Shisha sessions
One reviewer said their sheesha lasted more than two hours, with finger snacks included.
Badshah Palace Restaurant & Cafe
Al Karama
Badshah Palace Restaurant & Cafe in Al Karama combines a multi-cuisine restaurant with a shisha cafe and relaxed hangout setting. Reviews point to its shisha, dishes such as dal tadka and biryani, big screens for matches, and games including PS4 or 5.
Reputation Score
4.4
★★★★☆
221 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Standout dishes
Daal Tarka with Tandoori Chicken, corn soup, palak paneer and naan all received specific praise.
Match screens
The venue has many TV screens, including big screens used for watching cricket and other games.
Friendly service
Several reviews describe the staff as friendly, attentive, courteous and accommodating.
Quiet option
At least one reviewer appreciated the low music and found it easy to hold a conversation.
Gaming option
A review notes that guests can use a PS4 or 5 while spending time at the cafe.
Reasonable pricing
Reviews describe the food and shisha as reasonably priced, though match-night billing can differ.
What to Eat at Badshah Palace Restaurant & Cafe 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 Badshah Palace Restaurant & Cafe, 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 Badshah Palace Restaurant & Cafe, 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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Crispy chicken Net +3
“We got crispy chicken which was one of my favorite and a must try!”
Positive 3Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We got crispy chicken which was one of my favorite and a must try!”August 2020
“Then we had Crispy Chicken, Chicken Tikka & some other snacks as starters. Everything was fresh, tasty and perfect to munch on when watching the games on the big screens placed all around the place.”May 2021
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Chicken tikka Net +2
“Then we had Crispy Chicken, Chicken Tikka & some other snacks as starters. Everything was fresh, tasty and perfect to munch on when watching the games on the big screens placed all around the place.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Then we had Crispy Chicken, Chicken Tikka & some other snacks as starters. Everything was fresh, tasty and perfect to munch on when watching the games on the big screens placed all around the place.”May 2021
“The food was also delicious and quite reasonable. We really liked the Oreo shake & the Chicken Tikka 👌🏻”June 2021
-
Dal tadka Net +2
“Mesmerising zeera rice and dal tadka ....n fish kebab was ok... food was authentic that i ever had in uae... the best sheesha place too.... a definite must to visit hangout place....”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Mesmerising zeera rice and dal tadka ....n fish kebab was ok... food was authentic that i ever had in uae... the best sheesha place too.... a definite must to visit hangout place....”March 2021
“The place is clean and food is really good specially the Daal Tarka with Tandoori Chicken and Corn Soup, worth the price as well.”January 2024
Honorable mentions (15)
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Caeser salad Net +1
“For food, started off with caeser salad, cheese corn balls and crispy chicken. Loved the crispy chicken. It was definitely one of the best dishes of the evening. The Caesar salad did not disappoint at all either. The crispy corn balls were dense and was okayish.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“For food, started off with caeser salad, cheese corn balls and crispy chicken. Loved the crispy chicken. It was definitely one of the best dishes of the evening. The Caesar salad did not disappoint at all either. The crispy corn balls were dense and was okayish.”June 2021
-
Chicken biriyani Net +1
“The chicken biriyani was simple and delicious. Loved the flavors of the biriyani, the rice was perfectly cooked.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The chicken biriyani was simple and delicious. Loved the flavors of the biriyani, the rice was perfectly cooked.”June 2021
-
Chicken pasta Net +1
“The chicken pasta this was so delicious melts in the mouth and really good quantity”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The chicken pasta this was so delicious melts in the mouth and really good quantity”August 2020
-
Corn soup Net +1
“The place is clean and food is really good specially the Daal Tarka with Tandoori Chicken and Corn Soup, worth the price as well.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The place is clean and food is really good specially the Daal Tarka with Tandoori Chicken and Corn Soup, worth the price as well.”January 2024
-
Iftar menu Net +1
“The iftar menu is reasonably priced with many veg. & non-veg. options to choose from. It’s served at the table and the service is good.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The iftar menu is reasonably priced with many veg. & non-veg. options to choose from. It’s served at the table and the service is good.”May 2021
-
Kabsah rice Net +1
“GREAT food, the kabsah rice is AMAZING! Good atmosphere and really friendly and courteous staff. All requests were met”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“GREAT food, the kabsah rice is AMAZING! Good atmosphere and really friendly and courteous staff. All requests were met”June 2021
-
Maggi Net +1
“Nice place. Price is also reasonable. Food is good. Maggi was really good.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Nice place. Price is also reasonable. Food is good. Maggi was really good.”September 2024
-
Malai tikka Net +1
“The malai tikka was really soft and succulent enough”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The malai tikka was really soft and succulent enough”August 2020
-
Molten chocolate lava Net +1
“For dessert, we had Molten Chocolate Lava but it’s not part of the iftar menu. It was lip-smackingly delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“For dessert, we had Molten Chocolate Lava but it’s not part of the iftar menu. It was lip-smackingly delicious.”May 2021
-
Mutton rogan josh Net +1
“For mains, I chose Mutton Rogan Josh based on their suggestions and I wasn’t disappointed.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“For mains, I chose Mutton Rogan Josh based on their suggestions and I wasn’t disappointed.”May 2021
-
Naan Net +1
“palak paneer and Naan was amzing a must try”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“palak paneer and Naan was amzing a must try”September 2023
-
Palak paneer Net +1
“palak paneer and Naan was amzing a must try”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“palak paneer and Naan was amzing a must try”September 2023
-
Tandoori chicken Net +1
“The place is clean and food is really good specially the Daal Tarka with Tandoori Chicken and Corn Soup, worth the price as well.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The place is clean and food is really good specially the Daal Tarka with Tandoori Chicken and Corn Soup, worth the price as well.”January 2024
