Circle Cafe (Studio City) — Restaurant in Dubai

This review is for the Studio City Branch. We have been a regular customers at the cafe since 2018 at the Mirdif branch and to Jumeirah Islands and then at Studio City and Kite Beach as we have moved around a lot. Both our children have celebrated both their first birthdays Jumeirah as well. Circle Cafe has been part of our family routine, weekend breakfast go-to for us and even a place where we would go and bring family when theyre visiting from abroad.

We do love all the staff as well as we know most of them since they have also been moved around branches, the customer service they provide is absolutely warm and they do treat us like family.

But this review is particularly about the Studio City branch manager Ali. Since he has been placed at the branch hes never treated us nicely even when he can see we know everyone and al the staff greets us. We go there every week. We always have to worry if were going to get a table or not although we do go every week, just because we dont know when is he going to use his “manager card” and would power trip on us. Were a family of 4 we always go with our 2 small girls and last week, he would not let us sit saying is full when there were five tables available. He said there is 25-30 mins wait. He smiles sarcastically. My husband asked politely, look were regular customers can you speak to the management.. my husband did not even finish his sentence and Ali said “I am the manager” with a huge sarcastic grin on his face. I can see as this is not the first time hes done this to us, he wanted us to leave, but i said we will wait, it was Mother’s Day and I really just wanted to have a nice breakfast with my family so me, my husband and my 2 small children are waiting by the entrance. Only when he realized that were actually going to wait, and probably felt a bit awkward that were standing there waiting did he seat us. At this point those tables i mentioned were still free and people behind us with also no booking, he sat within 5 minutes. 4 tables remained available for the next 40mins even after we have sat down. So why give us such a hard time where there are tables available anyway?

Our previous experience as well, we just asked him to put a standing booking for 4 every Sunday for us, but he flatly refused saying “we dont do that” with his sarcastic smile. Although this arrangement was accommodated us at Jumeirah Island for 3 years, and we did go every weekend, absolutely no issue. So we dont understand why Ali has this attitude towards us. Today, I wanted my regular breakfast again but my husband is refusing to go, he said “its meant to be a relaxing time for us but everytime we go there its like a fight with this guy, i love eating there but with that guy i dont even want to go anymore..” and hes not wrong. Ali lacks skills in treating his regular customers properly, he gives off the vibe that — Im not doing anything for you, doesnt matter if you come here every week— and I also go during some days during week when Im working.

As regulars who genuinely love Circle Café, it’s disheartening to feel so unwelcome by someone in a leadership role. Good management is about creating a positive experience, not power-tripping or belittling both customers and staff. On that note, we’ve also witnessed Ali speak harshly to team members in front of guests—something no professional environment should allow. Respect should extend to both customers and staff, no matter how busy the day is.

We hope this feedback is taken constructively. We continue to support the wonderful team at Circle Café and sincerely hope improvements are made at the Studio...

We came all the way from Abu Dhabi to Dubai studio city just to try this cafe😅 and I must say it was the best decision ever💜 So they had this offer going on 50% off on the total bill from 4pm to 6pm but we happen to reach the place only by 6:30 and we felt bad that we missed the offer but regardless we wanted to try their dessert which they were known for.. as we entered the vibe of this cafe was so beautiful and an ambiance perfect for pictures🩷 We were so lost with their interiors that we almost forgot to order😅 later when their staff approached us asking if we were ready to order we told him if we can still avail the 50% offer as we came all the way from Abu Dhabi just to try their cafe and the staff was very sweet to say that they will give us the offer as we have travelled a long way with a big smile we were so happy and extremely excited! So finally we ordered A 4 Layer Chocolate Cake 7/10🩶 A Burnt basque cheese cake 10/10🩷 must try Spanish latte 7/10🩶 Macha latte 6/10🩶 Hot chocolate 6/10🩶 I badly wanted to try their Little Dippers x Circle Fondue Set which was 99 AED but I just wanted only particular sides and not all and they said sorry we will not be able to customize because that’s a set of dessert and so we did not order that. Our orders arrived and every single dessert was so delicious just when we were about to finish their staff (Mr Rushith) gave us a special dessert as a token of appreciation that we came all the way from Abu Dhabi and it was the fondue set with only the sides I had asked earlier🥰😍 this was the best thing we have experienced so far in a cafe!! I highly recommend everyone in UAE to try their place for their breakfast, offers and everything in between🩶 Trust me you will not regret ❤️ Thank you so much Circle Cafe and we cannot wait to visit you guys again!! Much love from Abu Dhabi💜 A special shout out to Rushith for his excellent...

Had a superb breakfast experience here in Circle Cafe. I visited on a Sunday, hence was able to avail the ALL YOU CAN EAT offer. (Offered on weekends)

Food selections are carefully chosen. I ordered Eggs Benedict and Breakfast Bowl from the menu. While waiting for my order, I took some pancakes from the breakfast counter ( which btw, has a lot of options to choose from too : Bagels and Toast Station, Pancakes (with peanut butter, nutella, honey syrup, crushed nuts, chocolate chips for toppings and many more!) and french toast, cereals, yoghurt, fruits platter, and with the availability of lemon infused water too!

Pancakes are fluffy, soft and well-seasoned.

Breakfast bowl had quinoa mixed with avocado, halloumi, kale, falafel, pesto, cherry tomatoes, sauteed spinach and poached egg. It was the perfect mix to start off the breakfast experience!

Eggs Benedict did not disappoint as well. Egg was cooked as how I requested for it ( medium ) and was well seasoned, with hollandaise. As an added flavor, I got some guacamole from the breakfast counter and had it together with the benedict.

Their ALL YOU CAN EAT offer comes with 1 cup of coffee or 1 cup of tea. I chose cappuccino - which I think was the best choice ever. Their coffee isn't bad at all. ❤️

Staff are all nice, and welcoming.

Service was relatively fast given the number of customers during the time when I visited.

Thank you so much! Will definitely recommend you all and will be back with my family, next...