef was constantly near the buffet to help us with the dishes and recommendations.
the food i found wasn't any extra ordinary . have tasted the same at many places. less options for vegetarians , especially main course.
if you choose to visit this place , surely come for the service where they will make you feel like a king and of course the ambience and venue.
a very well done job to this team. certainly under pressure being located inside burj al arab to keep the fame, but still won my heart. hope the food which we pay so much for improves.

signaturearabicbuffet restaurant at the burj al arab.
nice and cosy ambience thats a stark contrast to the granduer of the lobby and atrium of this iconic hotel.
loved the one to one service. the staff and their service is really worth mentioning. the buffet is also just right, not too over the top interms of the number of dishes, but just right. i expected a bit more varieties at the dessert corner but thats just me.
you habe got to try their harees and veil curry.

located in the breathtaking burj al arab, we visited al iwan since it was featured in the 'luxury iftar venues' collection.

it is a buffet restaurant offeringarabicand middle eastern cuisines. despite the luxurious ambience and the lovely staff, the restaurant was surprisingly not as impressive as the hotel itself.

the buffet was well spread out with a good variety of salads, starters (such as fattoush, moutabel and hummus), meats (cuts of chicken and lamb), lamb biryani and desserts. however each item was quite medicore, even the desserts. there was hardly any flavor to any of the dishes and there was not one dish which made us want to grab a second time. the best items so far were the soups and the complimentary birthday cake which was a layered chocolate cake.

the service on the other hand was impeccable. the staff was very helpful with enquiries about the food and offered to point out the contents of the dishes which could cause an allergic reaction.

the ambience, without a doubt, was beautiful with embroidered red curtains and lavish seatings. we had the window seating which was perfect as it had a good view of the sea.

overall it was a hit n miss since the ambience is what made the dining experience worthwhile while the food was a disappointment.

we went there for lunch on a weekday and honestly i did not find the buffet too impressive, but not bad either. had better indian options than thearabicones 😜.
for the price you pay, the service and ambience is not that good. it's in the main lobby area of the property and hence very crowded and noisy. certainly found the bab al yam restaurant within the same property much better.

i had been here for dinner.
firstly the hotel is 7 star and its most expensive.
the architect of this hotel is awesome specially the lobby.
coming to this restaurant itsarabicrestaraunt with palace ambience.
i had chosed dinner buffet which comes around rupees15000/ per person.
thearabicfood was tasty but buffet items where less compared to the price we pay..
service is excellent no question about it.
worth visit.

regards
sri
(stunningshri@yahoo.in)

i didn't have big hopes for this buffet after reading some of the reviews, and after dining at another buffet in burj a arab. but l was pleasantly surprised and absolutely loved it! the service was amazing, the best ever i must say, our waiter was so attentive and friendly. loved the red and gold decor of the restaurant, very nice relaxing chill out music! if you come early , you get to see beautiful sea view. i absolutely loved the place and its ambiance!!! the food was also really good. my favorite things were paneer masala, shrimp curry , lentil soup and lamb rice. the desserts were even better than the food! they have the best umm ali i've ever had in my life! lovely kunafa too(not the best one), yummy baklava and otherarabic/lebanese sweets. the price per person is 550aed, not including soft or alcoholic drinks. but if you use entertainer vouchers, it's a good value. overall loved it, one of the best buffets i've tried. we had a great time there.

whilst i'm not normally a fan ofarabicfood (wife is) this buffet is exceptional. the service is excellent, very attentive, friendly but not stuffy or over bearing. being able to use an entertainer voucher made it very good value. would highly recommend.