Elco Restaurant

Name: Elco Restaurant
Address: Zaa'beel St, Al Karama, Dubai, AE
Telephone: +97143972787

Al Karama

Restaurant Closed 04 397 2787

Elco Restaurant in Al Karama is a vegetarian Indian restaurant with a strong Mumbai street-food following. Reviews point especially to its pani puri and vada pav, while the broad menu also covers full meals, South Indian dishes, sweets and Chinese options.

Reputation Score

4.1

★★★★☆

1,121 ratings

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The Good Stuff

Showing 2 of 6

Mumbai Chaat

Pani puri, bhel puri and sev puri are repeatedly praised for crisp textures and Mumbai-style flavour.

Vada Pav

The vada pav is a standout for customers seeking the original Mumbai street-food taste.

Let's go!

What to Eat at Elco Restaurant

Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Elco 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 4

Vada pao Net +4

“vada pav was just ok !! Mr Sanjiv Singh your prices are NOT cheap but food quality is really cheap & pathetic”
Bhel puri Net +2

“Their Pani puri, Misal pav and Bhel puri was brilliant as usual. However, I am afraid that I can't say the same regarding their Chinese Bhel, masala soft drink and Nimbu Jaljeera. Pani puri was nice and crispy. The liquid filling was nice and cold to make it wonderful. Misal pav had a good balance of spiciness and tanginess. The remarkable thing was that it was not very oily. Bhel puri had a nice mix of crunchiness and tanginess. The taste was perfect and they didn't overdo the Chaat masala.”
Malai kulfi Net +2

“We have usually tasted the chat, pav bhaji , the Malai kulfi is delicious 😋.”
Sev puri Net +2

“3. Sev Puri (7/10) - Pretty decent.”

Honorable mentions (38)

Amritsari chole bhature Net +1

“Their Paani puri, Pav Bhaji, Masala puri and Amritsari Chole Bhature are all time hit.”
Amritsari mix veg paratha Net +1

“Tasty chat food items with nice ambience. Must try once...Paav Bhaji😊😃😋 and Amritsari Mix Veg Paratha”
Carrot halwa(gajar) Net +1

“Tried a new sweet dish Carrot Halwa(Gajar)as they call it.Its was so good but had to take away most as it was way too much for me alone.Full of flavors and so so good words cannot describe it.”
Chilli paneer Net +1

“*** Chilli Paneer *** * So this was perfect combination with Hakka Noodles, bit spicy along with onions and capsicum. Paneer was very soft and fresh.”
Dahi balla chaat Net +1

“Tried their pani puri with dahi balla chaat and it came out to be amazing”
Dahi batata puri Net +1

“*** Dahi Batata Puri *** * Crispy Puri stuffed with spicy potato, topped with yogurt, tangy tamarind chutney, spicy green chutney, pomegranate and masala.”
Dahi puri Net +1

“I came for a quick stop. I had to try their Dahi puri as well. It didn’t disappoint!”
Elco pani puri Net +1

“So start with, we tried the famous Elco Pani Puri....Perfect balance of Hot and Sweet.”
Falooda Net +1

“Malai kulfi and falooda are the best to end your food journey in Elco.”
Fried idlly Net +1

“Wonderful experience .. was able to catch up with some mouth watering mumbai delicious.. fried idlly, delhi dahi papadi chat , gulab jamun , gajjar halwa , rava masala dosa .. fried idlly was too good very soft and nicely toasted”
Kulfi Net +1

“Sandwiches and kulfi is nice as well.”
Malai kulfi with rabdi Net +1

“5. Malai Kulfi with Rabdi (8/10) - Malai kulfi was good and fresh”
Malai rabdi Net +1

“VadaPav is super excellent and so is Malai Rabdi. Must have.”
Masala butter milk Net +1

“I liked very much the Masala Butter Milk they given with thali which is so good.”
Masala puri Net +1

“Their Paani puri, Pav Bhaji, Masala puri and Amritsari Chole Bhature are all time hit.”
Mini idli & sambhar Net +1

“*** Mini Idli & Sambhar *** * This was for my little daughter and she liked it so much. Even I tried this also, sambhar and coconut chutney was perfect in taste.”
Paav bhaji Net +1

