Handbag cakes
The Chanel and Birkin-style cakes are visually distinctive and, in several reviews, genuinely tasty as well as photogenic.
Gasteria
Downtown Dubai
Gasteria is a stylish café-restaurant in Downtown Dubai, known for its distinctive handbag-shaped desserts and specialty coffee. Reviews also point to a cozy, polished setting for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a relaxed coffee stop.
Reputation Score
4.8
★★★★★
419 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Specialty coffee
Customers specifically praise the specialty coffee, including the cappuccino “gasteria” and carefully prepared coffee.
Cozy setting
The clean, elegant interior and outdoor seating create a comfortable place to linger over coffee, meals, or dessert.
Breakfast choice
Breakfast is a strong draw, with reviewers enjoying dishes such as pancakes, avocado toast, shakshuka, and eggs Benedict.
Dog friendly
One review specifically reports that the venue is dog friendly, useful if you are planning a Downtown coffee or meal with a pet.
Outdoor seating
Reviews mention both veranda and indoor seating, with free seats available during one evening visit.
What to Eat at Gasteria 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 Gasteria, this list is based on 50 reviews, not every review of the restaurant. We still have more reviews to analyze, so the scores may change. 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 Gasteria, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
Food 10
-
5 Cheese pizza Net +1
“Also ordered the 5 cheese pizza and it was straight bangin 😤✨.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Also ordered the 5 cheese pizza and it was straight bangin 😤✨.”April 2026
-
Avocado toast Net +1
“I came here for brunch today and was blown away — from the first impression to the last bite. Everything was fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. The pancakes and avocado toast were a total highlight! ☕️🍳”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I came here for brunch today and was blown away — from the first impression to the last bite. Everything was fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. The pancakes and avocado toast were a total highlight! ☕️🍳”November 2025
-
Belini Net +1
“Very lovely atmosphere, the lady bag desert was amazing and belini was very flavourful, staff is very kind and smiley highly recommend if u visit Dubai 🙏🏼”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Very lovely atmosphere, the lady bag desert was amazing and belini was very flavourful, staff is very kind and smiley highly recommend if u visit Dubai 🙏🏼”July 2026
-
Birkin cake Net +1
“special thanks to the staff so sweet so help full soooooo friendly the best part was the staff realy lived them and the birkin cake was so yummy we celebrated our friends birthday and had so much fun, definetely coming back ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“special thanks to the staff so sweet so help full soooooo friendly the best part was the staff realy lived them and the birkin cake was so yummy we celebrated our friends birthday and had so much fun, definetely coming back ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”June 2026
-
Borch in a bread Net +1
“peaceful atmosphere overlooking Downtown, delicious borch in a bread, must try 🫠 the coffee dessert super super delicious 🤤 the employees professional and polite.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“peaceful atmosphere overlooking Downtown, delicious borch in a bread, must try 🫠 the coffee dessert super super delicious 🤤 the employees professional and polite.”November 2025
-
Chicken teriyaki salad Net +1
“I ordered Chicken teriyaki salad and pelmeni , I like both!!!!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I ordered Chicken teriyaki salad and pelmeni , I like both!!!!”March 2026
-
Chocolate cake Net +1
“Amazing place and insane chocolate cake which was to die for!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Amazing place and insane chocolate cake which was to die for!”May 2026
-
Coffee dessert Net +1
“peaceful atmosphere overlooking Downtown, delicious borch in a bread, must try 🫠 the coffee dessert super super delicious 🤤 the employees professional and polite.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“peaceful atmosphere overlooking Downtown, delicious borch in a bread, must try 🫠 the coffee dessert super super delicious 🤤 the employees professional and polite.”November 2025
-
Handbag cake Net +1
“Got that iconic handbag cake. Was definitely not your average cake (obviously) not just the looks but the taste aswell, worth the time.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Got that iconic handbag cake. Was definitely not your average cake (obviously) not just the looks but the taste aswell, worth the time.”April 2026
-
Hermès cakes Net +1
“They have Chanel and Hermès cakes that are surprisingly not only gorgeous but also delicious. I’m usually not a big fan of sweets, but I really enjoyed these.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They have Chanel and Hermès cakes that are surprisingly not only gorgeous but also delicious. I’m usually not a big fan of sweets, but I really enjoyed these.”September 2025
Honorable mentions (9)
-
Hummus avocado Net +1
“Went to Gasteria for their famous cake and expected it to be just Instagram-worthy — but it was genuinely delicious. The hummus avocado and salads were fresh and flavorful. We were lucky to grab the last cake, and it tasted amazing. Beautiful presentation, great attention to detail, and super nice staff. Highly recommend!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Went to Gasteria for their famous cake and expected it to be just Instagram-worthy — but it was genuinely delicious. The hummus avocado and salads were fresh and flavorful. We were lucky to grab the last cake, and it tasted amazing. Beautiful presentation, great attention to detail, and super nice staff. Highly recommend!”February 2026
