Is Dubai Summer Restaurant Week worth your dirhams? A breakdown of dish vs discount prices

The premise of Summer Restaurant Week is simple. Dozens of restaurants across Dubai will serve subsidised set menus for 10 days, from August 23 to September 1. Breakfast is priced at Dh69, a two-course lunch menu costs Dh95 and a three-course dinner is Dh150. But are all the deals worth your dirhams? With the set lunch menus offering the highest discount, here we break down the original and subsidised prices of the most expensive dishes available this year, and which restaurants offer the biggest savings. En Fuego The lively South American restaurant in Atlantis The Palm is a bona-fide fine-dining affair, with the sea bass tiradito priced at Dh130 and the seabream encocado priced at Dh190 on the a la carte menu. Both dishes are part of the Summer Restaurant Week set lunch meal, priced at Dh95, as with all the others on this list. Save: Dh225 The Beach Grill The salmon rillette on the a la carte menu at the Address Beach Resort restaurant is priced at Dh98, while the pan-seared sea bream with charred broccolini and garlic lime emulsion goes for Dh188. Save: Dh191 Shamiana The fine-dining Indian restaurant at Taj JLT usually charges Dh105 for its chicken tikka and Dh125 for the Alleppey fish curry. The set lunch menu also includes a complimentary pani puri amuse-bouche, usually priced at Dh55. Save: Dh190 Chival Global Social The restaurant at La Ville Hotel & Suites in CityWalk is usually a pricey affair, with the shrimp and avocado salad priced at Dh85 and Dh185 for the lamb rump. Total savings: Dh175 Beefbar The steakhouse in Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel offers substantial savings in its Dh95 set lunch menu for Summer Retstaurant Week, given its a la carte menu offers the braised Wagyu quesadillas for Dh98 and its mains (steak frites, lemon chicken or sea bass) cost Dh150 a pop. Save: Dh153 Casa Mia The Italian restaurant at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre offers fine-dining fare usually priced at Dh70 for the spinach salad with pear, candied walnuts, goji berries and Gorgonzola; and Dh175 for the corn-fed chicken with roasted potato. Save: Dh150 Sirali The Turkish restaurant at Al Habtoor City typically charges Dh59 for its gavurdag salad and Dh173 for the lamb chops. Save: Dh137 Isola The Bodrum import serves Italian fare, with prices ranging from Dh92 for the burrata to Dh122 for the agnolotti pasta with tuna and zucchini cream. Save: Dh119 The Boardwalk The Mediterranean restaurant at Dubai Creek Marina charges Dh80 for its salmon carpaccio and fried calamari, which are the two appetiser options on the Summer Restaurant Week menu. The mains of corn-fed chicken and fish n chips, meanwhile, are usually for Dh130. Save: Dh115 Andaliman The a la carte prices of dishes at the Indonesian restaurant at One&Only One Za’abeel range from Dh75 for the asinan pindang seafood strips to Dh135 for the ayam bakar spicy whole chicken. Save: Dh115 Bellini Cafe The cafe at Mr C Residences Jumeirah typically charges Dh105 for an endive salad and Dh100 for its pappardelle Bellini. Save: Dh110 Palm Kitchen The multi-cuisine restaurant at Taj Exotica serves two of its Restaurant Week-listed starters for Dh85 a pop – the gnocchi dumplings with Parmesan and the shish tawook. The Angus beef burger, its most expensive main, meanwhile, usually goes for Dh120. Save: Dh110 Roaring Rabbit Also located at Taj Exotica, the gastropub has the loaded nachos and garden salad as its appetiser options on the Restaurant Week menu, both of which are usually priced at Dh80; while the black Angus burger and lamb hotpot mains go for Dh125. Save: Dh110 11 Woodfire The Michelin-starred restaurant specialises in wood-fired cuisine, and charges Dh85 for its seabass carpaccio and Dh105 for its boneless chicken thigh with Asian spices and adobo. Save: Dh95 Sal’s Bistro The restaurant in Jumeirah Islands Pavilion is known for its surf and turf options, and offers its crispy salmon salad for Dh90 and the Bistro Angus burger for Dh95. Save: Dh90 Motorino Pizzeria The JBR restaurant usually charges Dh85 for each of the three appetisers listed on the Restaurant Week lunch menu (prawn Caesar salad, fritto miso and buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes), and Dh98 for the spicy soppressata picante. Save: Dh88 Soon The Japanese restaurant in JLT charges Dh55 for its prawn gyoza and Dh120 for the mud crab udon noodles. Save: Dh80 Ballaro The Italian restaurant in Conrad Dubai serves its cheesy arancini for Dh65 and charges Dh95 for the Risotto alla Milanese on its a la carte menu. Save: Dh65 Pascal Tepper The French bakery on Sheikh Zayed Road offers its Caesar salad with turkey bacon and chicken breast for Dh55 and its beef steak with herb butter and steak fries for Dh88. Save: Dh48 Long Yin The Chinese restaurant at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre typically charges Dh50 for a plate of chicken wantons and Dh85 for a hammour fillet in a sauce of your choice. Save: Dh40 Lila Wood-Fired Taqueria The Mexican restaurant on Jumeirah Beach Road typically charges Dh60 for its chips with salsa and guacamole and Dh75 for its skirt steak tacos. Save: Dh40 BB Social Dining Part of the multi-vendor Time Out Market, the “bao, bowls and bites” restaurant typically serves its salmon crispy rice for Dh53 and black cod bao for Dh69. Save: Dh27 Reif Japanese Kushiyaki Chef Reif Othman’s restaurant at Time Out Market prices its seafood gyoza and salmon maki – both appetiser options on the Summer Restaurant Week menu – at Dh50, and its famed chicken katsu sando at Dh68. Save: Dh23 Arabian Tea House The Emirati restaurant in Dubai’s Al Fahidi neighbourhood typically serves its mixed sambousa for Dh37 and lamb machboos for Dh75. Save: Dh17

Is Dubai Summer Restaurant Week worth your dirhams? A breakdown of dish vs discount prices

While some venues offer savings of Dh100 and more on the set lunch menu, others are well below the Dh50 mark