Recently I was invited to the redesigned and exciting menu of Gharana and so presenting you my candid reviews of Restaurant GHARANA, Dubai – Fine Dining With Live Music. “Gharānā” – a Hindi/Urdu word that translates to “FAMILY” or “HOUSE”. “Gharānā” word is associated with Indian classical music and as this fine dining restaurant offers dinner with live music, so is the name perfectly matches its theme. Also, it serves the ancient royal cuisine derived from ancient royal households of India. As you all know that India is a land of diverse cultures, cuisines, music, and famous Gharanas, so this restaurant serves specific regional cuisines with all uniqueness from different parts or Gharanas of India.
Jaipur Gharana – Western India
Hyderabad Gharana – Southern India
Awadhi (Lucknow) Gharana – Northern India
Punjab(Patiala) Gharana – Indian state in North Western Region
These are the famous royal households/Gharana from India, also famous for Indian classical music as well. Many Indian classical music legends belong to these Gharana and this cult of music is adapted in many music compositions of Indian music in present also.
Let’s take an overview of Restaurant GHARANA, Dubai – Fine Dining With Live Music
The specialty of this restaurant is live Indian music on all days. So this restaurant not only presents the regional royal household food options but also has daily Indian music with live singers and musicians. Live music band comprises of Tabla players, male & female playback singers with a keyboard player. With a fully functional bar, live Indian music of your choice, authentic royal Indian food this place makes a perfect place for fine dining options in Dubai.
AMBIANCE / DÉCOR OF Restaurant GHARANA, Dubai – Fine Dining With Live Music
As the name of this restaurant is Gharana, so is the decor of the whole place. The warm colors of walls, arches, and pillars inside the restaurant transport you to royal household settings. Even the furniture, crockery, cutlery, and Indian swing at the entrance are designed as per the royal Indian style.
Though the music also is an important feature of this restaurant, so that is also reflected in the decor by having a special band area for live musicians and singers. The whole atmosphere is very relaxing, soothing, and warm. Due to the subtle lighting, candles, and colors of the wall, the setting is very romantic and soothing. The colors and hues of the wall are light saffron or dark yellowish with traditional lamps all around. Jaipuri Oak furniture and silver-colored Jhula (swing) take us to the era of the Indian Maharajas (kings) and Maharani (Queens) period. In short, the restaurant Gharana is a royal heritage restaurant with live songs.
Reviews of Restaurant GHARANA, Dubai – Fine Dining With Live Music
I went to this restaurant for a casual dine-out with my family and received a warm welcome from their Restaurant Manager Mousumi with great courtesy and also she took my order with great patience.
WHAT I ORDERED AT
As this restaurant serves four famous Gharanas, so my selection for starters, main course, and desserts comprise choices from all four Gharanas so that I can have the flavor of all India in one dining.
FOR STARTERS
They serve initially complimentary Papadums (Indian crisy discs made from flour or lentils) with dips and Indian pickle
ALOO TIKKI SANJHA CHULA – Pan-fried potato patties arranged with Masala chickpeas, Mint & tamarind dips, yogurt. It is basically Indian street food Chaat which is served beautifully with some variations. This comes under the section of Punjab Gharana in the restaurant menu.
ARBI KI SHIKAMPURI – Colocasia cutlets or Kebabs which are coated with special Hyderabadi spices directly imported from Hyderabad(India) are served with tamarind Chutney(Dips) and yogurt. This comes under the section of Hyderabad Gharana in the restaurant menu.
DRINKS
The presentation of drinks is very unique and colorful. Many famous alcoholic, non-alcoholic, juices, mocktails, and cocktails are served here. From this, I chose some non-alcoholic fruit punches with soda and crushed ice. I ordered NASHEDI & PATIALA TOWER.
MAIN COURSE
RAJASTHAN GATTA CURRY – Steamed Gram flour dumplings dipped in spicy Tomato and Yoghurt based gravy. A typical authentic and very famous curry from Rajasthan. This comes under the section of Rajasthan Gharana in the restaurant menu.
PALAK PANEER KOFTA – Cottage cheese and spinach Kebabs dipped in Tomato creamy gravy. This comes under the section of Punjab Gharana in the restaurant menu.
DAL GHARANA – Black Lentils cooked slowly for several hours which is also the signature dish and secret recipe of this restaurant. This comes under the section of Punjab Gharana in the restaurant menu. The main feature of this Dal or Lentil curry is they put loads of pure butter that is made in their kitchens. Even they prepare fresh butter from milk which is a very long and difficult process. But to give authentic Punjabi flavors they make this Dal in purely authentic Punjab style.
INDIAN BREAD – I ordered whole wheat Lachcha Paratha.
