Russo's New York Pizzeria — Restaurant in Dubai

We visited Russo’s Pizza (Nakheel Mall) and ordered a single 16x16” build-your-own square pizza, half veg and half non-veg. The base price on the menu was AED 69. The menu also showed “12/15” beside the toppings section, so we specifically asked if that meant extra charges for the toppings. The staff catering to us clearly told us it was only showing the sizes, and that only premium cheeses had an additional cost.

At checkout, AED 12 was added for every topping — something never communicated. With drinks, the total came to AED 232. What’s concerning is not the price, but the lack of transparency. On the same menu, pizzas with multiple toppings were still between AED 69 and AED 97, making the pricing inconsistent and misleading.

When we calmly raised it with the manager post paying the bill (as it never occurred to us that something like this would happen), the approach was defensive, and the only solution offered was a 15% voucher, which we politely declined. For a brand of this scale, upfront and accurate communication should be standard. Guests should know what they are being charged for before ordering (especially after they asked for clarification), not after the...

Regular customers at Russo, I was disappointed with my latest dinning experience at Russo Palm Jumeirah. I tried to call all day to book a table for 10 however no response, yet I arrived at 7:00pm and was welcome by Russo staff and informed them with the same however not acknowledged or apology was offered. It took a while before the team was able to accommodate our group, when seated the order was placed however there was a clear crowd management issues with the team. We were waiting for a while before receiving the welcome appetizer (few pieces of pizza dough with tomato sauce and olive paste), we had to ask a couple times before the waiter ordered was brought to us. Then suddenly all starters and main course were served at once even thought not enough space available on the table. Clear lack of coordination between the kitchen team and the front of house team. Dessert was horrendous we ordered one tiramisu extremely poor quality overpowered with poor quality coffee. We paid our bills and left without any acknowledgement from the team. I won’t be...

We’ve been spending the summer in Dubai and often find ourselves dining at The Nakheel Mall in the evenings. This place is a great spot for families, especially as the children’s menu is well thought out — with options like chicken fish fingers, pizza, and pasta with a choice of sauces.

For adults, there are some standout dishes too. I particularly enjoyed the mushroom risotto, which was light, well-balanced, and just the right portion size to be satisfying without being heavy.

The only real downside has been the service. On several visits, it’s been quite slow, even when the restaurant hasn’t been very busy. We often found ourselves needing to flag down staff for drinks, sauces, or extra cutlery etc.

On the plus side, they do provide colouring activities to keep children entertained while waiting, which is a thoughtful touch.

Overall, despite the service hiccups, it’s a good place to enjoy a relaxed evening meal, especially...