The no-walk option: Marrakech
For those who cringe at the idea of elbowing their way through crowded buffet tables, Moroccan restaurant Marrakech offers a more civilised approach to Iftar. Featuring a set menu of sumptuous North African fare, there is simply no need to move from your table.
To break the fast, appetizers include a traditional spread that caters to both sweet and savory tastes with its mix of dates, salty olives, hard-boiled eggs with cumin, pancakes and camel’s milk. This initial tempter makes way for a four-course feast, each with a variety of options including a hearty soup flavoured with coriander, chickpeas and lamb, Moroccan mezze salad, chicken and preserved lemon tagine, which is then finished with a selection of pastries.
While the ornate interior of Marrakech enhances the Iftar experience with its decorative arches and intricate tiling, the atmosphere is lacking the additional entertainment needed to make the occasion unforgettable.
Location: Marrakech, Shangri-La Hotel, Shaikh Zayed Road, 04 405 2703
Price: Dh158
Highlight: Be sure to sample each appetizer waiting at your table upon arrival. The culinary journey will not disappoint.
Kebbe, kebbe and more kebbe: Ewaan
It looks a little like a less opulent cousin of the Royal Mirage, but Iftar at The Palace Hotel showed this was no pale imitation. First class surroundings and friendly staff help the experience, but the food elevates it.
The cold mezze selection is outstanding, with Lebanese favourites like lubyia, okra and a delicious kebbe nayye (raw lamb kebbe mix).
When it came to hot food, the pasta was dry but the kebbe with laban and stuffed lamb were excellent.
The dessert aisles provided an exquisite end, with a varied and delicious selection.
Location: Ewaan, The Palace Hotel, Old Town Burj Dubai. 04-4287888
Price: Dh180 per person
Highlight: Kebbe nayye
Live Music: Mövenpick
For a traditional Iftar head down to the Mövenpick Hotel, Bur Dubai. The venue’s ballroom is decked out with tent-like walls that give the impression of an old-world Iftar experience. The food is where this place really comes into a league of its own.
Pick from a range of live cooking stations. There’s a pasta, salad, shwarma and meat counter - complete with a whole lamb. There’s also a general buffet that serves, among other things, the most beautiful mashed potatoes with caramelised onions. For dessert, pick from a delicious range of sweets. Traditional Arabic goodies and Western delights like chocolate mousse are all included.
Throw into the mix live oud music and friendly staff and this place is a winner.
Location: Mövenpick Hotel Bur Dubai, 19th Street, Oud Metha, next to Lamcy
Plaza. 04-3366000
Price: Dh99.
Quiet luxury: Café Arabesque
Last Ramadan, an unscientific survey on my part revealed the Park Hyatt’s Iftar to be the city’s favourite. It’s not difficult to see why: the hotel is an oasis of serene luxury, a whitewashed, low-rise series of buildings nestled on the edge of the Creek, and the food is as stunning as it is copious.
Café Arabesque’s bounteous mezze spread is three tables strong, and features succulent green beans in tomato sauce, endless variations on aubergine, piles of salty cheeses, and the softest, lightest fatayer (stuffed pastries) filled with spinach.
A shwarma stand adds a jaunty note, while the meat section - a lemony grilled quail and the whole lamb, tender and melting, aside - couldn’t quite live up to the incredible mezze. Try the Ramadan dessert favourite, katayef, paired with a few dates and a coffee on the terrace outside, although you may have to run after the staff - they took a bit of a backseat on the service.
Location: Park Hyatt, opposite Deira City Centre, just off the floating bridge. 04-6021234
Price: Dh170
Highlight: The soothing, candlelit walk to the restaurant, followed by the most flavourful mezze in town.
Sweet endings: Al Nafoorah
It’s with the desserts that Al Nafoorah’s Iftar (otherwise consisting of favourites like lamb, falafel, salads and tasty hummus) distinguishes itself. Don’t eat too much of the main courses (sufficiently tasty, but not as good as the dessert), and don’t get there too late - on the first Tuesday of Ramadan for instance, the venue was packed with a jolly array of large families, businessmen and young couples. There is not much décor or entertainment, but the culinary extras - juice and coffee particularly - round the meal off nicely.