“Tasty chat food items with nice ambience. Must try once...Paav Bhaji😊😃😋 and Amritsari Mix Veg Paratha”
Paneer makhni gravy Net +1

“Paneer makhni gravy also really good”
Paneer tikka biryani Net +1

“Paneer tikka biryani 5/5”
Pani puri basket Net +1

“1. Pani puri basket (7/10) - the puris were too oily and the green water was not spicy”
Panner butter masala Net +1

“We had the panner butter masala, veg Hyderabadi, laccha parathas and a biryani. The curries were tasty and the biryani was cooked well.”
Panner satay Net +1

“Panner satay is tasty and recommended.”
Pao bhaji Net +1

“Bhel puri , sev puri , pani puri Pao bhaji and grill sandwich and vada pao .. all these just taste exactly like u have in mumbai ..”
Parathas Net +1

“Dosas, Idli, Utappam and Parathas are simply delicious.”
Pot rabdi Net +1

“*** Pot Rabdi *** * Very sweet along with toppings of dry fruits.”
Ragda pattice Net +1

“While Elco in Karama is usually a gold standard for Mumbai street food—especially their Pani Puri and Ragda Pattice—not every item on their extensive menu hits the mark.”
Rose faluda Net +1

“Rose faluda is must to have in dessert.”
Samosas Net +1

“But the music? Bro… that’s not restaurant vibes, that’s temple vibes., Nothing wrong with it, just not the soundtrack I wanna hear while munching on samosas. Total mood mismatch.”
Soya tikka Net +1

“Next we tried the soya tikka for the starters...we liked it so much that we ordered the Soya Tikka Biryani.”
Soya tikka biryani Net +1

“Next we tried the soya tikka for the starters...we liked it so much that we ordered the Soya Tikka Biryani. And believe us it's the Best Soya Biryani in the Town. The Soya Tikka Biryani is served with Raita, Papad and some sliced onions.”
Spinach and green peas tikki Net +1

“We also tried the spinach and green peas tikki — absolutely delicious and fresh.”
Thalies Net +1

“Vegetarian restaurant with good Thalies in menu.”
Utappam Net +1

“Dosas, Idli, Utappam and Parathas are simply delicious.”
Veg hakka noodles Net +1

“*** Veg Hakka Noodles *** * Getting perfect Indian style noodles in a restaurant is like a heaven. So here they served me noodles cooked with lots of veggies and perfect to go with any spicy gravy like Manchurian or Chilli Paneer.”
Veg hyderabadi Net +1

“We had the panner butter masala, veg Hyderabadi, laccha parathas and a biryani. The curries were tasty and the biryani was cooked well.”
Veg platter Net +1

“The veg platter ordered online was overall a good experience. The dishes were all very tasty, especially the green chutney and salad. The quantity was also sufficient. The only slight inconvenience was the packaging. It would be better if packaging methods more suitable for a platte”
Idli Net 0

Mixed feedback

“Dosas, Idli, Utappam and Parathas are simply delicious.”
Misal pav Net 0

Mixed feedback

“Their Pani puri, Misal pav and Bhel puri was brilliant as usual. However, I am afraid that I can't say the same regarding their Chinese Bhel, masala soft drink and Nimbu Jaljeera. Pani puri was nice and crispy. The liquid filling was nice and cold to make it wonderful. Misal pav had a good balance of spiciness and tanginess. The remarkable thing was that it was not very oily.”

What to Avoid (13)

Food 12

Amritsar tandoor Net −1

“Food was not up to the marK. We ordered masala idli along with Amritsar tandoor which was really expensive with ONLY 1 paratha. The taste was not even close to YUM!”
Cheese pav bhaji Net −1

“Cheese Pav Bhaji: The taste was completely off. Pav Bhaji needs that classic rich, buttery flavor, but this felt incredibly dry as ever with hardly any butter used in the bhaji or on the pav.”
Gobi manchurian Net −1

“Our family never used to throw Gobi Manchurian but this time we are forced to throw because it was extremely horrible!!”
Kalakhatta ice gola Net −1

“6. Kalakhatta Ice Gola (1/10) - Highly disappointed. Though it was of a good size, it was not soaking the syrup at all and it was just plain ice till the end.”
Masala idli Net −1

