Garden Ambience
Plants, fountains and seating near a little waterfall create a calm setting for dinner or a relaxed catch-up.
Garden Aroma Restaurant
Oud Metha
Garden Aroma Restaurant in Oud Metha is a leafy indoor garden dining spot where people settle in for meals, shisha and sports or game nights. Its fountains, plants and relaxed seating make it especially appealing for an unhurried catch-up or dinner.
Reputation Score
4.3
★★★★☆
549 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Shisha
Shisha is a major draw, with several long-time customers describing it as consistently strong and well prepared.
Sports Nights
The restaurant works for watching football and other sports, with reviews also mentioning cards, games and game nights.
Signature Dishes
Customers specifically mention the DIB DATE CAKE, date cake with ice cream, and penne with shrimp in pink creamy sauce.
Work Friendly
Some visitors use the quiet, spacious setting for peaceful work, meetings over lunch or catching up with a client.
Parking Access
Parking is available behind the building, and several reviews also mention valet service.
What to Eat at Garden Aroma 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 Garden Aroma 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.
These items at Garden Aroma Restaurant got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 8
-
Chicken escalop with aromatic herbs Net +1
“I highly recommend trying their signature dishes like the chicken escalop with aromatic herbs or the penne gratin shrimp pasta. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! 😋👌”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I highly recommend trying their signature dishes like the chicken escalop with aromatic herbs or the penne gratin shrimp pasta. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! 😋👌”February 2024
-
Date cake with ice cream Net +1
“Try the date cake with ice cream, delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Try the date cake with ice cream, delicious.”May 2023
-
Fish and potato gratin Net +1
“They have unique dishes that are especially for them, such as three-color penne pasta, fish and potato gratin, and pizza arrabbiata.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They have unique dishes that are especially for them, such as three-color penne pasta, fish and potato gratin, and pizza arrabbiata.”April 2021
-
Milkshakes Net +1
“the food is great with amazing milkshakes, noodles ect the service took some time but still not bad. the atmosphere is not good at all for kids or some adults there is smoke everywhere even in the non smoking zones there is smoke.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“the food is great with amazing milkshakes, noodles ect the service took some time but still not bad. the atmosphere is not good at all for kids or some adults there is smoke everywhere even in the non smoking zones there is smoke.”April 2025
-
Penne gratin shrimp pasta Net +1
“I highly recommend trying their signature dishes like the chicken escalop with aromatic herbs or the penne gratin shrimp pasta. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! 😋👌”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I highly recommend trying their signature dishes like the chicken escalop with aromatic herbs or the penne gratin shrimp pasta. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! 😋👌”February 2024
-
Penne with shrimps in a pink creamy sauce Net +1
“Good place for a bowl of penne with shrimps in a pink creamy sauce.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Good place for a bowl of penne with shrimps in a pink creamy sauce.”May 2023
-
Pizza arrabbiata Net +1
“They have unique dishes that are especially for them, such as three-color penne pasta, fish and potato gratin, and pizza arrabbiata.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They have unique dishes that are especially for them, such as three-color penne pasta, fish and potato gratin, and pizza arrabbiata.”April 2021
-
Three-color penne pasta Net +1
“They have unique dishes that are especially for them, such as three-color penne pasta, fish and potato gratin, and pizza arrabbiata.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They have unique dishes that are especially for them, such as three-color penne pasta, fish and potato gratin, and pizza arrabbiata.”April 2021
Drinks 1
-
Strawberry juice Net +1
“Had an amazing time with my friend we had strawberry juice which was so fresh and tasty the date cake is a must when you visit here.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Had an amazing time with my friend we had strawberry juice which was so fresh and tasty the date cake is a must when you visit here.”July 2023
What to Avoid (5)
Food 4
-
Dynamite shrimps Net −1
