al iwan - burj al arab

thisplacemay be in burj al arab, but you would perhaps get better service in a karama cafeteria. i visited with family for iftar,placewas too busy, staff weren’t around to help. food was alright, live music was average and requests to the staff often went on deaf ears. all and all, not worth the venue not the price. speaking of the price, we were billed incorrectly and still awaiting our refunds.

i had booked thisplacefor my wifés birthday and everything went pretty well as we planned. the service, food and ambience will definitely fullfil your expectations of a luxurious fine dining hotel. loved their gesture of providing an amazing multi layer chocolate cake.

we dined at thisplacelike 4 times :) the buffet choices are very limited and the quality of the good is not that great! they could work on improving the taste of the dishes. the service is great and they make you feel comfortable:)

just to describe in 1 word - highly disappointed

so after a big disappointment from a restaurant at aplacealso 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 the arabic bread, labneh and salad served at our table, with this high standard of restaurant one can never expect a not so hot arabic bread 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

al iwan, the yummiestplaceon earth... they have a buffet, food is tempting, fresh, and tasteful. ambience is just wow 😮. it’s a must must go to place. it’s a little priceyplacebut worth paying. i’m definitely going again. cheers

a great restaurant for special occasions with amazing food and service which is out of this world.
service- 7/5
food- 5/5
variety and amount of dishes- 3.75/5
cost- 2/5 not entirely worth the 400 dirham per person bill with water costing 60dhs
overall a greatplaceto enjoy some special occasions with family and friends if you don't mind stretching your purse strings once in a while. a once in a lifetime experience for eating in a 7 star restaurant in the famed burj al arab

a very disappointing experience.

i gave1.5 as some of the food tasted ok else i would have tried to rate as zero.

1- welcoming: very nice with a small shot of egyptian drink (karcadeh).

2- decoration: luscious look even though a bit outdated

3- service: asked for the bread 3 times until we got it. no live cooking station which is usually available in any buffet. i had to cut my shawerma as there was no one there to serve it, same for the roast beef.

the worst is that most of the plates were empty and no one bothered to fill. basically service was below average.

4- variety of food: below average compared to other restaurantsin uae. the funny thing was when the nice welcoming staff was showing us the buffet, and she said "on the right hand is the sea food" ..... what sea food? smoked salmon? and baby crabs with no meat displayed in a very lousy way? or the tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and labneh?? the salmon was 100% that package that they sell in supermarkets for 22 dirham which comes buy one get one free... very lousy quality.

5- food quality: some was ok, some was below average and others were good. nothing was outstanding

6- food display: will be very frank and say that my maid can display food in a better way!!!

7- value for money: not worth it at all. this should not cost more than aed100.

i don't recommend thisplaceat all!

this is one of the best restaurant i've visit so far in terms of theplacewhich is located at the iconic burj al arab, i really loved the place, great ambience and very welcoming staff. food is purely arabic. many options to choose from main course to dessert in the buffet section. i had a great experience in this restaurant on which the staff will treat you like a vip.

burj al arab known for luxury and class being a 7 star hotel houses many restaurants out of which is this arabic , 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 thisplace, 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.

the service is outstanding .. i would say 10 star service
the quality of food is amazing 8 star. however, the variety is average. but i would recommend thisplaceif you like good service, the staff is so so friendly to an extend that you forget the quality of food and enjoy the service. thank you noor

visited thisplacefor their evening buffet. less options for the vegetarians. service is great however the food options are okay. the staff realized that and served us a platter of chicken kebabs. tried the 24k gold drink non alcoholic. basically apple juice. the drink was super good!

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 theplaceand 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 other arabic /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.

good service and very niceplacedecoration and amazing staff they are here anytime to serve you the buffet was nice and the food is tasty...

now let's be real , it's all about the location so if you are planning to impress someone and get a good portion of food as oppose to tiny plates . this is theplaceto be, as it's a buffet with a mainly arabic selection . some items could have been cooked better but the freshness across the board is undeniable . enjoyed the complimentary cake and rose for my husband since it was his birthday.!

the food is very average, theplaceitself is nice, the look of theplaceis the only reason why i am giving 3, however if it is the food that you are really interested in: please don't go here.