Restoran Star Hadramout — Restaurant in Johor

Restoran Star Hadramout is a fantastic spot for group dinners or birthday celebrations. And the space is perfect for big groups. The food? Simply amazing.

The grilled lamb ribs were packed with flavor, and the mixed grill was spot on—every single item was seasoned and cooked perfectly. Most of the dishes are kids-friendly.

The highlight for me was the maglobah rice. It was my first time trying it, and I’ve completely fallen in love. I don’t usually eat rice at night, but this was so crazy delicious I couldn’t resist. The spices, roasted eggplant, and nuts were incredible.

The drinks deserve a special mention too. The avocado drink was excellent—thick, creamy, and refreshing. And the Arabic mint tea served in a pot? No need for sugar and still… Sedap! It was the perfect way to round off the meal.

The atmosphere was lively and unique. The kids absolutely loved the spinning light performance—they were in awe and couldn’t stop talking about it.

Just a note for parents: when the music starts during the performance, it can get a bit loud for babies, but it’s only for a short moment.

And don’t miss the desserts! The Dubai chocolate was unbelievably good—definitely better than Cadbury or Hershey’s—and the baklava? Absolutely finger-licking amazing. Make sure to save room for those.

The staff were super friendly and they can communicate in English (though English isn’t their strongest). If you can speak Arabic, they’ll totally get you, and if you can’t—well, just talk English slowly, and you’ll be fine. Honestly, that’s part of the charm. It’s a Mediterranean restaurant, and the people running it are from the region. You wouldn’t want someone from China serving you mandi rice, right? That’s like ordering dim sum from someone who’s never held chopsticks—it just doesn’t hit the same. But at least they understood when we used the word “tapao”. 😂

So, if you’re in JB and looking for fantastic Middle Eastern food with a fun vibe, this place is a must-visit.

My kids can’t...

This restaurant was an overall disappointing experience.

Food: We ordered two appetisers; Baba Ganoush & Grape Leaves—the former was definitely not made of eggplant and looked nothing like the picture, while the latter was fine.

Our entrees; Grilled Fish, Mixed Grill & Lamb Shank Rice—these were mostly fine, but the meat in the Grill was quite dry. The meat to sauce ratio was also grossly miscalculated, which certainly did not help.

The desserts; Knafeh & Baklava—The Knafeh was great and we highly recommend it! I cannot say the same about the Bakalava as it did not arrive. We ended up removing it from the bill (more on the service below). In addition to the menu desserts, we purchased a takeaway dessert box—do NOT expect much from these. The Baklava bites were made of peanuts, dyed green, instead of pistachio.

In general, we thought that the food wasn’t too special—you can definitely get better Arab food in JB. However, this is a good restaurant if you’re seeking quantity and value over quality.

Service: The service was primarily what ruined our experience at this restaurant; we didn’t receive our drinks till the end of our meal (keep in mind the dry meat), our reserved table had been given to others—so we were sat at a poorly-ventilated upper level & multiple wait staff were scrambling to serve multiple tables.

Atmosphere: The decor is beautiful and really immerses you in a Yemeni-style dining experience.

However, we were looking forward to the dance performances that unfortunately did not happen—this might have been because we were moved to alternative seating and missed it. This was incredibly disappointing as we were promised the entertainment along with our booking.

All things considered, we dined here on a busy Saturday night and the restaurant seemed to be understaffed. There is certainly potential for great food and experiences here at Restoran Star Hadramout, but we’ll certainly...

A lovely restaurant with relatively good location~ Dropped by with recommendation from a friend and definitely didn’t disappoint!

The decor here is really lovely, with nice vibes! I really liked it.

The menu is quite extensive too so we had a hard time choosing. The staff aren’t the most fluent in English, but still really friendly and tried to give us recommendations when we asked! Portions are really good btw!

Drink - Tried the Adani Tea which was really nice. Fragrant spices inside~ Next time, I’ll get the pot version for sharing, which looks so cute!

Mixed Appetizer platter - We ordered this in small but it was hugeeeee. We loved everything here, esp the Hummus and Tabbouleh. Came with Muluwa (flatbread) which was honestly so good, with slight charred aroma from baking.

Mandy Chicken rice - Ordered this upon recommendation for a rice dish. Found the chicken to be on the dry side. Rice nicely fluffy, with mild spices. For us, we found this more normal in terms of taste. Next time we will try the other rice dishes which look more exotic instead! Chili on the side was great though.

Shakshouka - This was surprisingly really good. First time trying. Flavorful and the mix of spices with veges in the egg was super nice!

Kunafa (cheese) - This was so impressive. We were so full but still managed to finish this. The dish came hot! It was still super crisp on the outside, with stringy cheese on the inside. I didn’t find this too sweet. In fact, the cheese balanced the sweetness a little. Loveeee, I’ll order again when I return!

Overall, we really enjoyed the food here and the vibes. Price wise it’s really good for food in JB (considering the location is near to CIQ). Definitely returning!!! Must try,...