If there’s one oh-so-Dubai thing we love to do, it’s brunch! Here’s our favourite tried and tested brunches that we recommend you check out…
Friday Brunches
Wanderlust at JW Marriott Marquis
Ideal for: Groups
Family friendly?: No
Mood: Loud and dressy – come to party!
Entertainment: DJ spinning current dance tunes and party remixes
Price: AED 425 (house beverages including sparkling)
Area: Business Bay
What’s better than dining at a restaurant at the world’s tallest hotel towers? Dining at (almost) all of them simultaneously! The JW Marriott Marquis towers are a Dubai icon and the Wanderlust brunch brings together highlights from many of their dining establishments into one humongous mega brunch. It’s so big that they equip you with large trays to carry all those plates of food – and a map! We particularly loved the peruvian offering from in-house restaurant Garden. There are plenty of drink stations too – you might even see a supersized bottle of rosé doing the rounds! Ask for a table outside if you visit in winter so you can enjoy the weather and Business Bay views.
Carnival by Tresind
Ideal for: Foodies, lovers of Indian cuisine
Family friendly?: Yes
Mood: Relaxed
Entertainment: Acoustic 90s/2000s pop & rock
Price: AED 427.50 (house beverages)
Area: DIFC (Burj Damman)
If you love fine (and fun) modern Indian food, look no further than Carnival by Tresind’s Friday brunch. The menu is enormous (seriously) and we were shocked when after a good 7 or so dishes we were told mains were still to come! Mains are served in the form of a selection of curries and breads for sharing and they are every bit as good as the wonderful contemporary Indian dishes that preceded them. There’s plenty of tableside fun and of course, their brunch wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Chat cart to kick off proceedings. It’s a casual lunch vibe so probably better suited for those who really want to enjoy the food and for families – you won’t find any dancing on tables here.
Joe’s Backyard
Ideal for: Groups
Family friendly?: Yes
Mood: Relaxed House Party
Entertainment: The DJ plays 90s/2000s party hits
Price: AED 220 (house beverages)
Area: Festival City
This is a ridiculously budget-friendly brunch with a great vibe and panoramic views. It’s a little further out, located on the 19th floor of the Holiday Inn in Festival City, but we think it’s worth the trek – especially at these prices. We don’t think you can find a better brunch for this price point – the food is great quality, the drinks are topped up speedily and the vibe is awesome. A sharing platter of starters kicks off the food side of things, with meaty BBQ dishes and sides to follow – don’t miss ordering seconds of their stunning lamb ribs! In true brunch fashion, you can order repeats of whichever dishes you wish, so even the hungriest lads won’t go home with an empty stomach. Drinks-wise, they serve the typical brunch wine, spirits, bloody marys and sangria (we’d like to see another cocktail added) and we applaud them for offering the excellent Brewdog IPA. This is one to head to for a lively catch up with mates (and a spot of beer pong too).
Saturday Brunches
Graze
Ideal for: Couples, families
Family friendly?: Yes
Mood: Relaxed
Entertainment: None
Price: From AED 295 (house beverages) AED 395 (including premium beverages)
Area: CityWalk
Graze at La Ville Suites’ Lazy Grazing brunch allows you to choose when you want to dine and imbibe – you nominate any three-hour time frame between 1-6pm. Great for those who like to sleep in or conversely, want to make the most of their day before getting down to some serious brunching. The menu is extensive and the ingredients are top notch – we’re hard-pressed to fault the food here. It’s all delicious and there’s so much of it – we struggled to get through the menu! You’ll start with fab bread, beef tartare, wood-fired beet salad, beef marmalade toast and calamari, with mains including josper grilled flank steak, grilled baby chicken and salmon (plus a plethora of amazing sides). Desserts aren’t bad either. This is a winner of a brunch – we’d love to see it run on Fridays too, but it’s a nice chill one for families and visiting relatives.