13 food spots to try this Ramadan: Iftar buffets, suhoor menus and more

Colnago Caffé in Abu Dhabi, the food and beverage extension of Italian cycling brand, Colnago, launched its Ramadan menu of dishes inspired by traditional Middle Eastern cuisine.

Visitors can enjoy dishes including braised lamb served with saffron spiced rice, roasted nuts and raisins. For dessert, sticky date cake with caramel sauce and pistachio gelato will also be available and more.

Indian fusion

Masti, located in Downtown’s Dubai Edition Hotel, has an iftar offering from sunset until 8 pm. Guests can expect starters such as lentil soup, cassava chaat and corn salad. Then guests will be served a kebab platter with ricotta malai paneer tikka, prawns cafreal rissois, chipotle chicken tikka, and beef seekh kebab. Other dishes include burrata butter chicken, prawns moliee, and misso eggplant salan (curry). For dessert, guests can try the chocolate delice or rasmalai coconut cake to share.

Iftar tent

Kempinski Hotel and Residences Palm Jumeirah has opened the Layali Ramadan Tent. Guests can expect to dine on a buffet-style menu that will feature traditional Ramadan beverages, soups, a selection of hot and cold mezze, a salad bar, a shawarma and saj station and a barbecue and ouzi carving station. This year’s iftar menu will also feature over 40 main courses such as kibbeh bil laban, chicken tagine, fish machboos, and baked lamb kofta and a variety of Arabic and International dessert options to choose from. The tent also opens for suhoor, offering guests soups, juices, hot and cold mezze, salads and main courses such as mixed grills, cheese manakeesh and chicken shawarma. A dessert selection of mouhalabia, bakalava, date cheesecake, Umm Ali and fresh fruits will also be available.

Iftar and suhoor option in Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah’s DoubleTree by Hilton Resort and Spa Marjan Island has iftar and suhoor offerings. The iftar buffet at Meze restaurant has live cooking stations accompanied by live Oud performances. Guests can enjoy everything from hot and cold mezze and Lamb ouzi to grilled meat and dessert.

At the property, a suhoor meal is offered at ShoFee, from 12 am until 3 am, featuring a selection of dates, dry fruits, laban and juices, as well as lentil soup, shakshuka, kibbeh, cheese sambousek, and spinach fatayer.

Japanese bakery’s new Ramadan boxes

This Ramadan, Yamanote has specially curated four sharing boxes featuring both sweet and savoury bites as well as a series of drinks, made for sharing. Some of the items from the boxes include labneh with black garlic bites, falafel balls, mini rose croissants, mini kunafa croissants and more. The drinks include passion fruit iced tea, hibiscus tea and dragon berry iced tea, which has strawberry puree, agave syrup, lemon and ginger.

Latin American and Asian fusion

Peruvian-Japanese restaurant Nazcaa launched an iftar set menu. The offerings include starters, mains and desserts. Guests can expect dishes such as wagyu beef bao buns and langoustine taquitos, chicken glazed with spicy miso with a side of chimichurri sauce and lamb chops. For dessert, there is a fruit platter and mochi ice cream.

Guilt-free iftar and suhoor option

Lapa Eatery in Dubai announced iftar and suhoor offers, with a focus on clean eating, available daily in Ramadan.

For suhoor, guests can enjoy dishes such as butternut hummus with flatbread, yoghurt bowl with berries compote, and super-comforting pumpkin or balila soup, truffle scrambled egg, shakshuka, sweet potato benedict, manakish zaatar and eggplant avocado on toast. The iftar spread has starters such as baked falafel, tabbouleh salad, hummus and more. Choices for mains include a choice of vegetable or margarita pizza, gluten-free chicken quinoa biryani, and a beef bowl.

Iftar buffet and suhoor on a terrace

Hotel Indigo Downtown Dubai has offers for suhoor and iftar at two of their restaurants. At Open Sesame restaurant and café, guests can enjoy an iftar buffet that includes cold and hot mezze, a soup station, main courses, dessert and more. Dishes include Middle Eastern delicacies such as Ouzi, falafel, kebabs, and baklava. Guests can head to the Orange Feels Terrace for suhoor at the hotel, where they will be served a mixed mezze platter and more.

Iftar to share

Available from March 23, Farzi Dubai is offering a sharing-style iftar menu. Diners can enjoy starters such as kale and mango salad topped with Greek yoghurt, pecan, pomegranate and avocado bhel puri, tempura prawns with a chilli foam air, Murgh Tikka Pasanda served with an active charcoal hummus and coriander kulcha.

For mains, Palak Paneer Croquettes will be served alongside a chicken biryani, Afghani Pista Korma and more. For desserts, Farzi is offering rasmalai.

Buffet with Middle Eastern flavours

Copthorne Lakeview Hotel is offering a iftar Buffet from sunset to 9 pm. Dishes include cheese samosa, zaatar fatayer, chicken pastilla, smoked salmon and cold cuts platters, lamb and plum tajine, kibbeh bil laban and more. Suhoor will take place from 9pm until 1am, with cold mezze platters, chicken biryani, lamb majbous, foul mudammas and desserts.

From starters to desserts

Bull & Bear restaurant at Waldorf Astoria DIFC has an iftar offering. Diners can look forward to an à la carte iftar menu including dishes such as grilled flat bread with dips, red lentil soup and mixed grill, Mediterranean oriental rice and some sweet treats such as kunafa, Arabian dates sticky toffee pudding, and baklava.

South Asian-style iftar buffet

Barbecue Delights is offering guests an iftar buffet that focuses on South Asian dishes. Guests can expect Pakistani, Afghani and North Indian cuisine with traditional iftar snacks, barbecued meats, rice-based dishes, curries and desserts.

Keep an eye out for the newest places to visit in Ramadan around the UAE by checking out our Going Out section. If you are looking to try out new recipes this Ramadan, visit our Food by Gulf News section.