Mirdif restaurants hold onto the quiet of its neighborhood’s charm compared to the hustle and bustle of the iconic city’s towering skyscrapers, international hotels, and crowded tourist attractions.
The hood stands out as friendly and family-orientated, with expats and locals sitting down to enjoy some of the world’s tastiest meals. Malls also offer diversion with top restaurants there.
So you can start your gastronomic tour of the best restaurants right here.
1. P F Chang
P F Chang, a Californian bistro import from the Napa Winelands, attracts foodies. The founder Paul Fleming is well-known in the restaurant business.
You can choose fusion Japanese, Korean, and Thai appetizers, entrees, mains, and desserts at this upscale restaurant. Chefs prepare each plate in the 2000-year-old tradition of wok-cooking.
At PF Change, the chef hand-rolls dim sum, and the sizzling aromas of the scratch-cooked sauces are mouth-wateringly delicious. We had chicken wrapped in lettuce and creamy rock crab wontons in a spicy plum sauce.
The steamed (or fried if you want) chicken dumplings were served on cucumber ribbons drizzled in a mandarin vinaigrette.
Regulars have chicken, mushroom, and chestnut or shrimp wonton soup. The sushi menu is expansive, and there’s a spicy “ring of fire”, a plate of shrimp done with a super-hot chili paste.
The bass fillet marinated in oolong tea and ginger or the grilled salmon in a miso glaze is highly recommended.
Treat yourself to a six-tiered chocolate cake, the “Great Wall of Chocolate”, or the offbeat banana spring-roll treat while sipping pear and lime mojitos.
- Address: City Centre – Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Rd
- Website: pfchangsme.com
- Phone: +971 4 419 0753
2. Jones The Grocer
Jones the Grocer, a gourmet eatery and food store, hails from Sydney and serves global food. Best still, you can feast on breakfasts all day. And kids eat for free.
Whether you are here early or around midday, you can enjoy smoked salmon Florentine. For a lighter meal, have the smashed avocado on muffins or a sesame bagel with eggs, bacon, cream cheese, avocado, and fried potato.
There are peanut and citrus glazed spicy prawns for lunch or delectable mozzarella burrata with crispy prawns.
And locals love the papaya and prawn salad with cauliflower vegan wraps on the side. But nothing is tastier than the grilled peri-peri octopus done with charred limes and cashews.
You must dine at Jones The Grocer, and all ages easily tuck into a crispy chicken burger. Families and friends share platters – from truffle cheese to chicken and sliders, and the most novel taste of nori-dusted kettle chips!
Coffee snobs have a ball. Remember to have a hazelnut latte and a slice of pistachio milk cake.
- Address: Mirdif 35
- Website: https://www.jonesthegrocer.com/?pageID=14260&merchant_id=0
- Phone: +971 4 284 0896
3. Oregano Restaurant
Oregano Restaurant is Italian hospitality at its best. It’s familiar, and you feel you’ve known the proprietors Siegfried, Maurizio, and Tony all your life. A place you are sure to return to.
Oregano’s rustic décor makes the place cozy. The waiters will tell you Oregano is a bit of Italy’s northwest Liguria, the world’s pesto-growing area. That’s why the al dente pasta with Liguria pesto stands out. Buon appetite!
The menu gives the Liguria pesto recipe and tells you how to boil the pasta to the perfect al dente moment. You’ll see patrons take out their phones to quickly snap the page.
The stone-baked crispy pizzas feature high on patrons’ lists for being here. You won’t be disappointed with a bruschetta or fried Sicilian rice balls stuffed with baby shrimp and mozzarella.
Another favorite is the creamy Italian mozzarella (Buratta) served with grilled zucchini and a cherry tomato and cucumber salad.
And there’s freshly made ravioli, gnocchi fritti, and a truffle and mushroom soup. If you don’t want pasta, have the herb-crusted salmon or prawn risotto.
- Address: Al Barajeel Complex
- Website: https://www.oreganorestaurants.com/mirdiff
- Phone Number: +971-4-255-9990
4. Gazebo
Contemporary Indian eatery Gazebo is known for its relaxed atmosphere right from the moment you step inside. Here you’ll be treated to age-old Mughal-era recipes like Gazebo’s Dum Pukht biryani.
This mouth-watering meal is slow-cooked in an earthen pot sealed with a layer of dough. The dish puts Gazebo on the food map, and likely that’s why you’re here.