“Food was not up to the marK. We ordered masala idli along with Amritsar tandoor which was really expensive with ONLY 1 paratha. The taste was not even close to YUM!”
Nimbu jaljeera Net −1

“The drinks that were recommended by the staff were also a major let down. The masala soft drink was an overload of Chaat masala that it completely masked the taste of soft drink and their Nimbu Jaljeera had a taste of chemical concentrate.”
Panjabi samosa Net −1

“Panjabi Samosa (2pcs): Very average at best. The filling lacked any real flavor and had a distinctly weird taste to it.”
Paratha Net −1

“Food was not up to the marK. We ordered masala idli along with Amritsar tandoor which was really expensive with ONLY 1 paratha. The taste was not even close to YUM!”
Plain cheese pizza Net −1

“The biggest letdown of the evening was the pizza. While Elco is a "Veg Dine" specialist, their Plain Cheese Pizza was significantly underwhelming. Quality: The base felt pre-made and slightly tough, lacking that fresh, airy dough quality you expect even from a casual eatery. Flavor: It was overly laden with processed cheese that lacked character, making the whole experience feel more like a rushed school cafeteria snack than a restaurant-grade meal.”
Schezwan fried rice Net −1

“Ordered schezwan fried rice and while having it, shockingly a metal string came in my mouth. It’s something that could’ve potentially caused a serious issue if it was swallowed. Didn’t expect this from Elco.”
Schezwan hakka noodles Net −1

“Schezwan Hakka noodles is extremely bland no flavor no ingredients or no veggies !!”
Vada usal Net −2

“The Jain pav bhaji was below average, the vada usal was not good, and even the pizza was burnt.”

Drinks 1

Masala soft drink Net −1

“The drinks that were recommended by the staff were also a major let down. The masala soft drink was an overload of Chaat masala that it completely masked the taste of soft drink and their Nimbu Jaljeera had a taste of chemical concentrate.”

Tips for a Better Visit

Showing 2 of 4

Choose Chaat. For a first visit, prioritise chaat such as pani puri and ragda pattice rather than pizza.

Avoid Peak. Weekend visits may involve a 30–45 minute queue, so go outside the busiest periods if you want a quicker meal.

Plan the visit

Practical details

Zaa'beel St

Al Karama, Dubai

04 397 2787

Mon	8:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Tue	8:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Wed	8:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Thu	8:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Fri	8:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Sat	8:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Sun	8:00 AM – 11:00 PM

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Common Concerns

Showing 2 of 5

Inconsistent Food

Recent reviews report a sharp drop in quality, including bland noodles, poor Gobi Manchurian and only average vada pav.

Pizza Letdown

Pizza is a recurring weak spot: reviewers describe tough bases, processed cheese and burnt pizzas.

Customer-reported prices

These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.

AED 35

Plain Cheese Pizza

“The Inconsistency: We noticed that the Plain Cheese Pizza (the most basic option) was priced higher (AED 35) than the Bombay Veg Cheese Pizza (AED 30), which actually comes with toppings like spiced vegetables”

Google review · February 2026

DXB
LOCAL

The Bottom Line

Elco Restaurant is a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Al Karama built around Mumbai-style street food. Pani puri, bhel puri, sev puri, pav bhaji and vada pav are the main draw, with several reviewers saying the flavours recall Mumbai. The menu is much broader than chaat: you can also order South Indian tiffins, biryani, Chinese dishes, thalis and desserts such as malai kulfi or falooda.

The strongest reviews are specific. Pani puri is praised for crisp puris and tangy, refreshing pani, while the vada pav is described as bringing back the original Mumbai taste. The soya tikka biryani was considered large enough for two and served with raita, papad and onions.

A veg platter ordered online was also praised for its green chutney, salad and sufficient quantity. Quality and service are not fully consistent. Recent diners reported burnt pizza, dry or under-seasoned dishes, slow service and a missing-item delivery.

One customer found a metal string in schezwan fried rice. If you visit for the first time, start with the chaat rather than pizza, avoid busy weekends when queues can exceed 30–45 minutes, and confirm any less-spicy or Jain request carefully.