DESSERT
KESAR KULFI FALOODA – Indian famous ice-cream – Kulfi, made from thickening of milk by cooking it on very low flame till several hours. Saffron flavor is added to it and then kept for freezing. This saffron-flavored Kulfi is topped with transparent glass noodles, chia seeds, rose syrup, and fruit jellies. This comes under the section of Lucknow Gharana in the restaurant menu. I loved its presentation too by serving on a banana leaf and in two-tier plates. The Kulfi plate is kept on one more plate full of ice crushes so that the temperature of ice cream remains controlled till the time we finish it off.
COMPLIMENTARY INDIAN MASALA TEA – Now they are also serving complimentary Indian tea after your meals. Indian tea is made by combining Tea leaves, milk, water, spices like ginger & cardamom into a pan and then left for boiling for several minutes.
My Verdict – Overall I am happy and satisfied with
- Some unique Indian flavors from different regions
- Live Entertainment is really is the plus point for this restaurant.
- Serving size
- The temperature of food
- Ambiance
- It is great that Head Chef – Mr. Anmol Mathur who has previous experience with many famous hotel chains and restaurants visited each and every table during and after the meals to confirm that everything is OK.
FEATURES
- Live Music
- VALET Parking Available. Also, there are ample public parking slots in front of the hotel HolidayINN.
- Free Wi-Fi
- Alcohol is served, having full Bar
- Many Vegetarian and Vegan options
- It Opens Late Night till 2:00 A.M.
- Polite and Courteous Staff
- Accept Credit Cards. Many Credit Cards offer good discounts for this restaurant.
- Saturday Night is Street Food Festival Night – Indian Buffet at approximately AED 95 per person
- Can be easily accessed through Metro, Taxis or by Car.
- They celebrate many Indian and Arabic festivals.
- Also, they offer customization of food according to our needs, liking, or restrictions.
LIVE MUSIC VIDEO
Ghazals, Sufi music, Bollywood hits, Old songs (Bhuli Bisri yaadein). One night on weekdays, is dedicated as Karaoke night where you can also sing your song with resident singers.
RECOMMENDED FOR
Romantic Dinners, Family Eat-outs, Celebrations, Special Occasions, Group Parties.
PRICE – AED 250/- for 2 (approximately).
GOOGLE MAP LOCATION – Click here to reach this location.
PHONE NO – +971 4 323 4333 (Opens during Evening Time)
ADDRESS – Ground Floor, Holiday Inn Al Barsha, Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Barsha 1
Restaurant Gharana has won many excellence awards from TripAdvisor, What’s On, and many more accolades by famous reviewers. You can also read their ratings and reviews on Zomato –
You can also check through their Facebook Page for ongoing deals, special festival celebrations, and discounts as they run many interesting events and offers from time to time.
So go for your musical and delicious Rendezvous in Dubai at Restaurant Gharana serving authentic flavors from Indian royal households/Gharana. I loved their hospitality and welcoming staff with happy smiles and it is perfect place to make your evening memorable.
ONGOING OFFERS – FESTIVE MENUS – Restaurant GHARANA Dubai Fine Dining With Live Music
Show this coupon to avail discount on your meals. Also you can relish 4 course set Diwali Menu for 120AED during Diwali week.
RELATED READS
- If you are visiting Dubai, then consider your stay at Holiday Inn Al Barsha, Dubai.
- Dubai Itinerary for all tastes.
- Wonderful beaches of Dubai.
- Dubai Traditional Souk – Al Fahidi Souk.
Note – Though I was invited by Gharana after their launch of new menu, the views and opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone. Being vegetarian I have reviewed only vegetarian dishes.
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Since I live in Dubai, I have actually heard of this restaurant several times but never actually been there! I think the highlight of the place would be the live music because Dubai has several Indian restaurants offering great food but very few offer live music. The food looks delicious too, especially the Arbi dish from Hyderabadi Gharana and the kulfi falooda which is one of my favourite desserts!
Yes this restaurant has live music as its highlights.
Yum all that food and drink looks delicious! Unfortunately we don’t have many Indian restaurants where I live in the USA, and your post always make me hungry! I did have some wonderful Marsala Tea at a new local place recently, I will have to go back soon and pretend I am in a place like this!
Then you should plan for Dubai for having great Indian food here. But in USA some places where Indians live a lot are having great Indian restaurants. Wow, good to know that you too relish Masala tea.
Oh my goodness. I am so hungry now. I do actually have a question. Are papadams traditionally complimentary in India? I feel like every Indian restuarant I have been to in the USA make you pay for them. Sometimes there is even a message on their menu that says “no free papadams”.
Wow this looks like a lovely restaurant experience! I love the ambience — especially the swing and live music. The presentation of the food is very nice. Are there any vegan options? I noticed that even the black dal was made with butter unfortunately. I have to say serving the ice cream on top of crushed ice seems like such a smart way to keep it from melting!
