Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant | مطعم الخيمة التراثي — Restaurant in Dubai

We are visiting Dubai for the first time and wanted to experience an authentic Emirati Dining experience and Al Khama Heritage Restaurant did not disappoint. The atmosphere envelopes you in artifacts that are antiques, traditional decor, cultural dress and friendly faces.

I would also say the restaurant was quite bustling when we were there but it’s large and we were seated almost immediately. Their tables and chairs were comfortable and although they were busy we never felt rushed. I had the opportunity to visit the WC and it was clean and well stocked.

We were quite hungry as we had not eaten breakfast and had walked quite a few miles to get to the restaurant.

We started with hummus and traditional pita bread and it was delicious and freshly made. The bread came slightly warm. Next, was shrimp beriyani and chicken machboos. When the dishes arrived we realized we over ordered. It was a lot of food but the chicken fell off the bone and was simmered for hours in the complex tomato sauce rich with spices that tickled my pallet. The beriyani had large shrimp, and came with a spicy sauce and a yogurt sauce which we used liberally on both dishes and the rice that came with them. In fact, both dishes had rice incorporated into the dish and the sauces added flavor to an already flavorful dish. I would order both dishes again and if in Dubai I would definitely visit again.

But I had read about the wonderful Luqaimat. "Luqaimat" or the Arabic sweet dish, being prepared fresh is a must try. They make them right there in the dining room so you can watch the process. It’s a sweet dumpling dripping with a yummy syrup and is soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. It’s a treat you have to try and have some delicious Arabic coffee to go along with it.

We travel around the world and have a few days in a city so finding authentic places are like finding a treasure. It wasn’t just the food but it’s the wonderful servers, the ambience and the experience. My advice …go and give it a try. You...

• Staff Expertise:10/10, Amazingly helpful, informative, polite and professional. Don’t hesitate to ask them for any help or instruction you might need. • Atmosphere: 8/10, I personally loved the place and I appreciate the very delicate design of the restaurant. You'll feel like you’re dining in a house in the 70’s with a big tree in the middle and old fashioned furniture and decorations all around the place. Plus the sound from the little water fountain in the background added more to my overall experience. • Food & Drinks: 7/10, Huge portions that will definitely give your money’s worth with a vast and diverse menu to satisfy everybody. The meals are very rich in flavor and filling. The dessert is something you’ll have to try (I personally loved the luqaimat). Drinks here were average in my opinion and unlike the food, drinks were overpriced for the portion. The only downside is, on a crowded day, you might have to wait up to an hour to get your order, and it will take a lengthy amount of time to get an extra spoon or a glass, which is a bit annoying. • Parking spots availability: 6/10, On a busy day, it might be hard to find an empty parking spot. But I appreciate the effort in making them somewhat available since it is really hard to construct a parking lot in the heritage area of the old city. • Cleanliness: 7/10, Good overall, but on a busy day, you might expect to receive dirty glass or a fork, and the bathrooms were a little below average. They did correct any issues we had. •• Total score •• 38/50 [Pros and Cons] • Pros: ↑ Great old fashioned atmosphere ↑ Vast and diverse menu ↑ Big meal portions • Cons: ↓ A long wait time for food ↓ Limited parking spots ↓ Drinks are small and overpriced

★ Pro Tip: If you are visiting for the first time, the best time to visit is between 12pm - 2pm, as it is much less crowded and you might find a parking spot. It will add to your overall experience and...

Visited with a family of 5 members and placed many famous orders. Sadly, many were not up to our expected local taste of the Emirati recipe, including my aged father. Also and most importantly, the food was mostly served cold.

In particular, I liked the baby shark, with the exception of the fact that the rice (a very integral part of this order), came late and served COLD, and without the Arabic ghee (an important addition for taste and flavor for such an order, traditionally speaking)!

Seriously, higher supervision is needed to vet the condition of serving, re-arrange and better organize the sequence of food serving. Also, objective re-review is recommended for preparing certain UAE taste orders (except for the “Jisheed”, the baby shark, which has the good traditional taste).

As a local, who loves local and international food and enjoying high home standards, I’d expect the finest standards to be observed in this place, and hence am rating the food at shying 3 stars, where as the “4 star rating” goes for the setup, which is greatly done.

Improvement is painful but to be willingly accepted if Top is the destination for such a great place. Personally, I’ll only repeat visiting in case notable enhancement is signaled.

My thanks goes for the owner and team, whom I’d expect to be better guided and utilized in the days to come, after taking further improvement steps, if our comment are considered and acted upon.

I look forward to witness that “5 star day” and my wishes for a brighter future to this potential restaurant, as Dubai with no doubt is one of the greatest tourism destinations and surely offering quite high food standards, as I’ve compared after trying many locally, regionally and around the world.

Note: Photos are not completed, for three...