Okra (JACC) — Restaurant in Shuwaikh

I’ve been a loyal guest of Seazen Group’s restaurants since they first opened, visiting almost all their franchises without ever being disappointed—until today.

We chose to have lunch at Okra JACC after the Eid holiday, thinking we’d avoid the rush and enjoy the best possible experience. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Despite having plenty of staff on duty, no one seemed eager to assist when we struggled with the QR code ordering system.

Our group of 17 people made the ordering process a bit challenging, and I wasn’t expecting everything to go perfectly smoothly. However, waiting 55 minutes for the first dish to arrive was frustrating. I rarely call waiters over unless necessary, but this time, I had to stand up and speak to them five or six times. To make matters worse, appetizers and main courses were served together—a first for me at any of their restaurants.

I kept looking around, trying to find a reason for the poor service, but the restaurant wasn’t even full. Eventually, I had to address my concerns with the manager, Mr. Kareem, who was extremely professional, friendly, and apologetic. From that moment on, the experience completely turned around. He personally ensured our table was taken care of and even insisted on serving tea, coffee, and two desserts on the house.

Now, about the food—no complaints there. Everything was beautifully presented, the portions were generous, and the flavors were spot on. The arayes burger and short-rib biryani were the real standouts. Prices fall within the mid-to-upper range, which is fair considering the quality.

Overall, my only issue was the service—not because the staff was untrained, but because they simply weren’t attentive. If they can improve on that, Okra JACC could easily live up to the high standards set by other Seazen Group...

Disappointing Experience Despite Good Service

While the service was pleasant and attentive, the overall dining experience fell short. The restaurant lacks a cohesive theme, with mismatched furniture from various countries creating a confusing and cluttered atmosphere. Cleanliness was also an issue—tables were dirty, and grime had built up between the tile surfaces.

Portion sizes were surprisingly small given the high prices, and the food quality was disappointing. The pomegranate sauce had an artificial, cheap taste, and both the biryani and plain rice were poorly cooked and carried an unpleasant smell.

Unfortunately, the meal did not meet expectations and is not an experience I...

We came for lunch. We were two persons. The food comes in small plates and not enough. It is expensive. We bought two plates of Okra Ribs Kubbah 4 kd each. It came as three round kubbas only in each plate. Taste was nice and crunchy but imagine three kubbas in each plate. We also bought the Greek Lamache Pasta plate which came as shell macaroni in sauce and we ate it like a soup. Still hungry we bought an egg plant fatta plate. The waiter serving us was extremely polite and helpful and wonderful. I need to praise him. When we go home we will still need to eat lunch. I recommend bigger dishes and...