These Malaysian Restaurants in Dubai Made Us Forget Our Diets
Tired of the same old local fare? Me too. But don’t get me wrong! I’m all for supporting local as the next guy. But when it comes to my adventurous (and sometimes, picky) palate, variety is king! When it comes to flavors, I’m always onto the next new thing.
After trying almost every Asian cuisine out there, I still kept wondering what I was missing out on. Then it hit me: I have yet to try Malaysian food! You know, my mom has been nagging me to go on a diet, but I have a feeling it’s going to get postponed.
Now to kick things off, I reached out to my foodie friends and asked about their favorite Malaysian restaurants in Dubai. But since everybody in my group LOVES food, they all had to be there too! Check out our handy guide below with our juicy insider tips!
Where can I eat Malaysian food in Dubai?
There are many places where you can eat Malaysian food in Dubai! Swing by delectable spots like Nur Malaysia Restaurant, Mamak, Padi Village, Shiok, and Green City Restaurant.
Nur Malaysia Restaurant
Media credit: nurmalaysia_dubai
Address: Next to Malaysia Trade Center – 99 Umm Hurair Rd – Oud Metha
Contact Details: +971 4 331 3135, +971 50 766 1313, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Friday – 7 AM to 11 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – 7 AM to 12 PM
Pricing: AED 55 per person
Nur Malaysia Restaurant in Dubai is where many Malaysians actually visit. For us, this means most dishes here are authentic and deliciously hit the mark!
We like the nasi lemak (fragrant coconut rice dish) and chicken satay (grilled skewers). We also recommend the street food options, including asam pedas (sour and spicy fish), for a bit of a kick! In our opinion, this also goes well with the teh tarik (milk tea)!
For us, the ABC dessert is a must-try too! It’s basically a cold, pink treat with shaved ice, evaporated milk, and cooked red beans. But what’s intriguing for us are the syrups used, like palm sugar and rose, which we reckon are new to some taste buds.
Mamak
Media credit: mamak.ae
Address: Wasl Square – 112 Al Hadiqa Rd – Al Safa – Al Safa 1
Contact Details: +971 4 333 4543
Operating Hours:
- Saturday to Thursday – 7:30 AM to 11 PM
- Friday – 7:30 AM to 12:45 PM, 1:30 PM to 11 PM
Pricing: AED 75 per person
If you’re into well-seasoned, savory cuisine full of spices and gravy, we think Mamak is worth a try—it’s a Malaysian eatery known for its curries!
The highlights for us here are the nasi kandar (rice with various curries) and roti canai (a fluffy flatbread dish). Just note that the curry mentioned is available only on weekends.
And to sweeten the deal, we say go for the sagu gula melaka (sago pearl pudding with coconut milk caramel). It may look simple from the outside, but we believe it packs a decent amount of sweetness to turn most frowns upside down!
Pro tips:
Weekend mornings can be quite hectic at Mamak, so we recommend choosing another time within the day to try its fantastic dishes!
Love to watch sports? Go to the restaurant to watch live football matches with your crew!
Padi Village
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Address: The Bayswater Tower – Shop G09, Bayswater Tower – Marasi Dr – Business Bay
Contact Details: +971 4 591 4322, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 10 AM to 12 AM
Pricing: AED 45 per person
Those who want a taste of traditional Singaporean-Malaysian cafes and hawker kiosks might want to visit Padi Village. It’s got classic and street food-style dishes, which we also believe are great for takeout!
Our favorites are the mee goreng (stir-fried noodle dish), chili crab pau (fried or steamed buns), and squid sambal (a rich and spicy dipping sauce). After that, we suggest going for the pandan cake and iced tea to cleanse your palate!
Pro tips:
Parking in Padi Village’s basement building requires a fee of AED 10 per hour. However, note that the restaurant will give you a bill discount for this!
Ask for the dessert of the day for a surprise! This treat changes all the time (as well as its price), but the other sweets cost around AED 15 to 25 for your reference.
Shiok
Media credit: shiok.ae
Website: https://orders.shiok.ae/
Address: JLT Cluster Q, Dubai Gate 1 Shop P03 – below Carrefour Market
Contact Details: +971 4 445 6911, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 11 AM to 9:45 PM
Pricing: AED 45 per person
Shiok is a Singaporean restaurant with a couple of Malaysian dishes to enjoy. We appreciate that this spot has a legit, Singaporean chef to cook authentic dishes. On top of that, we love that it can use mock meat for vegans out there!
