A Selection of Vegetarian Restaurants in Dubai

A vegetarian or organic cuisine isn’t hard to find in Dubai and for the past couple of years, the vegan food has gone mainstream because people have eventually come to realize that better health is definitely associated with better diet when it comes to naturally organic food. The term “vegan” is interpreted differently by people. For some, it means that they don’t eat meat, but they might eat fish. For others, being vegetarian means no meat and no fish, but they will consume anything other than that for food. Finally, there are pure vegans who avoid eating any animal products like butter, egg, cheese or any other animal product.

So, don’t worry if you’re a vegan because Dubai is home to a handful of entirely vegetarian restaurants, along with markets and online shops that offer you fresh locally-grown organic products. Here are some of the best options for you to try as a veggie.

77 Veggie Boutique, Jumeirah Lake Towers

Founded by an Indian entrepreneur, Roma Megchiani and situated in Jumeirah Lake Towers, 77 Veggie Boutique is a restaurant, a café, deli, catering, home delivery, take-away, and dine-in. The word “Boutique” in brand’s name refers to everything vegetarian, fresh, organic and healthy, so if you are a health freak, do not worry, you are going to know every calorie you are about to consume in the menu. The staff is highly efficient and caters every requirement of their customers responsibly. One of the biggest reasons for such a high sale by the restaurant is that all of the dishes consist of less than 500 calories and anyone looking for a variety of vegetarian dishes, other than common Indian dishes, 77 Veggie Boutique would be a heaven of health for them. Everything here is free from gluten, butter, oil, cream and other die-busting extras that are added by chefs to enhance the flavors of their dishes but excluding these ingredients can make the meals a lot healthier.

Every dish is based on vegetables, and the restaurant ethos lies in using whole organic, non-imported vegetables with no fryers on premises as everything made here is steamed, baked or boiled. You can choose from a variety of appetizers such as Molly Made Much Bunch Bakes, including ingredients like sautéed cabbage, carrot balls, spring onions and tangy sauce, all mixed up in Manchurian style. Lentil soup is another option for an appetizer, a tasty soup boiled and cooked with red lentils, yellow peas, tomatoes, curry leaves and coriander combining with different spices. Light Tofu Salad with Veggies is one of their yummiest salads made by roasting vegetables, green beans and baked tofu served with herbs and mint. For mains, Red Bistro Sizzler is recommended, made with fresh vegetables such as broccoli, French beans, cabbage and mushrooms garnished with spring onions and cutlets. Healthy Red Nice Noodles is a dish made with low-fat rice noodles sautéed with vegetables and served with chili-based sauce. You can also enjoy low-fat desserts free from butter, oil, eggs having as low as 100 calories, with options like a 130-calorie cheesecake and 98-calorie brownie.

Comptoir 102, Beach Road Jumeirah 1

Housed inside a stylish boutique, Comptoir 102 is a project created by two young French girls trying to offer a bit of originality and healthy food to Dubai world. Among thousands of skyscrapers and impersonal shopping malls, this is certainly an unusual place because part of the cafe is devoted to delightful jewelry, fashion stuff, home wares, and furniture, which adds to the retro Scandinavian interiors of the place. Located in a villa on Jumeirah beach road, the wraparound terrace hides away the hustle and bustle of the beach road. Next to lovely ethnic-chic accessories and inspiring decorative objects, Comptoir 102 offers organic, vegan-friendly, dairy-free and gluten-free food and primarily vegan recipes.

With a focus on nutritious and wholefoods, the dishes are designed by the in-house chefs and consultants Chefs and a delicious menu comprising of crispy salads and detox juices, is regularly developed by American chef Chris Clark; a nutritionist and macrobiotic expert who specializes in low-temperature cooking. The café’s service is great with quick and attentive staff that promptly comes up with a good suggestion for mains and dessert, and the food comes quickly due to the nature of dishes being easy to prepare. The restaurant offers an à la carte selection of juices, salads and sandwiches along with vegan pizzas and low-calorie falafels. For health conscious consumers, the menu consists of raw, veggie, vegan and meat options in addition to diary-free, gluten-free and processed sugar-free options. The menu also has a de jour option in which you can just choose from the three starters, two mains and two desserts on offer that day.

You should definitely not miss this place if naked flavor and traceability excite you, but beware this sophisticated French classic rustic-style chic is ridiculously expensive due to its labor-intensive production and higher quality of ingredient evident in these super healthy dishes.

Omnia Gourmet, Jumeirah Fish Harbor

Founded by Dubai-based celebrity Chef Silvena Rowe, Omnia Gourmet is a signature deli cum cafe Located at the peaceful Jumeirah Fishing Harbor. The place is truly catered for all including vegans, vegetarians, meat lovers and culinary-curious, and the restaurant emphasizes locally sourced fresh and organic ingredients and transforms dishes into their healthiest versions as their slogan says “From Farm to Table”. With bright and airy décor having gentle Middle Eastern touches, the restaurant has a cozy atmosphere with green foliage dangling from the ceiling, clashing textures of mismatched ceramic tiles, and walls decorated with peacocks and mosaic tiles with frames containing mounted butterflies.

