Best-Motor-City-Restaurants

The 13 Best Motor City Restaurants You Need to Try

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Motor City, named for the Dubai Autodrome at its center, is a community with a motor-sport theme – although the charming Green Community feels far from the drone of race cars.

The suburb is popular with young professionals and families alike and has many restaurants catering to business lunches, family brunches, and vibey nightlife, including branches of well-known chains. Let’s look at the 13 best Motor City restaurants.

1. SanSation

The beautiful blue and white interior of SanSation immediately transports you to the Greek islands, with the outdoor setting at the greener-edged lake adding to the appeal.

At night, the restaurant is transformed with the magical twinkling lights so beloved of Dubai residents.

There is Mediterranean food on the menu and a selection of Middle Eastern favorites. Arrive after dropping the kids at school and enjoy an early meal. The shakshuka is a favorite, but we love sharing the generous breakfast platters.

The freshly baked flatbreads with their signature falafel make a delicious lunch, and the chicken Magloba and Fatoosh salad are definitely worth a mention. Leave room for dessert, especially their legendary cheesecake.

This family-friendly restaurant has a welcoming ambiance that encourages you to while away the hours, sipping mint tea, snacking on mezze, and enjoying a shisha.

  • Opening times: 7:00am-2:00am
  • Contact: +971 04 456 7371
  • Address: Green Community Retail, Detroit Road
  • Website: https://www.san-sation.com/

2. Pickl

This incredible burger joint is a homegrown Dubai brand with several branches across the city.

The Motor City branch is buzzing, with people cramming in to sample the delectable cheeseburger and the ultimate chicken sando. The chicken tenders are outstanding, dipped in Pickl’s secret sauce.

Choose the heat of your sando, which ranges from plain to reaper. I’ve seen grown men guzzling down water to cool off, and they were only eating the Nashville level. Even the plain is well-seasoned with spice, so decide how much tingle you want.

The milkshakes are legendary, with the unique Vimto shake and customizable additions, including peanut butter, Oreos, and caramel sauce.

Seasonal milkshakes also appear: the pumpkin spice shake is better than anything that coffee place can offer.

If you haven’t tried Pickl, go there immediately. There’s a good reason they won an award for Best Burger in Dubai.

  • Opening times: Sunday-Thursday 11:00am-2:00am, Friday-Saturday 11:00am-
  • Contact: +971 04  568 6882
  • Address: Ribbon Mall, Turin Boulevard Road
  • Website: https://eatpickl.com/

3. The Lime Tree Café & Kitchen

A branch of this popular café, Motor City’s Lime Tree Café is a great place to eat before doing your shopping at the Waitrose next door.

The breakfasts are a treat, ranging from the enormous English breakfast to the avocado and green peas on toast. Add a freshly squeezed juice or a fruity smoothie (dairy-free available).

The menu includes excellent salads, generous sandwiches, and veggie-stuffed quiches.

Order the legendary carrot cake if you’re just popping in for a fair-trade coffee or elderflower tea. Yes, it is worth the title – you’ll want to buy one of the T-shirts proclaiming its wonder.

The food is organic, with several vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Help yourself to water instead of ordering expensive sparkling with a carbon footprint.

A small deli section also sells jams, biscotti, and other delights.

  • Opening times: 7:30am-9:00pm
  • Contact: +971 04 325 6325
  • Address: Waitrose Community Mall, Reem Drive, Green Community
  • Website: https://www.thelimetreecafe.com/

4. Wagamama

This internationally renowned Asian eatery needs no introduction. The restaurant in Motor City is as excellent as other branches.

We go for the ramen bowls, especially the Tantamen ramen with tender beef brisket. If you love seafood, the coconut broth is superb.

Other family favorites are the donburi bowls, the katsu curry, and the spicy bao buns. And we always get gyozas to start. The sushi is delicious as well.

The only quirk, like in many Asian restaurants, is that the food appears as it’s ready, so you don’t necessarily end up eating at the same time.

The restaurant gets busy in the evenings, with delivery drivers lining up outside and a queue for the sought-after terrace tables in the mild winter.

5. Le Petit Belge

A vibrant gastro-pub, Le Petit Belge is a trendy, unpretentious venue ideal for Saturday brunch, a drink with the guys (or girls), or a hearty meal.