There are vegan options too. You can ask black dal without butter too. Before ordering food if you give your preferenes then food can be customized too.
First, your post is making me hungry drooling my mouth. And I like your way of review, listing these restaurants you’ve personally dine with. Review is genuine and you see details that many doesn’t give emphasis.
Good to know you liked all details
When I got to this review, I was thinking I hope there’s a video or some audio recording of the live music and there is! I really appreciated that. The food looks amazing, but also a lot. I would have needed a lot of help to finish it. I am also wondering what was in the light-bulb-like glass.
That light bulb is not a bulb but mocktails class with LED glowing in the bottom to make it fancy style of drink. Also I put the recording so that people can know about how this kind of music sounds like before heading to this restaurant.
Love your reviews. I haven’t been to Dubai personally but I did read that it has a lot Indian citizen, so I kinds presumed that Dubai will have some great Indian restaurants. I love the interior, even though most people say that Indian and Middle-eastern have a similar culture & decorations, I beg to differ. Its also really inspiring to see that the staffs have a more traditional approach while coming to the uniforms.
You have a very keen observation Daniel as you noticed the staff’s uniform which is very authentic. I too love the authentic dress from India worn by their staff.
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I’m not a fan of Indian food. But the beautiful interior of this restaurant captured in your first few photos intrigued me enough to keep reading. And, I would definitely try those pan fried potato patties (and dessert, of course)!
Though you are not big fan of Indian food, but you would love some of its delicacies like starters and sweets. And once when you start eating it, you will then get addicted.
I love how they present their drinks!! Those tall glasses are so cool, and I adore how they decorated them. It seems like a great place to eat, and I would totally add the ice cream to my menu. Yum!!
Plating of food and drinks sometimes make dining more exciting.
I’ve had aloo tikki before, I really like it! It looks like Gharana serves a really good aloo tikki. Their presentations on everything look so delicious! Sounds like you had a great evening there.
Aloo tikki with unique presentation is really worth trying.
Thank you for this detailed review. Gharana looks awesome. What I most liked about this place is how perfect the combination of classical Indian music would be with classic Indian dishes. The portion sizes does make me happy 😀 The mocktails look delicious as well!!
Thanks for reading through and yes everything is perfectly in blend.
I alway love Indian food especially dal. The Dal gharana here good great with the homemade butter.
if we have a nice Indian restaurant like this in Thailand then I will definitely try.
Very thorough review. This restaurant looks lovely, and your photos made me hungry. I never saw this place in Dubai on my trips but next time I might just have to look it up. Also the drinks look very delicious.
This time when you visit Duabi, go fo this as you would love it.
This looks like a simply amazing experience from all the courses, the music and the drinks! I have just started putting together a list of places to visit in Dubai (driven by an indoor putt putt golf course of all things) and definitely placing this restaurant on the list. I’m a foodie and can definitely appreciate them focusing on the details.
You would love it.
This restaurant looks amazing and the food looks so delicious. I love the way they have food from different parts of India all under one roof. The drinks also look tempting and complimentary masala chai is the best. Would be lovely to experience live music too. I would definitely love to visit the restaurant if I ever visit Dubai.
I am sure, you would love this place.
Gharana looks like an absolute winner. The ambiance, furniture, food and live classical music all sound great. The food looks wonderful and the drinks are presented in such a colourful way. I would definitely love to visit this place when I am in Dubai. I am sure it would be an experience to cherish!
You would truly cherish this place Amrita.
I do love a bit of fine dining, and with this kind of food is just a dream! Gharana looks beautiful and as an ex restaurant manager I can see the detail in their work! The Saturday night street food buffet is a marvelous idea too. Hope I can come to Dubai and try this!
You would love it.
The restaurant looks super nice 🙂 I really like to enjoy good food with live music and Indian food is one of my favorite. Especially garlic naaaaaan 🙂 I will put it on my must-do list for Dubai!
Good to know Tim, that your Indian food is favorite.
I immensely enjoy fine dining with live music. The ambience of the place looks fabulous too. And serving some of my most favorite Indian dishes Restaurant Gharana is very impressive.
Gharana in Dubai looks like the perfect place to indulge in good Indian food. How lucky to have been invited there. I am intrigued by their colocasia kebab. Never tried any and I would love to try some. I also love Gatta curry and kali daal. Looks like they have goodlooking versions at Gharana. Will try out this place when I am in Dubai next.
You would love it Soumya as I know that you are culture freak and this place perfectly blends all 4 regions of India with music too.
The foods in the restaurant looks amazing. It literally making me drooling. Dining here seems not only to satisfy the hunger but also have a genuine experience.
Yes Blair, dining here does not satisfy hunger but is a memorable one.
