Enjoy the flavours of Dubai in your casuals
Who doesn’t enjoy trying new flavours? If so, there are numerous options available in Dubai at the moment. Have you ever considered scurrying around in flip-flops and shorts for a quick takeaway in the international city of Dubai but then changed your mind? In a city where there is a formal dress code, skipping outings and dining out is a big loss. The agony of having restaurants reject you because of your “casual” attire is unending. In Dubai, there are some locations that will make up for your disappointment. Without wearing fancy or formal attire, they welcome you very warmly and offer you food. Which restaurants in Dubai which allow casual attire are listed on Tripfinder?
21 Grammes
21 Grammes is at the top of the list for delectable cuisine that is skillfully prepared and served in a casual, welcoming environment. The only Balkan cafe in the area, visit here for phyllo pie, cevapi, or even a genuine Balkan breakfast. Dishes here are influenced by Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, and Montenegrin culinary traditions. Even though the Meyan Mall’s café-style setting is much bigger than the original location, it nevertheless exudes a relaxed atmosphere that will make you feel comfortable no matter what you choose to wear.
Allo Beirut
Since it opened in Dubai in 2018, this Lebanese eatery has been a local favourite. Allo Beirut is a huge, well-lit area along Hessa Street that draws crowds at all hours of the day. It is fuss-free and extremely informal. There are a ton of wonderful street food options to tuck into, and they’re all budget-friendly, too, including falafel, saj, hummus, and manakish. At this restaurant, you don’t need to be dressed to the nines to chow down on a delicious chicken shawarma covered in garlic sauce and wrapped in a crisp, floury saj.
Couqley French Brasserie
Finding a posh, laid-back restaurant where you can taste the best French cuisine and soak in the ambience is a smart idea. Since 2016, Couqley has been established explicitly to provide an exceptional dining experience for the Dubai community, offering soulful culinary delights, reasonably priced wines, and friendly personalised service. The public adores brasseries and is constantly searching for one in their preferred emirates. Say what you will about the whiff of Paris in Dubai, but Couqley was founded solely to offer a first-rate dining experience with mouthwatering food and fairly priced beverages.
Cafe Isan
This entertaining Thai restaurant is one of our favourite places for casual eating in the area and checks all the right boxes for a great evening out. There is a very welcoming atmosphere at Café Isan, which is decorated with colourful, mismatched furniture and souvenirs from journeys to Thailand. The home-style cooking is excellent, and in the winter, there is a pleasant terrace where you can enjoy cheap drinks. However, you should be aware that Thai spice really does mean spicy. Come in your shorts and flip-flops, tuck into a steamy bowl of Massaman curry, and take in the laid-back Thai holiday ambience because authentic Isan cuisine is prepared with affection.
Dampa Seafood Grill
To eat here, you don’t have to dress to impress, but no matter what you wear, you can be sure that you’ll adorn it with a set of plastic gloves.
Dishes at Dampa Seafood Grill are served “boodle fight” style, which means they are placed on a plastic sheet in the middle of the table and are ready for you to eat with your hands. Prawns, squid, mussels, and other fresh seafood are served in a mouthwatering sauce that will keep you coming back for more.
Additionally, it has been named Time Out Dubai’s Best Budget Restaurant 2022, so you know the food is excellent, and the price is unbeatable.
Goose Island Tap House
Goose Island Tap House is a gathering place for sports fans and those looking for a place to go after work or on the weekends. It has a large selection of artisan ales, its own barrel and tasting room, as well as multiple screens showing your favourite live sporting events.
Enjoy the extensive selection of pork dishes on the international food menu. While watching your favourite live sports on the restaurant’s numerous HD TVs, gather the crew for a game of pool or try your hand at one of Dubai’s only indoor golf simulators.
Ibn Albahr
Fresh seafood and Lebanese mezze are offered at this seaside restaurant opened by fishermen. It’s the ideal location for when you want to wear casual clothing because it’s a true toes-in-the-sand kind of location.
The chic Club Vista Mare on the Palm’s beachfront restaurant offers a variety of seating options on the terrace or in the sand, so you can savour your meal while taking in the vacation-like atmosphere. There are many options for mezze if you’re in the mood for them, but our top pick is the fresh fish, served with a variety of sauces and sides and presented in a market style.
Kinoya
This highly praised casual Japanese restaurant made a lot of noise when it first opened in 2021, and it hasn’t stopped since. In fact, it has been such a hit that a branch is even planned for Harrods, London’s fanciest retailer. The OG in Dubai is a more low-key establishment, an izakaya-style joint hidden in The Onyx in The Greens. The ramen is definitely something to shout about, and the restaurant’s spare, straightforward interiors let the food do the talking. To dine here, you’ll need to make a reservation, but you don’t necessarily need to dress up.
Masti
Some of the most inventive dishes in Dubai are served at Dubai’s Best Indian Restaurant 2022, Masti. The name, which translates to “fun and mischief,” assures you of a playful atmosphere when you visit this hip location in La Mer.
As a seaside restaurant, you’ll notice a wide variety of clothing when dining here during the day, from more formal attire to flip-flops and shorts straight from the beach. By night, you’ll want to dress up a little more, but the decor is hip, and the food is delicious; if you exit without trying the burrata butter chicken, you’re missing out on one of the best dishes in town.
Mythos Kouzina and Grill
This charming, laid-back Greek restaurant, one of JLT’s most well-liked destinations, is the ideal choice when you want outstanding cuisine served in a relaxed atmosphere.
Put on a sundress or shorts, go to the adorable taverna with white walls, and tuck into delicious mezze, grills, and more. While the interior of this multiple Time Out Dubai Award winner has a vacation vibe, the small exterior terrace is the go-to place in the cooler winter months.
Al Beiruti
Lebanese cuisine can never go out of style, as per us. And Al Beiruti is an amalgamation of Middle Eastern flavours reflected on one menu. So if you plan to spend your lunch or dinner relishing the authentic taste of the UAE and the Middle East, then Al Beiruti should be the perfect go-to place.
SEVA Table
You can find a place in Dubai called SEVA Table where you can enjoy plant-based, gluten-free, and sugar-free food. This restaurant is one of the best vegan restaurants in Dubai, and we can’t stop raving about the food and atmosphere there. The most exciting news of all? No uniform is required to enter. So, feel free to enter the location in your flip-flops.