the market - hilton dubai al habtoor city

rating out of 5*
ambience: 5
service: 5
variety: 4
quality: 4
taste: 4+ (meat dishes need more attention... lamb ouzi wasn’t tender enough and desserts a bit disappointing)
location: 4 (expect long wait at the valet parking)

what a hidden gem! it was my very first time at the westing itself, so i was excited to have a nice dinner at this part of town.
me and my partner had a long debate on the restaurant choice and we decided to meet at the middle...since seasonal taste hosts buffet dinners ... it quickly escalated on our list of winners.

we came pretty early...15 minutes before it started, but the team and station were already prepped and ready for the guests. we were warmly welcomed but the manager of the restaurant and introduced to the stations accordingly. it was so nice to see that theservicequality of the restaurant matches the star level of hotel. blissful!

there was 7 stations:
1. arabic mezze and main dishes
2. soup station with 3 different flavors
3. cheese and bread station
4. international main dishes
5. salad station
6. indian main dishes
7. desserts

the food quality was impeccable! everything super fresh and filled with flavors. one of the best buffets i have ever experienced here in dubai, hands down to the chefs!!!

they had some live stations as well, making shawarmas and other things...can’t really remember...i was distracted with the variety of dishes 😬

i didn’t really enjoy the desserts, some cake were just tasteless or the combination of flavors were too weird for my asian tastebuds...bizarre.. i know 🤦🏻‍♀️

anyway, great experience! totally recommend. it was quiet and the view on the canal makes it quite a romantical experience ☺️ even though we ended up stuffing ourselves..

we went for the lunch buffet with family. the spread was very limited and the taste was also average. theservicewas also poor, plates were not cleared on time.
there was nothing for the kids (no kids corner/ menu), no juices included in the menu. desert didn’t even have ice cream.
imagine a buffet at this price without any of the above

theserviceis very bad, waitress are sooo slow, the food stations are not organized per category, there was nobody in the entrance where you have where to set,food is not tasty at all , no variations in both food and dessert compared to the price , definitely will not be back again, it’s below dubai standards

brunch. city brunch on a friday and it was pretty chaotic. we waited a long time for anyservicestaff to come to the table to place our drinks orders.

the brunch was probably over booked as tables so close together and every food station had a giant queue for the first 90mins.

i tried the sushi which was lovely. the carvery station was great. awesome choice of drinks with bottled beers, cocktails, wine and bubbly.

kids area was good and well staffed.

no designated smoking area at the brunch so guest last have to take a lift to a lower floor to the bar.

nice that when it ended at 4.30pm we weren’t expected to vacate immediately like some brunches.

been here with family for the city brunch on friday . we had our reservations done prior and the staff were friendly and escorted us to our beautiful table at the window side facing the dubai canal. the staff also took us through the buffet stations which were more than 7 easily . the spread was simply extensive ranging from the continental, arabic , sushi , chinese and indian food, salad bar and a attractive array of desserts coupled with bar with beverages . we started off with beer , wine and some cocktails. kids loved the overall experience of play area and wide range of choices , their favorites were the chicken wings , sushi , some chinese delicacies and desserts . we had a relaxing time and tried most of the food stations and what we loved the most were grilled fish , roasted lamb , chicken tikka, biryani , peking duck and salads . in the desserts mango mousse , tiramisu, raspberry cake was superb. overall it was a fun filled yummy weekend . a perfect place to be with family and friends and enjoy a wonderful meal . theservicewas amazing and we were served by ms lillien who really made it more wonderful !

located in the first floor of hilton dubai al habtoor city, the restaurant is very spacious with a view of dubai water canal.

we tried the international dinner buffet, which offers few cuisines, the arabian and indian which i didn’t like mostly, the asian which was ok, and a poor sushi counter with three choices only, for me the steak was the best it was nicely cooked with a simple gravy sauce.

the salad section wasn’t that tempting with only few options, and finally a good dessert section with many choices of ice cream, delicious cakes, and a perfect “um ali” .

the servicewas good.
the overall experience was ok

we had dinner there tonight and we were over 50 people. the place is very spacious and neat. it is an open buffet system with too many cuisines from all over the world. the food was good and that is why i gave it a 4; however theservicewas below average for me as the waiters never came to the tables to take the used dishes. i believe they need to look after this point to try and improve their service.

booked for an international buffet dinner, the hotel is confusing to reach to. upon entering there was no staff to check our table or assist us.
we just walked in and did a tour around the buffet and seating area until we stumbled across a staff and asked about our table.

it was nicely seated to the window, my name was on the table, gentle touch.
table was clean and organized.

i'm going to summarize the buffet.
has an average selection of cold items from salads, hummus, moutabal, moudardra, beef salad, beetroot, spinach, baba ghanooj.

the sushi section is poor. it's not what i wanted to see. the choices are cheap and they weren't tasty.