The menu includes some Belgian specialties, like bitterballen, cheese croquettes, a bierplanje, and moules frites. However, the eatery offers a wide variety of European pub food and is well-known for its cheeseburgers.

If you’re there for the Belgian beer rather than the cuisine, you can order platters of bar bites or more generous sharing platters: there are the ubiquitous chicken wings, delicious oysters, truffle fries, and a fantastic French onion soup.

Don’t plan on a quiet date night, as there’s often a DJ playing current tunes, and the clientele can get rowdy, especially when there’s football showing. The vibe is terrific, as the many regulars will tell you.

  • Opening times: Sunday-Thursday 12:00pm-1:00am, Friday-Saturday 12:00pm-2:00am
  • Contact: +971 04 521 5900
  • Address:  Park Inn by Radisson, First Avenue Mall, Turin Boulevard Road
  • Website: https://lepetitbelge.com/motor-city/

6. The Cycle Bistro

An extension of the Cycle Hub bicycle store, the Cycle Bistro is the only eat-in restaurant in Dubai offering paleo-based, locally sourced cuisine.

The regularly changing seasonal menu is extensive and appealing, offering a wide choice of sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free options. This eatery is a boon to those with food intolerances, allergies, and alternative lifestyles.

Breakfast options include chia pudding, Eggs Benedict, a traditional English fry-up, luscious pumpkin pancakes, and chocolate waffles.

There’s a superb selection of mouth-watering light meals and mains, ranging from rich bone broth and spicy fish tacos to beefy burgers and cauliflower satay with three dipping sauces.

Pizzas are made with almond and cauliflower bases and topped with pulled chicken or lamb, roasted veggies, and shrimp.

Pop in after your ride, be good to your body and enjoy a tasty and healthy organic meal.

  • Opening times: Monday-Friday 8:00am-8:00 pm, Saturday-Sunday 8:00am-6:00pm
  • Contact: +971 04 425 3000
  • Address: Dubai Autodrome Grandstand, First Avenue
  • Website: https://www.thecyclebistro.com/

7. The Neighbourhood Food Hall

The new Neighbourhood Food Hall (NFH) is an upmarket food court concept curated by the developer of Streetery Asian food hall in JLT.

With 12 pop-up restaurants, the NFH allows you and friends or family to each order different menu items.

The homegrown restaurants combine well-known brands and newer ventures, offering Sri Lankan, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Mexican, and Thai food. You can get a quick cake, coffee, or standards like burgers, hotdogs, and pizza.

The brightly lit, industrial-style interior is stark but noisy, fun, and unpretentious. The large tables are ideal for big groups, or you share tables and get to know your neighbors.

The Neighborhood Food Hall has had some teething problems with the ventilation, as it gets a little hot and smoky. However, this adds to the sense that you’re on a Malaysian street, not in the center of Motor City.

  • Opening times: Monday-Thursday, Sunday 12:00pm-11:00pm, Friday-Saturday 12:00pm-2:00am
  • Contact: +971 055 856 9696
  • Address: Green Community Retail, Detroit Road
  • Website: https://neighbourhoodfoodhall.com/

8. Sushi Art

Sushi Art is one of the best sushi restaurants in Dubai and has a branch tucked into the First Avenue Mall.

With its pleasant, welcoming ambiance, Sushi Art makes pocket-friendly, tasty, and beautifully presented Japanese food.

The sushi platters are generous and great for sharing – we recommend the salmon platter, which is always fresh and appealing.

Also, try the signature sushi rolls, especially the delicious samurai and tempura rolls. There are great bento boxes if you’re popping in for lunch.

Note that this is sushi with a twist: using cream cheese and cooked fish in some sushi is not to everyone’s taste and annoys traditionalists.

Sushi is the main attraction, but the gyoza and poke bowls are great additions to a meal. The desserts are excellent, especially the gorgeous vanilla mochi and fondant.

9. Al Safadi

This iconic restaurant will need no introduction to Dubai’s many fans of Lebanese cuisine.

Al Safadi’s Motor City branch offers authentic, home-style food in a luxurious, comfortable setting.

Opening early, Al Safadi serves wonderful Arabic breakfasts, and you can pop in for fragrant coffee and creamy pastries throughout the day.