Where: Emirates Towers, Shaikh Zayed Road.
04-3300000.
Price: Dh190 per person
Highlight: Coffee and desserts.
Top service: Hilton Jumeirah
The iftar provided at the Hilton Jumeirah surpasses standards at a brand name synonymous with first-class service and magnificent surroundings.
A large air-conditioned tent, located on a grassy bank leading to the beach, provides guests with a fantastic selection of hot and cold mezze in a traditional Arabic atmosphere.
Attentive and friendly staff ensure you never have to wait long for your glass to be refilled.
After dessert, which includes a white chocolate fondue, guests are invited to wander lazily towards the beach to enjoy shisha under the stars; a near-perfect way to end a day of fasting or to experience Arabic hospitality at its best.
Location: Hilton Jumeirah is located on The Walk next to Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai Marina.
Price: Adult Dh145, child Dh75. There is an extra charge for cappuccino, espresso, milkshakes and fresh fruit juices.
The popular choice: Habtoor Grand
The spread is as impressive as the rest and drinks are included but there is really only one piece of vital information needed when planning Iftar at the Habtoor Grand - book early.
While at 6.30pm the families and couples drifted in slowly but surely, by 8pm it was clear the next few groups may be disappointed. Impressive, and really quite unusual for the first night of Ramadan.
Apparently renowned for the "fully-booked" sign on the door just a few nights into the festivities, the Habtoor offers value for money, wide choice and quality service throughout.
Unlike many of the larger beach-front hotels, the restaurant, which is not decked out with the usual red and black cushions surrounded by shisha smog, holds Iftar in the main part of the hotel which means no sticky trek down to the infamous, air-conditioned tent on the sand.
Luckily for the Habtoor the choice of location still has a great family atmosphere while also remaining classily-casual for hotel guests trying Iftar for the first time.
Hotel guests are encouraged to enjoy the Iftar buffet, which costs Dh185, from 8pm giving priority to local and fasting customers from 6.30pm.
Location: Habtoor Grand, Dubai Marina. 04-3995000.
Price: Dh185
Highlight: coriander potato, stuffed calamari with saffron and hammour in harra sauce. I also tried kounafa mabouisiyah, a local desert, and was pleasantly surprised.
East-meets-West: Yalumba
If your expectations of an Iftar ran along the lines of lounging against some plush red cushions under a traditional red Arabic tent or gazing through sheer curtains while tucking in Arabic delicacies, then the spread at the Yalumba may not fit your bill.
The Iftar buffet mirrors the restaurant's contemporary interiors set in dark wood and rich tones with Arabic motifs such as the Mashrabiya walls thrown in – For every serving of Bamia bil Zeit (fried okra boiled with tomato, onion and olive oil) there is a Waldorf salad and pasta within hand's reach.
A perfect place for entertaining corporate clients, this Iftar is all about giving visitors a slice of the local delights … a slice being the operative phrase.
Restaurant: Yalumba, Le Meredien, Airport Road. 04-7022328
Price: Dh139
Highlight: The salad plate and east-meets-west dessert station.
Generous spread: The One, Abu Dhabi
I must admit that an Iftar at a designer furniture store sounded odd initially, but it only took the appetizer to convince me that this would be one tasty meal.
On the upper floor of The One is the Restaurant, which for the month of Ramadan will be catering authentic meals not for the faint of heart. From the yogurt to the Umm Ali, the tantalising taste puts the kareem (generosity) in Ramadan.
Where: upper floor of the One furniture store located on Electra Street in Khaledia. 02-6816500.
Cost: Dh60 for two.
Highlights: soup, salad, yogurt drinks, dates, hummus, fattoush, chicken biryani, vegetable korma and lamb saloona and umm ali dessert as a sweet ending.