The drinks look very impressive as does the food, which makes my mouth water. Is it north Indian or south Indian cuisine they specialise in? The live music really adds to the whole Indian experience. I would love to dine here.
Not that typical North Indian or SouthIndian, they specialize in typical regional food like food from royal Hyderabad or food from royal households of Lucknow.
How many in your family went because that looks like a lot of food! I’m not familiar with the different regional cuisines of India so this restaurant seems like a good opportunity to try the all. The added music also brings a fuller cultural experience for guests. I can’t believe how good those fruit juices look – I really thought they were mocktails. I always appreciate how thorough you are in your restaurant reviews by not only talking food and decor but adding the little extras we need to know – like how to get there, parking, and estimated costs.
Thanks Annick, for a very careful observation and we were 3 who went for this lovely dinner. This place is full of authentic Indian culture and flavors. You would love it.
Gharana sounds like a great choice for dining in Dubai. I like that they have live music too, and it’s traditional, it definitely make a difference to the evening. The potato patties look delicious, as does the sound of black lentils. I’ve never tried it before but they sound tasty!
If you have not tried black lentils of Indian style, then I recommend it to you as you would love it. And also Indian traditional music is very soothing and relaxing.
Now, this is interesting. Good to know that they have food varities from 4 different Gharanas. That’s super yummy to even hear about. Live music on all days? Whoa! That’s an amazing way to feel at-home when you’re in Dubai. The architecture and interiors are stunning. Perfectly royal, just as you say! Arbi ki Shikampuri with tamarind chutney? Its lunch time right now, as I type this and you’re making me very very hungry! Masala chai is the perfect way to wrap up this royal feast, indeed!
Yes Live music on all days and you are correct Arbi ki Shikampuri is served with tangy tamarind chutney.
I love restaurants that offer live music. Not the usual bars with live bands but instead the one who have a soloist on guitars or piano.
Love the ambiance of this restaurant. Looks really nice and cozy. 🙂
I am hopeful, that you would love this place as it has truly relaxing music not like band music.
Gharana looks like my kind of restaurant! The ambiance of the place and the presentation of the dishes are just perfect (and the cocktails are just the right size, hahaha!) I enjoy Indian food, so I’d love to dine there if make it to Dubai.
Yeah Gharana definitely looks like a cool restaurant! I love live music and super cool that its all day! Was the food spicy?
I find it ok as per my taste buds, but you can always customize at the time of ordering as per your spice level tolerance.
Gharana seems to have beautiful ambiance and food. The food looks delicious and mouth watering. Being a vegetarian, I would love to visit for Street Food Festival night – Indian buffet . Good to know they do offer Satvik food for those fasting in Navratri.
TBH, this gives the feeling of dining in India. The decor, the presentation of the dishes, totally ooze out the Indian household vibes, which is proof that the guys behind gharaana, got that part of experiential dining bang on the point, and that too in Dubai. This is fine dining and a combination of experiential dining for sure.
Yes it is perfect experiential Indian dining that too in Dubai.
Fine dining with live music sounds royal to me…. It’s just fitting then that the restaurant is named Gharana. Not just the food but the total experience is indeed royal… Dubai is indeed a great place for foodie.
Yes Cat, Dubai is paradise for foodies and that too with many interesting themes. Music here is worth.
After reading this, seeing the food and wanting to listen to the Indian music, get me there now! Have made a note of the restaurant, so want this now 🙂
Thanks for introducing me to this Indian chain restaurant where food should be very authentic. I love the Dal Gharana and would like to taste kulfi or Indian ice cream with glass noodles!
You would truly adore this Kulfi
Sounds like a great place and the food looks really delicious. Not to mention the drinks, so cool! Also, I really like the décor of the place.
Thanks for reading through
If I haven’t read the article, I would have never known of these restaurants. Thanks to you now I want to go to Gharana in Dubai. The food looks very delicious, especially the Rajasthani Gatta Curry!
Rajasthani curries are always interesting as it has authentic flavors. You would also love music too.
This looks and sounds like a beautiful restaurant. Dubai is a place we’re hoping to go soon, and this restaurant looks perfect for a nice dinner. How wonderful that they have live music! And complimentary Masala tea! Everything you ate looks delicious!
Yes Leah, good music and delicious food ending with complimentary tea makes evening very memorable.
Aside from the food I am very particular with the ambience of a restaurant. I hate restos that are too closely seated with each other. Looking at the place and the food Id give this resto a try. I have family in Dubai ill make sure to share this post with them.
Your family in Dubai would truly love this restaurant.
The Dal Gharana looks exquisite. I don’t know if I have ever had fresh butter before so that seems special. It looks like Restaurant Gharana is focusing on all the details.
You would love it and also to the attention given to intricate details too.