| HONESTLY’S VERDICT |
| In a word: Uninspiring |
| Food: Pizzas are good, but I’ve not eaten anything else there that left a lasting impression |
| Service: Pretty good, to Dubai standard |
| Presentation: Food-wise fine, deco-wise think Swedish sauna! |
| Ambience: Lacking |
| Location: Convenient for a bite to eat pre or post shopping at the store |
| Value for money: Good, well priced meals for organic food |
| Worth a visit?: If you’re hungry whilst you’re shopping then yes, but I’m really not sure it’s worth the effort otherwise. Memorable for all the wrong reasons – eating in a sauna! |
This is another one of those eateries that I think I should rate more highly than I currently do! I’m drawn to organic wholefoods, yet I’ve only ever eaten at Organic Foods & Café a handful of times and never been blown away by either the food or the setting.
The view over the cafe and store in the background…uninspiring
I find the café areas very unappealing places to eat in; the old Dubai Mall, the Greens and now the new Sheikh Zayed Road store cafes just lack any sort of attractive ambiance, inviting seating or pleasant environment. It feels a bit like eating in Ikea, in fact going with this Scandinavian theme, the café inside the Sheikh Zayed Road store actually looks a little bit like a sauna with all it’s untreated wood paneling.
The food is ok, but I’ve not come across anything amazing that makes me want to go back time and time again unfortunately. I would have thought that with the whole organic ingredients would come a healthier menu, but apparently not in Dubai. I guess not everyone on the organic bandwagon is on it for health reasons, some of us are on the 80/20 rule, others just follow a trend with no insight into the bigger picture…but that’s a whole ‘nother story!
The menu doesn’t really grab me, in fact in my head it sounds pretty bland; no amazing sounding super-salads, quiches, soups or veggie dishes jumping out at you from the page, just what seemed like pages of pizzas. I have heard good things about the pizzas from Organic Foods & Café, but I’ve not heard anyone rave on about anything else on offer in the cafe.
The store at Organic Foods and Cafe is another story, I think it’s one of the best shops for organic ranges in Dubai, mind you there isn’t much to chose from in terms of pure organic shopping experiences in Dubai and there always seem to be stock issues!
Food:
Grabbing a quick bite to eat for lunch at the branch on Sheikh Zayed Road left me pretty uninspired. We grabbed a couple of juices as a starter to munch with the freebie breadboard and followed up with a couple of mains. As expected, the bread was good, that’s one thing the Organic Foods and Cafe do very well.
Nice green juice
Having heard such good things about the pizzas, I took one for the team had the spinach and feta pizza whilst my food friend opted for the beef burger.
Spinach & feta pizza
I liked my little pizza, more than enough for one person for lunch, however, I managed to plough through the whole thing. A nice layer of feta and spinach topping over tomato sauced base – well balanced.
The burger was served in a white toasted bun and served with a side of very straight chips and a blob of coleslaw. Organic yes, tasty, no: the burger was overcooked and cardboard-esq, the white bun did it no favours. I think it’s a simple meal to pimp out and make amazing – add a wholemeal bun, some rustic looking chips and a nice side salad, it’s really not rocket science.
Service:
Dubai standard service, it’s fine, but not amazing it’s kind of what I’d expect from a road-side café, which is essentially what the Sheikh Zayed Road branch feels like!
Presentation:
Food is served on standard white china, it looks nice, you won’t be wowed, but you won’t be put off.
The restaurants themselves aren’t designed or decorated in a particularly eye-pleasing style, it almost feels like European function and design. The Sheikh Zayed Road branch feels a little bit Swedish sauna-esq!
Value for money:
A tasty pizza made from organic ingredients for AED 38 seems reasonable to me. Same price for a salad from the counter.
Contact:
Sheikh Zayed Road Branch, next to the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and the Oasis Centre, Dubai, UAE
Locations across UAE and Bahrain
Tel: Sheikh Zayed Road Café +971 (0) 4338 2911
Email: info@organicfoodsandcafe.com
Opening hours:
Café daily 7.45am to 10pm (last orders 9.15pm)
Store daily from: 7.45am to 10pm
Honestly Foodie 