The hummus is legendary, with the Hummus Beiruty getting our vote for its cumin and garlic flavor. Choose the Falafel Plate for freshly cooked, crispy chickpea treats or the chicken livers with a sweet-sour pomegranate molasses drizzle.

Try not to fill up on the freshly baked flatbread while you wait because you don’t want to miss the tender, delightfully seasoned mixed shwarma plate. The BBQ is also a winner – share the mixed grill.

Surprisingly pocket-friendly, Al Safadi is a delight, always making you feel welcome and plying you with food like a grandmother.

  • Opening times: 9:00am-1:00am
  • Contact: +971 04 227 9922
  • Address: Ribbon Mall, Turin Boulevard Road
  • Website: https://alsafadi.ae/

10. Little Bangkok

This family-friendly eatery has been voted UAE’s Most Liked Thai Restaurant and is well-known for its all-you-can-eat evenings and authentic Thai cuisine.

The restaurant is child-friendly, with a kids’ menu, and has a casual, friendly atmosphere. You can sit inside the cozy, traditionally decorated interior or enjoy the outside seating area.

During the week, you can enjoy unlimited dim sum, choosing from a variety of 30 dumplings, BBQ, noodles, rice, and tea.

Their Pad Thai is also delicious and comes with chicken, prawns, or mixed veg topping with tangy tamarind and peanut sauce, as are the Tom Yum Soup and Beef Teriyaki.

The menu features seafood, duck, and Thai curries – we love the green curry, Gaeng Kiew Wan. Customize the spice level depending on the level of burn you need.

If you want a pleasant Asian meal with family and friends, you can’t go wrong with Little Bangkok.

11. Bhoujan

This hole-in-the-wall eatery serves Desi cuisine and is known by locals to be cheap and cheerful.

The menu is diverse, with many tasty options. The Mutton Biryani is excellent, while the generous mixed grill platter is ideal for sharing (includes lamb chops, prawns, and chicken). The Goan Fish Curry also deserves mention.

Pop in for a snack lunch of chaats with naan bread fresh out of the oven. Wash it down with a mango lassi.

The café-style interior indicates that this restaurant primarily caters to the takeaway and delivery market, but you can sit comfortably and enjoy your home-style meal.

12. Soul Fire Chicken

South Africans congregate at this café that serves their favorite home-style food. Soul Fire Chicken, formerly known as Hyperama, aims to spark nostalgia rather than a longing for gourmet cuisine.

This restaurant offers budget-friendly fried chicken, burgers, sandwiches, and fish in an appealingly bold interior lit by neon signs.

The menu also includes traditional South African dishes, including boerewors, bunny chow, frikkadels, sausage, and fries.

The fries, known as chips by Saffers, are the best in Dubai. With a lightly crisped exterior, they are soft and fluffy on the inside, getting progressively soggier as they baste in the lashings of vinegar and salt.

If you’re unfamiliar with South African food, expect casual, takeout-style dining, heavy on fat and carbs, with a punch of spice and sugar. Meals are served in faux newspapers, printed with stories and jokes designed to appeal to expats.

13. StepUp Ceramic Café

Creativity abounds in this new café concept, where you can enjoy painting activities and enjoy a coffee and snack to keep your artistic juices flowing.

StepUp Ceramic Café offers a variety of activities, where you can choose to paint a ceramic, canvas, T-shirt, or glass.

You can also enjoy abstract splatter and acrylic pour activities – or book your children in for a morning of crafts and enjoy a peaceful cup of tea.

The menu focuses on a wide variety of beverages, with delicious and reasonably priced coffees, an extensive tea choice, and refreshing frappes, smoothies, and iced teas.

There are several options for breakfast, including healthy bowls, mini-pancakes, and fluffy omelets.

For lunchtime, choose a fully-stuffed wrap, craft your own sandwich, or enjoy a pizza dripping with melted cheese. The are also salads, as well as vegan-friendly burgers.

The cheesecake is delightful if you’re just in the mood for cake and coffee: choose the rich Nutella, honey, or lotus biscuit version.

  • Opening times: 8:00am-9:00pm
  • Contact: +971 058 538 1800
  • Address: Apex Atrium Building, Turin Boulevard Road
  • Website:  http://stepupceramiccafe.com/

Written by DUBAILOVEYOU

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