-
Zeera rice Net +1
“Mesmerising zeera rice and dal tadka ....n fish kebab was ok... food was authentic that i ever had in uae... the best sheesha place too.... a definite must to visit hangout place....”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Mesmerising zeera rice and dal tadka ....n fish kebab was ok... food was authentic that i ever had in uae... the best sheesha place too.... a definite must to visit hangout place....”March 2021
-
Fish kebab Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“Mesmerising zeera rice and dal tadka ....n fish kebab was ok... food was authentic that i ever had in uae... the best sheesha place too.... a definite must to visit hangout place....”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
Drinks 4
-
Oreo shake Net +2
“The food was also delicious and quite reasonable. We really liked the Oreo shake & the Chicken Tikka 👌🏻”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food was also delicious and quite reasonable. We really liked the Oreo shake & the Chicken Tikka 👌🏻”June 2021
“For drinks, I tried the Badshah special juice and Oreo milkshake. The latter was what I liked better. It was really good, but a tad bit too sweet for my liking.”June 2021
-
Hawai juice Net +1
“The hawai juice looked so good and tasted refreshing as well”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The hawai juice looked so good and tasted refreshing as well”August 2020
-
Lemon ginger honey tea Net +1
“I like the chinese and lemon ginger honey tea here ..”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I like the chinese and lemon ginger honey tea here ..”January 2024
-
Watermelon juice Net +1
“We started off with mixed cut fruits, dates & fresh fruit juice. I chose Watermelon Juice and it was so refreshing.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We started off with mixed cut fruits, dates & fresh fruit juice. I chose Watermelon Juice and it was so refreshing.”May 2021
What to Avoid (3)
Food 3
-
Bread Net −1
“To make matters worse, the restaurant had cockroaches, the air conditioning wasn’t working, and the bread served was stale with a foul smell. The overall hygiene and hospitality were far below acceptable standards.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“To make matters worse, the restaurant had cockroaches, the air conditioning wasn’t working, and the bread served was stale with a foul smell. The overall hygiene and hospitality were far below acceptable standards.”July 2026
-
Cheese corn balls Net −1
“For food, started off with caeser salad, cheese corn balls and crispy chicken. Loved the crispy chicken. It was definitely one of the best dishes of the evening. The Caesar salad did not disappoint at all either. The crispy corn balls were dense and was okayish.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“For food, started off with caeser salad, cheese corn balls and crispy chicken. Loved the crispy chicken. It was definitely one of the best dishes of the evening. The Caesar salad did not disappoint at all either. The crispy corn balls were dense and was okayish.”June 2021
-
Crispy corn balls Net −1
“For food, started off with caeser salad, cheese corn balls and crispy chicken. Loved the crispy chicken. It was definitely one of the best dishes of the evening. The Caesar salad did not disappoint at all either. The crispy corn balls were dense and was okayish.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“For food, started off with caeser salad, cheese corn balls and crispy chicken. Loved the crispy chicken. It was definitely one of the best dishes of the evening. The Caesar salad did not disappoint at all either. The crispy corn balls were dense and was okayish.”June 2021
Tips for a Better Visit
Check AC. Ask about the AC before settling in; a July review said the issue was still unresolved and coolers were being used.
Confirm billing. For a big match, check the minimum spend first: one review reports a 100 AED per-person requirement.
Try Commissioner. Ask about Commissioner if you want a mixed shisha flavour; one reviewer described it as a six-flavour mix.
Request seating. If you do not smoke, ask for a side table; a non-smoking guest said this was arranged for them.
Order chai. Ginger chai is a specific drink recommendation from a review, alongside the cafe's shisha.
Expect variety. If shisha flavour choice matters to you, ask what is available first; one regular found the options limited.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Al, Umm Hurair Building - Badshah Palace Restaurant & Cafe - Zaa'beel St
Al Karama, Dubai
| Mon | 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
| Tue | 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
| Wed | 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
| Thu | 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
| Fri | 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
| Sat | 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
| Sun | 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
Common Concerns
AC problem
A July 2026 review said the AC had remained unresolved for weeks, with three coolers used instead.
Service complaints
Recent reviews report rude treatment from wait staff and describe customer service as inconsistent.
Hygiene concern
One reviewer reported cockroaches and said the bread was stale with a foul smell.
Match billing
A reviewer objected to a minimum billing demand of 100 AED per person during major matches.
Loud music
Music was described as becoming loud enough to cause a headache on one visit.
Customer-reported prices
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
100 AED per person
minimum billing per person
“What not fair is the min billing demand of 100 Aed per person”Google review · September 2023
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Badshah Palace Restaurant & Cafe is a restaurant-and-shisha hangout in Al Karama, with food, drinks, games and screens for watching matches. It suits a relaxed meal with friends, especially if you want to pair shisha with dishes such as Daal Tarka with Tandoori Chicken, chicken biryani, palak paneer or naan. Reviews also mention Maggi, ginger chai and Oreo milkshake.
The strongest theme is the shisha: one guest said a session lasted more than two hours, while another enjoyed the six-flavour Commissioner mix. The venue has big TV screens for cricket and other games, and a review notes that a PS4 or 5 is available. Some visitors also liked the low music, comfortable setting and conversation-friendly atmosphere, although another reviewer found the music became headache-inducingly loud.
There are important cautions. A July 2026 review said the AC was still not fixed after weeks, with three coolers being used, and also raised concerns about rude service. Another review reported cockroaches and stale, foul-smelling bread.
During major matches, confirm the reported 100 AED per-person minimum billing before you go. Shisha flavour choice may also be limited on some visits.