The restaurant heavily emphasizes fresh and organic ingredients sourced from within Dubai, and the concept is very much focused on healthy and local eating with almost 75% local ingredients. Paleo- and vegan-friendly, the menu is crafted itself by Silvena that features raw, sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free dishes. For starters, you can try the Avocado Salad prepared with sugar snap and organic chick peas in za’atar pesto dressing or the black-truffle labneh with roasted sweet potatoes and zucchini linguine with avocado pesto. For mains, recommended are the Shawarma Marinated Salmon, Grilled Chicken Kofta prepared using sautéed spinach, mashed sweet potato with coriander salsa, cumin labneh and red harissa, and the Shakshuka made with sweet red peppers, creamy Feta and cherry tomatoes. As for the sugar-free, gluten-free, guilt-free desserts are concerned, you can try the famous creamy, crumbly, tangy and delicious raspberry cheesecake or the Raspberry and Chocolate Brownie and Banana and Peanut Butter Chia Pudding.

Omnia Gourmet is a strong option for anyone wanting an informal café serving good quality and healthy food being neither cheap nor outrageously expensive.

Baker & Spice, Souk Al Bahar – Dubai

Located in Dubai Mall, Baker & Spice is a calm, comfortable and relaxing place and a blissful escape from the hustle bustle of nearby environment. According to the venue, Souk Al Bahar branch gets most points as a bright, airy and spacious place having a beautiful view of The Dubai Fountain from the terrace where you can enjoy your meal while overlooking dancing waters. The restaurant has a beautiful interior with terracotta walls, wooden tables with a large communal table in the center and freshly made food on display. With all of this, you can sit, relax and have a little gossip while sipping your favorite cup of coffee. Their customer service is quick with a friendly staff that knows how to compel customers to keep coming back. Baker & Spice is serious about bringing fresh, organic, honest and delicious food to their customers; they even allowed Dubai farmers to sell their organic products on their terrace, directly to their customers, by providing them with a marketplace known as “The Farmer’s Market”.

You can choose from a lot of healthy options on their menu. From salads to cakes to coffee, everything is fresh, organic and prepared in-house using local ingredients. They also make the most delicious coffee and offer a never-ending supply of “Gnocchi” (freshly baked bread).The restaurant serves a variety of seasonal salads and has almost fifteen salads prepared every time to choose from including Quinoa salad which is made using ingredients like chicken, avocado, tomato, coriander and lime juice. They also offer scrumptious green lentil salad, pomegranate and herb salad and beetroot, orange and goat’s cheese salad (cheese is specially made in-house from goat’s milk).For mains, the Shakshouka is a spicy and nourishing dish served with freshly made bread and sauce. They also offer a variety of unique desserts like Lemon Passion Meringue Sponge Cake and Chocolate Crepe Cake having a light flavor of rose water and pistachios.

Baker & Spice can be a place worth visiting for anyone who wants to eat healthy but does not want to compromise on taste.

Bestro, Galeries Lafayette, Dubai Mall

A restaurant with a motto of bringing healthy life style into practice, Bestro is a great addition to Dubai’s food scene. Situated in Dubai Mall’s Lafayette Gourmet, the restaurant provides raw vegan food to its customers. The staff is super friendly, highly knowledgeable and passionate about their work, recommending customers to eat healthy, as it’s not just a diet, it’s a lifestyle. The restaurant is a cozy and lively place buzzing with customers enjoying raw vegan meals. They offer different special meals during day-time, which almost run-out by evening, but there is always new variety coming up, so no need to worry if you arrive after 7 pm. A mini grocery section is also present here, where the customers can buy raw ingredients like cacao powder, maca powder, cashews, kale chips, spirulina and much more.

They offer some of the most delish and unique milk shakes in Dubai, such as “Cacao Pro-Biotic Nut Mylk”, using ingredients like in-house made fresh almond milk, cacao powder, dates and vanilla whereas banana is optional. Another drink known as “Kulfi Nut Mylk” is prepared using in-house fresh almond and coconut milk, probiotics, and cardamom with a light flavor of cinnamon. Their “Sweet & sour Asian Noodles” are super-healthy and super-tasty made with zucchini, carrot noodles and cabbage with a bit of nuts and apple. They also serve delicious “Shrooms and Slaw” dish, cooked with mushrooms, tomato, and corn, and served with a savory slaw. For dessert, “Chocolate Fondant with Coconut Cream” is recommended with a heavenly chocolate sauce and a coconut cream filling. Also, their “Mint Squares with Chocolate Mousse Layer” cake is so moist and silky that it melts right away in your mouth.
For anyone, in love with experiencing unique and delicious raw vegan food, Bestro is their best stop.