spice island - crowne plaza dubai deira

we loved spice island and went there on two separate occasions - on was way back in 2010 . i when i was on vacation here and was not writing reviews then .. don't expect a great deal of quality from an all-you-can-eat buffet but was blown away at spice island. great value, especially considering the package including alcohol plus the live cooking/seafood. thoroughly recommended. the overall atmosphere is perfect setting for a treat for a empty belly !

starting with the lobby, the very long escalators remind you of a metro station, not a crowne plaza. the hotel is really old and it's starting to show. also, getting there for dinner was horrible! the traffic towards and inside that are will definitely delay you, so keep that in mind.

the restaurant is quite nice though, big variety of food ( i didn't even see the indian section until we were leaving!)
but i found all these cuisines don't really go together, you've got your creamy thai sauces, along with heavy indian dishes and mexican. most of the dishes are quite filling so you don't really get to taste around too much.

the carrot soup was too diluted, tasted like carrot juice without sugar. the guacamole on the mexican station reminded me of the green goo they sell in jars, not in any way freshly made. but funky station nevertheless! you can build yourself the most satisfying taco or mini burrito.
the thai station was the one that impressed me the most, really tasty food.

the desserts station was half empty by the time we got it, had to grab whatever tiny cakes where left. i really liked that actually. one-bite pieces of cakes, so you don't take a big slice and end up throwing half of it out.

it's an okay spot, especially considering its location; i'd say a little too overpriced.i think i'll opt for another dinner buffet for this price next time; one where you can get a view and where furniture isn't partially stained.

totally loved the variety they host.
everything tastes great too. will specially recommend trying the mongolian stir-fry, full of flavors.
chili con carne was pretty good too.

loved the food and ambience. the spread was good in terms of the food, though was not impressed with the dessert spread. everything from indian, chinese, mexican, seafood was tasty especially the seafood which was live cooking station. the salad bar had a good choice with variety of cheese and bread. i felt the selection of desserts was limited compared to the variety of food, but the desserts were impressive including the arabic sweets and the banana crumble.. i recommend the restaurant to all the foodies, a must visit !!!

i had a decent experience last night here. the decor is somewhat south east asian. there was seven food stations- indian, thai, live food, mexican/spanish and a japanese along with a dessert and a mostly arabic one. it's a spread out low ceiling restaurant having many nooks and corners for personal conversations or different sized casual business meets. music choices and volume is a bit obtrusive for my taste but choices may differ.
now about the food. from the indian section i ate fish kabab, malai chicken kababs, steamed vegs, mushroom peas curry, lady finger curry, chicken curry, mutton biriyani. taste was okay. the kababs were better than average. pappadum with thai sweet chilli sauce was good. the thai station had veg dumplings, chicken and prawn siomais, duck gyoza, red chicken curry, thai green vegetable curry and other options. they were pretty good. the mexican/spanish station had a fantastic cajun chicken along with regular hot cheeses, guacamole, and other items. the live station had lots of seafood choices, i didn't try.
service was acceptable. some are very helpful.
overall i was happy and may revisit if in the locality.

this restaurant is famous for their buffet.

they have wide variety of food station available indian, chinese, japanese , italian etc (i am not able to check all the food stations available :( on that particular day. ) spread from one corner to the other, you actually have to rum around for food :d (good exercise though)

one special thing about them is that ,they have live cooking station for the seafood , you choose the ingredients and the chef will cook for you. that particular day i was not allowed eat lobster and shrimp (my bad ) and have to choose fish with some veggies.the chef cooked it in front of me .its good.. my colleagues told lobster was the best.. sigh

i tried the indian and chinese buffet both were good.

they offer buffet with both type of drinks. and the ambiance is very nice , the entrance is decorated like spice market (literally) as the name says spice island.

i have to visit again for the lobsters and shrimps..

a must try place.

have been going to this restaurant for many years now. they are sort of only famous for their large spread buffets.

they have some packages with and wishout alcohol.

the place has good ambiance, very friendly staff and well laidnout interiors.

they have food stations divided into cuisines from mainly italian, indian, mexican chinese , a whole area for a salad bar and seafood followed by desserts.

the food is great except for some chinese stuff which has not been good from the start. the highlight is the all you can eat lobsters. they serve lobsters, prawns and fish in tepaniyaki style and make it fresh right from you choosing your veggies and ingredients.

the dessert selection is not that great but over all its value for money.

so try it out!

always been one of my fav...the prices are good..variety of food is really good..friendly staff..been a loyal customer for a long time and will be for a long time

enjoy iftar for aed 139 :-)

i've enjoyed the spice island bruch several times while it was under the renaissance group. mindblowing. you need to be prepared to enjoy a aile of variety foods. the desert corner is must peek. freshly baked waffles and yummy sauce to accompany! spice island's a destination for a hungry tummy on a friday. salads, indian, thai, chinese, mongolian bbq, omg there's variety. sip a drink and enjoy the ambience. worth a try, you'll never regret! :)