Hoi An Restaurant — Restaurant in Dubai

Fifty Shades of Food: Hoi An @ Shangri-La Dubai Vietnamese food par excellence A Q Sher Aug 02, 2025 Having recently read "The Mountain Sings," a wonderful novel set across three generations in Vietnam, my anticipation for visiting Hoi An was all the more special. Located on the first floor of the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai, Hoi An offers an enjoyable journey into the heart of Vietnamese cuisine. Chef Linh, hailing from the Mekong Delta, along with his talented team, crafts a culinary experience with rare finesse.

As you step inside, the subdued setting may initially seem tired and in need of a refresh. However, the moment you begin with the starter platter, you realize an important lesson: with food this good, an interior designer's touch becomes secondary. The restaurant’s cuisine and service pay homage to Vietnamese culinary culture.

Service:

The service at Hoi An is exceptional. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and enthusiastically recommended the beef over the lamb shoulder, which we were glad to take. She was prompt, always smiling, and made us feel comfortable throughout our meal.

Food:

If you want to experience authentic Vietnamese flavors, paired with fresh ingredients and a delicate balance of herbs and spices, Hoi An is the place to visit. Our starter featured a delightful assortment: Vietnamese Spring Rolls, foie gras, crispy duck rolls, beef satay skewers, and an exceptional salad served with a dipping sauce. This platter provided an outstanding introduction to Vietnamese cuisine, tempting me to reorder it multiple times, but the main course beckoned.

The staff highly recommended the beef ribs, which were truly inspirational and reaffirmed our belief that some chefs in town know how to cook beef beautifully. The meat fell effortlessly off the bone, and chopsticks alone were sufficient for the task.

I also recommend trying the Grilled River Prawns; they were succulent and beautifully charred, served alongside fragrant rice. For dessert, the Mango Sticky Rice offered a sweet ending that showcased the traditional flavors of Vietnam wonderfully. Another standout was the Bò Kho—braised beef that seemed to have been slow-cooked for at least six hours in a rich caramel sauce. Chef Linh was not eager to disclose the secret recipe, but we guessed it likely included caramelized brown sugar, with subtle undertones of cinnamon, ginger, coconut sugar, and anise.

The duck was exceptional, perfectly cooked, and delightful in both flavor and texture. While the dishes do not come with rice or noodles, which we ordered as side dishes, the portions were more than adequate.

Pros:

Divine flavors

Well-constructed menu

Excellent service

Chef Linh was a pleasure to speak with

A truly exceptional experience for food lovers

Cons:

Perhaps a slight makeover of the restaurant décor is needed.

Overall Experience:

Hoi An is more than just a restaurant; it’s a culinary experience that celebrates the richness of Vietnamese cuisine. It’s perfect for dining occasions when one seeks something exceptional, with each dish painstakingly prepared and presented. The combination of incredible food and perfect service makes this restaurant a must-visit for anyone in Dubai looking to explore the flavors of Vietnam.

This is a restaurant that warrants repeat visits to discover the full breadth of culinary delights it offers. In Dubai’s multicultural food scene, Hoi An is a well-established representation of all that is good in...

Have you heard of the ancient town of Hoi An? Referred to as the Venice of Vietnam, with its stereotypical water canals, it was once the crossroads of the spice trade. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered a little replica of Hoi An in Dubai, a Vietnamese restaurant in the Shangri-La Hotel.

The Dubai interpretation of Hoi An was very visual with colourful lanterns, framed snapshots of Vietnam, wooden banisters, domesticated palm trees and statues of Buddha. Vibrant lights reflected in panoramic windows looked rather exotic. A little candle sparkling through the petals of a textile lotus added an oriental feel to the table.

A hot towel scented with invigorating jasmine stole my heart, and a serving of crunchy Asian crackers with a side of sweet chilly sauce, my full attention.

Without further hesitation I started my food journey with a cup of green jasmine tea served in an emerald-green kettle, which was poured for me with traditional gentleness. A quick look through the menu reassured I was at the right place.

I decided to leave my appetite in the hands of beautiful Vietnamese servers April and Tam, who passionately mixed dish descriptions with anecdotes. I giggled happily, feeling as I was right in the middle of the midnight city chatting over a cup of tea with new friends.

My amuse-bouche was a piece of boneless chicken steamed and seared on a pan and then topped with a yellow flower. Spiced mildly for my complicated taste, it signaled a desire to popularize traditional Vietnamese cuisine by introducing it to a wider audience. Not everyone is a crazy chilly monster like I am.

I started dinner with a selection of appetizers placed around a spicy house-made sauce. My main course consisted of baby chicken, giant shrimp and a delicious fish, tender inside and crispy out. All food was prepared using traditional techniques modernized to European taste.

The best part of my evening was a bowl of pho soup with herbs, sauces and fresh chilies on the side. I spiced up my pho to the maximum with as many chillis as possible....

Went here last night for dinner.

For drinks we had a lychee ice tea, a virgin pina colada, and a fresh green apple juice. All three drinks were very good.

Started off with some cuttlefish satay skewers (pictured) and grilled duck(pictured) for appetisers. The quantity is small for these two but tasted great. The skewers were served with some fantastic peanut sauce.

We had the hot and sour scallop soup (pictured), the traditional Vietnamese soup with Angus beef (pictured), and the vegetable soup with tofu. These three soups were very good as well. The beef soup was light and flavourful. Not spicy more of a clear soup with Noodles. The beef was soft and cooked perfectly. The tofu in the vegetable soup was soft and jiggly. Non eof the soup were particularly spicy. Depending on the soup some of them are accompanied with additional sauces as well as basil and/or mint leaves.

In between courses, they provide a lemon sorbet to cleanse the palette. The sorbets were soft and perfect blend of sweet and sour.

For the main course we ordered the Chicken Red Curry, the beef tenderloin, the salmon(pictured), the chicken fried rice, and the pineapple and scallop fried rice (pictured). The quantity for main course meals were good, substantial for 5 people. The red curry was rich in flavour and was absolutely divine. The beef again was cooked to perfection and incredible. The salmon was cooked well and the sauce accompanying it was delicious. Both the rice were well cooked, I personally preferred the pinaplle and scallop wice more. This one was more of a sticky rice consistency with a crunch from the scallops.

For desert, we had more of the lemon sorbet.

The overall ambience of the restaurant was delightful as well. The interiors were homely and comfortable. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Service was excellent. Will come...