The grilled chicken is delectable too. It’s marinated in tandoori masala, yogurt, ginger, garlic, cashew nut, and a spice paste (which is a secret).
There’s also a leg of lamb marinated in ginger, garlic, garam masala, yogurt, and lime juice that’s slow-roasted for hours. The Gazebo is the place for grilled lobsters marinated in tandoori masala-infused yogurt.
Patrons keep returning for the chargrilled white pomfret, a whole fish marinated in tandoori masala and infused with yogurt. Or the chargrilled boneless salmon cubes marinated in a coriander paste, mint, green chili, ginger, garlic, and spices.
What amazes each guest here is the range of roti – sizes, flavors, and shapes. And to end a meal, there’s saffron or masala tea.
- Address: City Centre Mirdif, Ground Level
- Website: https://www.gazebo.ae/
- Phone Number: +971-4-255-9960
5. Circle Cafe
Looking for something new to spoil your taste buds? You won’t be disappointed at Circle Cafe – from the breakfast choices to even the bakery.
Circle Café prides itself on using organic ingredients in its baking, salads, super bowls, and classic curries. And it’s where you can get the freshest and tastiest meals.
Soulful is one of the ingredients unique to Circle Café and makes patrons return for breakfasts, lunches, afternoon teas, and dinners. This is the place to go with a friend for a special occasion.
Some say it’s as homely as being in a friend’s living room! And, there are those pink t-shirts that everyone wants with inscriptions: I want cake … I need cake…
No doubt, at Circle Café, you are in the perfect spot. You can’t go wrong, from having bagels for breakfast to the best buffet. And remember, here you can order homemade cakes; this is a place to spoil your appetite and that of a friend.
- Address: Shorooq Community Center
- Website: https://www.circle-cafe.com/
- Phone Number: +971 54 400 7966
6. Menagerie
For eco-conscious and organic food lovers, Menagerie stands out with a growing Instagram following of those who crave wholesome eating.
It’s not just healthy food here, but a stylish atmosphere and a menu laden with mouth-watering vegan and gluten- and dairy-free options. Join a troupe of glowing-with-radiance patrons and chefs who live health and wellness.
Regulars have a wholesome breakfast, oats with cashew yogurt and homemade almond milk flavored with banana, turmeric, black pepper, and saffron! Menagerie is where to start your day.
Menagerie gives a healthy twist on favorites like pancakes. How about a stack of buckwheat and matcha pancakes with figs, blueberries, maple syrup, and a delectable cashew nut drizzle?
If you prefer savory, have Italian-French pancake-frittata made with Zucchini and mung beans. This is served with a lemony avocado purée, sweet chili chutney, cashew nut sour cream, and topped with micro greens.
There are plenty of cold-pressed juices and herbal drinks to choose from. Menagerie is in the Mirdiff Mall – a good spot to reboot and pump up your energy before tackling your shopping.
- Address: Ground Level
- Website: https://menagerieeatery.com/
- Phone Number: +971-4-288-5004
7. Hitchki Global Indian restaurant
Hitchki Global Indian restaurant is where you go for food with rich flavors. This restaurant serves a street food menu that lures patrons here all the time. The menu is packed with traditional recipes.
Chefs choose quality ingredients and don’t use preservatives, food coloring, artificial sweeteners, or taste enhancers. This is the twist that Hitchki puts on traditional Indian food – no longer any heavy or oil-rich foods, yet preserving the flavors.
You can still enjoy the buttered chicken risotto or tikka masala. The wok-tossed paneer in a spicy soy sauce is the first choice.
And you can’t go wrong with a soft cottage cheese rolled in balls and stuffed with cashew nuts and raisins, and then done in a creamy tomato sauce.
This is just the tip of the menu, as there’s lamb Roganjosh, too. The recipe is ancient and based on one used in the Kashmir valley – made with a delicate blend of chili and saffron.
And, if you’re shopping at the fashionable Mirdif mall, make a point of having a meal at Hitchki.
- Address: Level 1, nearest P1
- Website: https://www.citycentremirdif.com/dining/dining-restaurants/hitchki
- Phone Number: +971 4 546 4198
8. Solcasa
At Solcasa, its flavors and style make for a delicious treat. You can choose a stack of blueberry pancakes for breakfast or have the Turkish-style poached eggs on sourdough served with yogurt, spicy chickpeas, olives, and cumin salsa.