In our opinion, your visit here wouldn’t be complete without trying the Maggi goreng (stir-fried instant noodles), beef rendang (dry beef curry), and Hainanese rice.
Pro tips:
Note that it can be very warm in Shiok at times. For us, it’s best to wear light or layered clothing so you can easily adjust to the temperature.
If you love chocolate beverages (or specifically Milo), simply refer to the framed menu on the wall—there are 6 ways to enjoy this drink!
Green City Restaurant (GCR)
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Website: https://gcruae.com/
Address: Opp. Al Nasr Leisureland – Oud Metha
Contact Details: +971 4 334 2525, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Open 24 hours
Pricing: AED 35 per person
Green City Restaurant (GCR) provides several popular food items in Malaysia. We also find it handy that this spot has ample seating and is open every day of the week!
Some of our go-tos are the masala dosa (savory crepe with spicy potato filling) and the charcoal chicken. We also noticed that the servings here are huge, so we recommend bringing your family or a medium-sized crew.
In our opinion, the chocolate fudge dessert and Oreo shake would be a hit for kids and sweet enthusiasts too! But for the mature tongue, we find the banana fritter and ginger tea very satisfying after a flavorful meal.
Pro tip:
Make your dining experience at Green City Restaurant more efficient by booking a reservation on its website in advance!
This way, you’ll see the restaurant’s other branches, so you can also find alternatives in case your preferred day is fully booked.
Kuliner Nusantara
Media credit: kuliner.nusantara.dubai
Website: https://www.kulinernusantara.store/
Address: 1st Floor Wafi Mall Food Court – Umm Hurair 2
Contact Details: +971 58 621 3002, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 8 AM to 10:30 PM
Pricing: AED 25 – 50 per person
Kuliner Nusantara is an Indonesian restaurant that also serves Singaporean and Malaysian delights at Dubai Wafi Mall’s food court.
We can vouch for its mouthwatering dishes like nasi goreng ikan asin (salted fish chicken fried rice) and ayam mentega (fried butter chicken). The pisang goreng (banana fritter) also makes a mean, sweet course, in our opinion.
But if you’re tempted to order something real spicy, we believe that this restaurant can adjust the spice really well—just politely ask, if you dare!
Pro tip:
Don’t park on the VOX Cinema side if you’re going to Kuliner Nusantara, or you’ll have to walk a bit far. We suggest parking by the Wafi Pyramid or asking for available assistance first!
Innlay Asia
Media credit: innlay_asia
Website: http://www.innlayasia.com/
Address: Cluster F – Jumeirah Lake Towers
Contact Details: +971 4 458 7117, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 11 AM to 11 PM
Pricing: AED 60 per person
Innlay Asia offers diverse Asian dishes, including Chinese, Burmese, and Malaysian grub. We love the green curry, crispy duck, and shan (sticky rice) noodles. And the way we see it, vegetarians won’t run out of options—most menu items here have veggies!
And if you’ve got a big appetite, we say don’t skip the coconut pancakes with the iced tarik (pulled tea), either. The coconuts make the batter fluffier, so we bet you’ll feel full and satisfied.
Pro tip:
Need to surf the internet or post your newest food pics? Take advantage of Innlay Asia’s free Wi-Fi!
Look out for discounts here too! On some weekends, the restaurant offers AED 15 off the bill for every AED 100 spent.
Streetery
Media credit: streetery
Website: https://streeteryfoodhall.com/
Address: JLT Cluster D – Shop No. D6B, Lake Level
Contact Details: +971 4 587 3373, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Wednesday – 11 AM to 11 PM
- Thursday to Sunday – 11 AM to 1 AM
Pricing: AED 25 per person
Streetery provides a bunch of stalls that can give you a wide array of Asian food, including Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian.
If you come here early, we bet you can get some yummy Malaysian breakfast, like nasi goreng (fried rice). For lunch and beyond, you may go for options with a kick, like laksa (spiced noodle soup with coconut milk) and spiced wings!