“Good service. Very good sheesha. Tried Dynamite shrimps - big room for improvement. Fried shrimps in lots of mayo. Place is nice. Although abit costly”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Good service. Very good sheesha. Tried Dynamite shrimps - big room for improvement. Fried shrimps in lots of mayo. Place is nice. Although abit costly”May 2019
-
Fried shrimps Net −1
“Good service. Very good sheesha. Tried Dynamite shrimps - big room for improvement. Fried shrimps in lots of mayo. Place is nice. Although abit costly”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Good service. Very good sheesha. Tried Dynamite shrimps - big room for improvement. Fried shrimps in lots of mayo. Place is nice. Although abit costly”May 2019
-
Grilled lamb chops Net −1
“I ordered grilled lamb chops. Before I placed the order, I checked with the waiter if the grilled lamb chops are good. Trusting his words, I ordered it. When the order came, I could see the meat was flat and dried out.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“I ordered grilled lamb chops. Before I placed the order, I checked with the waiter if the grilled lamb chops are good. Trusting his words, I ordered it. When the order came, I could see the meat was flat and dried out.”August 2023
-
Veg spring rolls Net −1
“The veg spring rolls were extremely oily on cutting a piece, oil oozed out.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The veg spring rolls were extremely oily on cutting a piece, oil oozed out.”June 2024
Drinks 1
-
Cappuccino Net −1
“In spite of requesting a super hot cappuccino, it was cold. I could easily gulp it down .”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“In spite of requesting a super hot cappuccino, it was cold. I could easily gulp it down .”June 2024
Tips for a Better Visit
Check Seating. Confirm your table is genuinely available before ordering; one diner was seated and then asked to move from an unmarked reserved table.
Expect Smoke. If smoke bothers you or you are bringing children, ask about the least smoky seating rather than relying on the non-smoking section.
Avoid Rush. Consider a quieter visit outside busy evening periods, when parking and service may become harder to manage.
Try Dessert. The DIB DATE CAKE is repeatedly recommended, including one review calling it a must-try and another pairing it with ice cream.
Confirm Matches. For sports bookings, confirm which match and channel will be shown beforehand; a Euro reservation was met with a different game.
Plan the visit
Practical details
224 Oud Metha Rd
Oud Metha, Dubai
| Mon | 9:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Tue | 9:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Wed | 9:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Thu | 9:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Fri | 9:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sat | 9:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sun | 9:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
Common Concerns
Smoke Drift
Smoke has been reported throughout the venue, including non-smoking zones, which may make it uncomfortable for children and some adults.
Uneven Service
Service reviews range from attentive and fast to long silences, understaffing and slow responses during busy periods.
Management Issues
Some diners reported rude handling of seating and reservations, including being moved from an apparently unmarked reserved table.
Food Inconsistency
Reviews include concerns about oily spring rolls, a cold cappuccino and food quality that has declined from earlier visits.
Pricing
One review found prices high, while another described them as extremely high compared with similar nearby restaurants.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Garden Aroma is a shisha-led restaurant and café in Oud Metha, with enough space for dinner, a long catch-up, sports viewing or a game night. The setting is the main draw: reviews describe lush plants, flowing fountains and especially relaxing tables near a little waterfall. It can feel more like an indoor garden than a conventional restaurant.
Food feedback is generally positive but not uniform. The DIB DATE CAKE and date cake with ice cream are recurring dessert suggestions, while customers also mention penne with shrimp in pink creamy sauce, chicken escalop with aromatic herbs and three-color penne pasta. Shisha is consistently popular, though one grape mint order reportedly lasted less than 30 minutes.
There is parking behind the building and valet has been mentioned, but evening parking can get busy. The venue suits meetings, quiet work and family gatherings in theory, yet smoke has reportedly drifted into non-smoking areas, so families and smoke-sensitive diners should ask about seating. Service can be attentive and friendly, but reviews also describe understaffing, slow responses and abrupt reservation handling.
Prices have been called high, and sports groups should confirm the scheduled match and channel before arriving.