Kerala cooking
Reviewers describe the Kerala food as authentic, including traditional northern Kerala dishes and banana-leaf rice meals.
Al Riqqa Restaurant
Naif
Al Riqqa Restaurant is a Kerala and South Indian restaurant in Naif, with broader Indian and Asian choices. Reviews point to breakfast favourites such as poori bhaji and masala dosa, plus chicken shawarma and fresh juices for quick, affordable meals.
Reputation Score
3.9
★★★★☆
156 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Breakfast favourites
Poori bhaji and masala dosa are long-standing breakfast picks, with one reviewer returning for them over more than 20 years.
Chicken shawarma
Chicken shawarma is repeatedly praised, including by a late-night diner who found it delicious and cheap.
Friendly staff
Several diners mention polite, gentle and attentive service, including a server who could speak Tagalog.
Low prices
Reviews repeatedly describe the food as affordable, including South Indian meals and vegetarian options.
Maintained space
One diner found the small restaurant well maintained, including its washroom.
What to Eat at Al Riqqa Restaurant How we choose these items We use AI to find praise and criticism of specific foods and drinks in a selection of Google reviews. For Al Riqqa Restaurant, this list is based on 50 reviews, not every review of the restaurant. The score is positive reviews minus negative reviews. For example, two positive reviews and one negative review give +1. Each review counts once per item; neutral comments do not change the score. A zero score is not a positive recommendation. “Only neutral feedback” means there are no positive or negative votes. “Mixed feedback” means equal numbers of positive and negative votes. The quotes are examples of what people said, not every comment we counted. We use different reviews where we can. We normally show up to 10 foods and 5 drinks with non-negative scores. Items with the same score stay together. If a tied group would go past the limit, that group and the lower non-negative scores go into Honorable mentions. If an overflowing positive top tie would leave the list empty, we show up to 10 items from that tie and keep the rest in Honorable mentions. Foods and drinks with a negative score are under What to Avoid. Use this as a guide to what reviewers liked, not a guarantee that you will like it too.
Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Al Riqqa Restaurant, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
Food 3
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Chicken shawarma Net +2
“This must be your go-to place when hungry ay midnight! Really delicious chicken shawarma and they are really cheap! We enjoyed and the server is super friendly and can speak tagalog!”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“This must be your go-to place when hungry ay midnight! Really delicious chicken shawarma and they are really cheap! We enjoyed and the server is super friendly and can speak tagalog!”May 2026
“Perfect food. Chicken Shawarma is delicious.”May 2026
-
Poori baji Net +2
“However, the poori baji is a worthy substitute and one of my favourites so far.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“However, the poori baji is a worthy substitute and one of my favourites so far.”March 2024
“I have been visiting here since more than 20 years and always liked the breakfast especially poori bhaji and Masala Dosa.”July 2021
-
Showrma Net +2
“They have best showrma very tasty”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They have best showrma very tasty”July 2026
“Best Shwarma and charcoal”January 2026
Honorable mentions (12)
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Beef curry Net +1
“I think the beef curry was better .”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I think the beef curry was better .”October 2022
-
Beef fry Net +1
“I like the beef fry, it’s spicy.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I like the beef fry, it’s spicy.”May 2026
-
Biryani Net +1
“he saying ok you want biryani seriously it means he just saw my message and neglected it”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“he saying ok you want biryani seriously it means he just saw my message and neglected it”April 2023
-
Chana masala Net +1
“I had 1 chana masala & 2 paratha. - Fresh and good taste.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had 1 chana masala & 2 paratha. - Fresh and good taste.”August 2023
-
Chicken biryani Net +1
“still I asked chicken biryani is always ready there and again I asked him till what time it will take to be delivered here in rigga”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“still I asked chicken biryani is always ready there and again I asked him till what time it will take to be delivered here in rigga”April 2023
-
Fried rice Net +1
“We had fried rice and grilled chicken, the food was so delicious. Definitely would recommend it.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We had fried rice and grilled chicken, the food was so delicious. Definitely would recommend it.”September 2025
-
Grilled chicken Net +1
“We had fried rice and grilled chicken, the food was so delicious. Definitely would recommend it.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We had fried rice and grilled chicken, the food was so delicious. Definitely would recommend it.”September 2025
-
Motta rice Net +1
“Served a good quality and quantity of rice, not familiar with motta rice , but worth trying.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Served a good quality and quantity of rice, not familiar with motta rice , but worth trying.”January 2021
-
Motta set Net +1
“- Serves tasty Motta set ( as seen prople having around)”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“- Serves tasty Motta set ( as seen prople having around)”August 2023
-
Mutton biryani Net +1
“Nice masala dosa in the morning and mutton biryani in the afternoon at a very affordable price.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Nice masala dosa in the morning and mutton biryani in the afternoon at a very affordable price.”September 2017
-
Paratha Net +1
“I had 1 chana masala & 2 paratha. - Fresh and good taste.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had 1 chana masala & 2 paratha. - Fresh and good taste.”August 2023
-
Sisig Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“I ordered sisig and rice then the waitress (Rose), came and asked if take away or table, I responded i am sitting here so it’s table.”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
What to Avoid (8)
Food 8