the hot foods are okay, there is mixed grills which tasted great but some of the meat wasn't cooked properly, still raw meat. there is biryani, some selection of indian,
on another section there was shrimps with sauce, roast beef, vegetables, potatoes, mexican rice. the white rice in this section was completely rubbish, it was overcooked and dry, i wonder how they left it there.

like 5 types of rice in this buffet is silly. just put something else instead of two rice dishes.
the desserts aren't waw. they all in the fridge. had trouble getting them, specially the fruits, you can't put your hand properly into the shelf. the ice cream is okay. you had to look around for the guy to scoop you a serving.

on average it was alright, other than not having a goodservicethroughout. for the price i think its a tad bit more expensive than other places that offer a betterserviceto say the least.

i heard the brunch is a different experience from the reviews. i may look into that in the future.

j. k

it was saturday eve together with my cousins. we booked for hotel room inclusive free breakfast and had 50% discount for dinner. we expected variety of food to be served, unfortunately, it didn't met our expectation. however, experience is quite good and accomodating.servicewas fast and friendly. hope we can have more option on our next visit.

went for friday brunch, huge n awsme spread of buffet and above all flavorful, gud ambience, greatservicehad some really nice momos n sushi n indian snacks were also yummm. kids had a blast having so many desserts so overall great experience and awsme food 👍🏻

very politeserviceby all members of the staff. we were greeted by lovelie and antoine served us our drinks and made sure our table was kept clear of unnecessary dishes. we went for the evening buffet, no a la carte is available for the evening dinner. ambience was lovely with the restaurant overlooking the dubai canal. i went for dim sum which was freshly prepped. it would be nice to have little serving dishes available to put the soya sauce and other sauces as otherwise it just swishes around in the larger plates.
next i had the roast chicken with yorkshire pudding, gravy, roast potatoes and vegetables. the yorkshire puddings were too big and very crispy from the outside and not soft enough from the inside. the gravy had apple in it so i wasn’t fond of the sweetness it gave to the gravy.
had the lamb ouzi also, lamb was cooked well.
deserts were lovely with favourites in the pictures.
overallservicewas 5 stars as staff are very patient with the children too.

would i go again? yes.

excellent! my most peaceful iftar in a long time. excellentservice- very attentive. the salads, mains, and desserts were nothing short of perfect.

visited this restaurant for the first time to try out their iftar buffet and it was mind-blowing. they have arranged the iftar spread so well and theserviceis spot on. you get the indian counter with all the kebabs, kulcha, naan, biriyani, daal to thr sushi counter to the noodle counter to the arabic spread. there is also a separate spread for cheese lovers. 
i just loved their iftar. i loved their singapore crab and chicken sautee with capsicum was my favourite. i could not find one item which was below average. unfortunately i could not try the dessert as i was so stuffed after all the amazing food. good ambience, goodserviceand good value for money. definitely a place to try for iftar.

ifthar buffet review (2018)

this is a restaurant located at the westin dubai al habtoor city, 1st floor. overlooking the canal, it has a wonderful view if you get the window seats.

hands down, i think one of the most underrated ifthar buffets in the city. priced at an extremely reasonable price of aed 185, it has numerous options including arabic, japanese, indian, western, chinese, etc. it also had some live stations (which are generally missing from ramadan tent setups). the number of options in each variety was also quite extensive. the price includes water and a very large selection of drinks, coffee and tea.

perhaps the only area that it lacked (ever so slightly) would be the desserts, but the items on offer were absolutely lip smacking, with huge stacks of arabic sweets, chocolate shawarma, white and dark chocolate fountains, and home made ice cream selections (must try).

the quality of the food was amazing. we tried the roast beef and it was one of the best we have had in a while. arabic mixed grilles were juicy and packed full of flavour. the indian dishes were on point.

the best part, i think, would be the childrens play area, which includes bowling pins, a big screen tv, tables and chairs with paper and pencils for drawing, and even a plays station and a play kitchen. parents can sit right next to the play area and enjoy their meal while the kids have their time.

the waiters were extremely efficient and tables were cleared before you even know it.servicewas on point.

jw marriott hotels also run a buy one get one free offer for their ifthars on their website (ramadan with marriott) which makes this ifthar option even more affordable at 185 for 2!

go check it out!

please note this review refers to the iftar buffet only. let’s start with the ambience: i was given a fairly private table with a view on the burj khalifa, couldn’t have asked for a better spot. the decor is classy and welcoming with a variety of sections with different themes. they had a live station with indian food (the chicken tikka tasted amazing!!), an area with traditional arab food (the highlight for me was the shish taouk), a section with chinese/thai flavours, some western dishes and an incredible salad bar. as strange as this may sound, the highlight for me was the incredibly tasty assortment of salads: olives, beans, potato salads, i can’t even remember all of them but i remember thinking they all tasted amazing. unlike some other iftars i’ve been to, the food here is perfectly cooked and full of flavour. to top my great experience, theservicewas simply spotless. very attentive, incredibly polite and friendly. a must try for iftar.