And to end on a sweet note, we recommend Chef Rene’s sagu gula melaka (sago pearl pudding with coconut milk caramel)—lots of regulars also vouch for this treat!
Pro tip:
Streetery is almost always packed, so we think it’s smart to give yourself 15 to 30 minutes for queuing. For many visitors though, the wait is worth it!
Yum!
Media credit: radissonbludxb
Address: Radisson Blu Hotel – Dubai Deira Creek
Contact Details: +971 4 205 7033, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 12 PM to 11 PM
Pricing: AED 130 per person
Staying at the Radisson Blue Hotel? You can spice up your dining experience there when you visit Yum! restaurant—it’s a Pan-Asian dining spot that fuses Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, and Malaysian cuisine.
It’s delightful for us that the venue is as bright as its many offerings. We were drawn to the green and red curry, seafood wok, and papaya salad. For us, the laksa (spiced noodle soup with coconut milk) is also moreish and goes well with the fragrant rice.
We suggest ordering mango sticky rice too! Enjoy it as you bask in the live-view kitchen—we think that’s fascinating in its own right.
Pro tip:
The Radisson Blue Hotel rewards members with discounts at Yum!, so make sure to make the most of it. Consider downloading The Entertainer app for other deals you can use too!
Tenggara
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Address: 68X2+MHW Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel
Contact Details: +971 4 377 1163, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 12 PM to 12 AM
Pricing: AED 88 – 115 per person
Tenggara is a Southeast Asian restaurant that boasts well-known flavors from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Dubai.
The Malaysian items that stood out to us are the mi goreng (spicy and sweet stir-fried noodles), kari ayam (chicken curry), and mi kari (curry noodles). We suggest looking into the wide selection of sushi too, like chili garlic tuna and salmon tartare (raw).
We noticed that there aren’t many desserts here, but there are plenty of beverages in its place. For us, the chocolate milkshake and soya milk with grass jelly mocktail looks amazing!
Pro tip:
If you want to maximize what you can eat at Tenggara for only AED 88, visit on Sundays for an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet! This goes from 12 pm to 4 pm.
Kris Restaurant and Lounge
Media credit: kriswithaviewdubai
Website: https://www.parkregiskriskin.ae/dining-bars/kris-with-a-view/
Address: Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel – Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street (Trade Centre Road)
Contact Details: +971 4 377 1111 (calls only), [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 12 PM to 2 AM
Pricing: AED 125 per person
Kris Restaurant and Lounge is on the 19th floor of the Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel where you can get beautiful 360-degree views of Dubai. Imagine that with the vibrant Malaysian, Chinese, and Indian cuisine—we bet the dishes would simply taste better!
Our favorite menu item is the char kwai teow, a classic Malaysian stir-fried rice noodle dish. We also like the non-Malaysian dishes here, such as Mongolian beef and lamb tajine (spiced lamb stew).
And don’t miss out the traditional moong dal ka halwa (lentil-based sweet) either! It’s rich and decadent, and we believe this is great for celebratory meals.
Pro tips:
Have a big family or friend group? Bring them to a nice buffet at Kris Restaurant and Lounge! The staff told us that at one point, they accommodated 17 family members at once!
If you want to perfectly capture the sunset, we recommend getting here by 5:30 pm. Note that after 6 pm, kids aren’t allowed on the rooftop anymore because of the bar.
Warung Orang Kita
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Address: Talabat Kitchen – Concord Tower – Al Sufouh – Al Sufouh 2
Contact Details: +971 52 392 7335, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Sunday to Friday – 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM
- Saturday – 8:30 AM to 9 PM
Pricing: AED 50 per person
Planning to stay at home and get Malaysian food for dinner? Apart from its cafe near the Avani Hotel Palm Jumeirah, Warung Orang Kita also provides deliveries from the Talabat app, so no need to go outside!
Here, we love the bakso beranak (giant meatballs), gado-gado (peanut salad), and ayam penyet set (rice dish with crispy fried chicken), so we encourage ordering at least one of those.
Just remember that this restaurant serves customers across Al Dhait North and Al Sufouh 1, so be sure you’re within these areas before reaching out.
Pro tip:
Some of Warung Orang Kita’s dishes, especially the soups, are served extremely hot! Be extra mindful before taking a spoonful to avoid burning your tongue.