Al Jawareh is a newly opened Emirati restaurant in Jumeirah-1. Located on the opposite side of Jumeirah Beach Road from heavyweights Yashar Palace and Turkish Village (and soon to open mandi masters ZamZam), Al Jawareh has a breath-taking interior of rural simplicity and rustic elegance – it is the best designed and executed nostalgic design I have seen till date. Spread over two floors, the downstairs of which has a traditional communal floor seating dining area as well as several private dining rooms (rather than cubicles), the restaurant is beautifully laid out in the bare minimum you need to enjoy a meal. Of course, there are tables and chairs too; chunky, sturdy, really comfy wooden ones. The upstairs, which offers something of a view, is a combination of high and low table chair dining areas.
Outside the restaurant 
The communal floor seating dining area (downstairs) 
Reception 
Upstairs 
Private dining room 
Upstairs 
Communal floor seating dining area 
All signs are in Arabic 
Upstairs 
Downstairs
The Al Jawareh menu draws regional favourites under the Emirati umbrella highlighting the fact that Emirati cuisine is, in fact, an amalgamation of the cuisines of the region. Breakfast, lunch and dinner each offer something uniquely Emirati like the popular breakfast dish, Balaleet, vermicelli sweetened with sugar, cardamom, rose water and saffron, served with an overlying savoury egg omelette. My British beach boy brothers Mark, James and I tried the Chicken Majbous, Chicken Biryani and Tahta Mutton respectively. Each dish offered a distinct taste with the Biryani and Tahta being the more spiced of the three; the bone-on mutton of my meal was cotton tender and juicy making a fork all I needed to eat my meal with – the locals all eat by hand (recommended). Portion sizes are humongous, easily enough to feed two.
Disappointing Samosa 
Karak Chai 
Tahta Mutton 
Chicken Biryani 
Chicken Majbous 
Tahta Mutton 
Legemat 
Laban or Ayran or Doogh
I regret not ordering fish, a speciality of Al Jawareh. It was all the locals ordered. Service was accommodating to be sure, but I found that only one of their staff spoke/understood good English; some mumbled and some simply walked away not understanding anything. This is a restaurant geared to catering to the local community; even all the signs (including WC) were in Arabic. And that’s great news because you know you’re getting the ‘real deal’.Valet parking is available – just drive in to the building parking before the stop sign. Irrespective of whether you have lived in Dubai all your life or if you’re just visiting, if you fancy a flavour of the Emirates, this amazing restaurant needs to be on your bucket list – it’s well worth a detour.
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Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on: xerxes@dellara.com