We were all so excited when the Irish Village opened at the Studio One Hotel in Studio City, feeling that it brought to the doorstep of Arabian Ranches one of our all-time favourite British pubs. But this latest incarnation of Dubai’s original, iconic watering hole is disappointing to say the least. It looks the part both inside and, to a lesser extent, on its sweeping outside terrace. But it has none of it the original’s nostalgic atmosphere or the quaint ambiance which made it so much fun, and its inconsistent food quality and questionable service tolerable. Well, if anything, this new one has the latter two nailed.
The outside area 
Ze bar 
The outside area
I say the food is inconsistent but when it’s good, it’s really good. Take this last visit for example. My family and I chanced a walk in on Friday for brunch and surprise-1 – there was plenty of space (we even managed to get a table outside), surprise-2 – the brunch carvery packages were particularly attractive at AED165 for all you can carry back on your plate (one visit to the carvery only) plus three pints of whatever or AED90 for the non-alcoholic package. The quality of the roast lamb was especially good.
The à la carte menu is the same as in the other branches, of which the bangers and mash and fish and chips remain our family favourite. I tried the recently added pork knuckle and found it hugely disappointing in comparison with the same at Maison Mathis Ranches.
Service has been reliably indifferent on every one of my several visits to this pub. Although we enjoyed our food on this last visit (for brunch) our experience was ruined by an African waiter with oversized shades who was cocky to the point of being rude to both my son and one of my guests. My son actually went and complained. The manager didn’t even bother to come to our table to see what was wrong or to ask if the issue had been resolved. Thankfully, there are now a number of outlets in and around the Ranches which have much better ambiance, food and service – Maison Mathis in particular – for us not to have to put up with anything less…
#1 Blogger on Zomato Dubai in 2018 and 2019 and beyond…
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.