For lunch, you can have a salad with asparagus, broccoli, and tea-smoked salmon that’s topped with a soft-boiled egg and served with honey mustard.
Of course, the Solcasa Caprese is a favorite choice and is made with local cheese, served with a handful of heirloom tomatoes and capers, and topped with a tomato vinaigrette.
Solcasa has small plate choices too, and it’s recommended you order the squid and chorizo bolognese topped with parmesan shavings.
Order the sautéed wild mushroom and truffle pasta topped with parmesan shaving for a genuinely delicious main.
You can also share platters here, like the seafood paella made with saffron rice and plenty of mussels, squid, and jumbo shrimp added to the top.
Solcasa, in City Centre Mirdif’s food court, recreates a Mediterranean vibe, and this is where food-savvy socialites hang out.
- Address: Ground floor near the Centre’s main entrance
- Website: https://www.citycentremirdif.com/dining/dining-restaurants/solcasa
- Phone Number: +971 4 365 3215
9. Bosporus Turkish Cuisine
Besides shopping and entertainment at the upmarket Mirdif City Centre Mall, there’s high-end dining at Bosporus. The restaurant is high-end dining in what’s described as the most tasteful Turkish way.
Named after the bridge that spans the Bosporus, the restaurant sets out to symbolically unite Arab and Ottoman cuisine.
The cosmopolitan atmosphere here appeals to the local and visiting business fraternity and foodies searching for authentic cuisine.
The menu is laden with exotic dishes that are a visual and taste sensation. Being here is one of those treasured life-long memories. For a start, among many dishes, there’s spicy Turkish flatbread topped with slow-cooked minced meat.
And then there’s the tastiest vertically cooked Beef Döner that’s thinly sliced and served with yogurt and an iskender sauce. Of course, the lamb dishes are superb.
The best yet is the Kuzu Pirzola Sote – oven-baked lamb chops served with iskender sauce, potatoes, eggplant, and red peppers. Or get a plate of Haslam Içli Köfte – minced lamb cooked in yogurt and iskender sauce.
A show stopper is the Testi Kebab – beef loin cooked and served in a pottery jar!
- Website: https://thebosporus.com/
- Phone Number: 0971 4 380 8090
10. The Kana Cafe
After a morning shopping for just the right outfit, head for The Kana Café. This is a social hub. The exotic atmosphere stands out. You can even take a drag on a shisha or just watch fashionistas talk and have fun.
The fashionable (and stylish) restaurant is in the open-air Uptown Mirdif shopping mall, which draws the glitzy and the glamorous. And you can click away to show your Instagrammers where you’re hanging out.
The drinks are funky and delicious. My all-time favorite is pomegranate juice. The more exotic blends are avocado, sweet melon, and guava mixed with pistachio ice cream and coconut syrup.
There’s also beetroot, coconut, sliced mango, and mango juice. Also, try the thirst-quenching fresh watermelon juice. The signature drinks are regularly photographed. There’s the dragon fruit with an Oreo biscuit milkshake.
And what gets the patrons really excited is the ‘Popcorn Freak Shake’ that’s topped with almost everything, like handfuls of pretzels and a pink paper cocktail parasol.
The all-time favorite is Turkish coffee with steamed milk served with a rolled brown sugar biscuit.
- Address: Shop FB 5
- Phone Number: + 971 4 239 3773
11. Zaroob
The style of Uptown Mirdif easily rubs off and influences the kinds of restaurants you’ll find here. And if you’re looking for a friendly vibe and good food, head to Zaroob. Here’re the most deliciously fragrant foods that you even can share.
Whether it’s the dessert, sandwiches, or authentic Lebanese dishes you are here for, you’re in for a treat.
There are Kotfa sandwiches with pickles and humus in Lebanese wraps or the almost famous Lebanese bulgur salad with plenty of chopped parsley mixed with tomatoes, white onion, and sweet pepper drenched in a lemon-oil dressing.
Be sure to order the Koshari, which the chef says is one of Egypt’s most refined imports! This blend of pasta, rice, chickpeas, and lentils is topped with tomato salsa and crispy fried onions and served with a lemony spiced dukkah.
The Fattoush is arguably the most taste-bud-altering dish. The lettuce, cucumber, radishes, tomatoes, chopped fresh thyme, mint, and purslane leaves are dressed in a pomegranate and molasses dressing and topped with toasted sesame seeds.
- Address: Shop FC 1
- Website: https://www.zaroob.com/
- Phone Number: +971 4 339 6399