-
Biriyani Net −1
“It’s an average restaurant, I tried biriyani & ghee rice , I didn’t like that much the both dishes .”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“It’s an average restaurant, I tried biriyani & ghee rice , I didn’t like that much the both dishes .”October 2022
-
Calamari ring Net −1
“very bad experience tonight, we ordered calamari ring (its so thin! no taste not worth it ) mixed pancit ( tasteless, not like other filipino pancit they put too many toppings but from al rigga only little bit of veggies ) and we also order chicken isaw? for real 12 aed for 6 pcs for this tiny isaw? a waste of money”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“very bad experience tonight, we ordered calamari ring (its so thin! no taste not worth it ) mixed pancit ( tasteless, not like other filipino pancit they put too many toppings but from al rigga only little bit of veggies ) and we also order chicken isaw? for real 12 aed for 6 pcs for this tiny isaw? a waste of money”October 2024
-
Chicken isaw Net −1
“very bad experience tonight, we ordered calamari ring (its so thin! no taste not worth it ) mixed pancit ( tasteless, not like other filipino pancit they put too many toppings but from al rigga only little bit of veggies ) and we also order chicken isaw? for real 12 aed for 6 pcs for this tiny isaw? a waste of money”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“very bad experience tonight, we ordered calamari ring (its so thin! no taste not worth it ) mixed pancit ( tasteless, not like other filipino pancit they put too many toppings but from al rigga only little bit of veggies ) and we also order chicken isaw? for real 12 aed for 6 pcs for this tiny isaw? a waste of money”October 2024
-
Fish fry Net −1
“It was not fresh fish fry sorry guy”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“It was not fresh fish fry sorry guy”June 2026
-
Ghee rice Net −1
“It’s an average restaurant, I tried biriyani & ghee rice , I didn’t like that much the both dishes .”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“It’s an average restaurant, I tried biriyani & ghee rice , I didn’t like that much the both dishes .”October 2022
-
Mixed pancit Net −1
“very bad experience tonight, we ordered calamari ring (its so thin! no taste not worth it ) mixed pancit ( tasteless, not like other filipino pancit they put too many toppings but from al rigga only little bit of veggies ) and we also order chicken isaw? for real 12 aed for 6 pcs for this tiny isaw? a waste of money”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“very bad experience tonight, we ordered calamari ring (its so thin! no taste not worth it ) mixed pancit ( tasteless, not like other filipino pancit they put too many toppings but from al rigga only little bit of veggies ) and we also order chicken isaw? for real 12 aed for 6 pcs for this tiny isaw? a waste of money”October 2024
-
Porotta Net −1
“When I was there the food was not hot. I ordered for porotta and curry. Really not happy with their food. Sorry”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“When I was there the food was not hot. I ordered for porotta and curry. Really not happy with their food. Sorry”October 2019
-
Spicy rice Net −1
“Even last time he gave me wrong order with somuch spicy rice and i told him and he denied to take it back.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Even last time he gave me wrong order with somuch spicy rice and i told him and he denied to take it back.”April 2023
Tips for a Better Visit
Try breakfast. For a morning visit, consider poori bhaji or masala dosa; both are specifically praised as breakfast choices.
Ask for chai. If you avoid sugar, ask whether no-sugar chai tea is available.
Confirm delivery. For delivery, confirm that the order was accepted and ask for a clear delivery time before waiting.
Check payment. If ordering home delivery, check the payment method first because one reviewer said cards were not accepted on delivery.
Choose Kerala. Start with Kerala or South Indian dishes rather than experimenting widely; one long-time review specifically warned against other cuisines.
Check temperature. When dining in, ask for hot food if needed, as multiple reviews mention dishes arriving cold or not hot.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Omar Bin Al Khattab St
Naif - Deira, Dubai
| Mon | 6:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Tue | 6:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Wed | 6:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Thu | 6:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Fri | 6:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sat | 6:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sun | 6:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
Common Concerns
Inconsistent food
A delivery order arrived with plain, barely seasoned rice and an extremely small chicken portion, unlike the pictured meal.
Freshness concerns
One customer specifically said the fish fry was not fresh.
Cold dishes
A diner reported food being served cold and said the restaurant should warm it before serving.
Cleanliness issues
Reviews include complaints about an unclean plate and a worker both cleaning tables and serving food.
Delivery delays
One regular described a WhatsApp order taking around two hours after unclear confirmation and delivery timing.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Al Riqqa Restaurant is a small, budget-friendly spot in Naif with a strong Kerala and South Indian identity. You can come for breakfast poori bhaji or masala dosa, order Kerala curries and rice meals, or keep it quick with chicken shawarma. Fresh juices also receive specific praise, and one review mentions no-sugar chai tea.
The best-supported reason to visit is the traditional food at accessible prices. Diners mention authentic Kerala flavours, beef fry, vegetarian choices and a banana-leaf lunch that can include fish fry, fish curry, sambar, thoran, payasam and curd. Staff are often described as polite, gentle and accommodating, and one reviewer appreciated a Tagalog-speaking server.
The room is small, but a recent diner found it clean and comfortable. Consistency is the main caution. Reviews report cold food, an unclean plate, a fish fry that did not seem fresh and a delivery order that could take around two hours after unclear WhatsApp confirmation.
Check the dish and expected timing when ordering, and confirm whether card payment is accepted for delivery. The restaurant’s broader Asian and Filipino dishes receive more mixed feedback than its Kerala staples.