-
Lady bag desert Net +1
“Very lovely atmosphere, the lady bag desert was amazing and belini was very flavourful, staff is very kind and smiley highly recommend if u visit Dubai 🙏🏼”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Very lovely atmosphere, the lady bag desert was amazing and belini was very flavourful, staff is very kind and smiley highly recommend if u visit Dubai 🙏🏼”July 2026
-
Okroshka Net +1
“I had delicious salad and okroshka and really enjoyed my time together with my friend. Thanks to Roland for professionalism and great service. I’ll definitely come back again. Thank you!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had delicious salad and okroshka and really enjoyed my time together with my friend. Thanks to Roland for professionalism and great service. I’ll definitely come back again. Thank you!”June 2026
-
Orange hermes cake Net +1
“I celebrated my birthday here, got the pink Chanel cake and also the orange Hermes cake, I’m very pleased to say that it is such an amazing and elegant spot for cakes, and the price is very good too. The cakes are beautiful and unique. The interior is clean and luxurious. Anastasia was very helpful and kind she gave the best support and service for pre booking of my orders. They are so kind and helpful to guide you through your way to find the location as well. It’s very close to Dubai opera and love the location! If you are looking for something unique I would highly recommend getting your birthday cake from here! Also, as a personal preference I loved the taste of the Orange Hermes cake more than the Chanel pink cake so I’ll definitely recommend the Hermes cake in terms of taste and texture. But if you’re looking for aesthetics the Chanel one is so cute too! Highly recommend and it’s a must visit if you are in Downtown!!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I celebrated my birthday here, got the pink Chanel cake and also the orange Hermes cake, I’m very pleased to say that it is such an amazing and elegant spot for cakes, and the price is very good too. The cakes are beautiful and unique. The interior is clean and luxurious. Anastasia was very helpful and kind she gave the best support and service for pre booking of my orders. They are so kind and helpful to guide you through your way to find the location as well. It’s very close to Dubai opera and love the location! If you are looking for something unique I would highly recommend getting your birthday cake from here! Also, as a personal preference I loved the taste of the Orange Hermes cake more than the Chanel pink cake so I’ll definitely recommend the Hermes cake in terms of taste and texture. But if you’re looking for aesthetics the Chanel one is so cute too! Highly recommend and it’s a must visit if you are in Downtown!!”September 2025
-
Pancakes Net +1
“I came here for brunch today and was blown away — from the first impression to the last bite. Everything was fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. The pancakes and avocado toast were a total highlight! ☕️🍳”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I came here for brunch today and was blown away — from the first impression to the last bite. Everything was fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. The pancakes and avocado toast were a total highlight! ☕️🍳”November 2025
-
Pelmeni Net +1
“I ordered Chicken teriyaki salad and pelmeni , I like both!!!!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I ordered Chicken teriyaki salad and pelmeni , I like both!!!!”March 2026
-
Salmon Net +1
“I ate salmon - a very tender piece, it just melted in my mouth.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I ate salmon - a very tender piece, it just melted in my mouth.”June 2026
-
Signature luxury channel cake Net +1
“It’s a good fine dine cafe. We had ordered margarita pizza, raspberry juice fries and their signature luxury channel cake. Overall a great experience. Its a bit pricy but fair enough if we look that the location.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“It’s a good fine dine cafe. We had ordered margarita pizza, raspberry juice fries and their signature luxury channel cake. Overall a great experience. Its a bit pricy but fair enough if we look that the location.”June 2026
-
Pink chanel cake Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“I celebrated my birthday here, got the pink Chanel cake and also the orange Hermes cake, I’m very pleased to say that it is such an amazing and elegant spot for cakes, and the price is very good too. The cakes are beautiful and unique. The interior is clean and luxurious. Anastasia was very helpful and kind she gave the best support and service for pre booking of my orders. They are so kind and helpful to guide you through your way to find the location as well. It’s very close to Dubai opera and love the location! If you are looking for something unique I would highly recommend getting your birthday cake from here! Also, as a personal preference I loved the taste of the Orange Hermes cake more than the Chanel pink cake so I’ll definitely recommend the Hermes cake in terms of taste and texture. But if you’re looking for aesthetics the Chanel one is so cute too! Highly recommend and it’s a must visit if you are in Downtown!!”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
Drinks 5
-
Cappuccino “gasteria” Net +1
“The food was amazingly delicious! The cappuccino “gasteria” is my favorite beverage thus far.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food was amazingly delicious! The cappuccino “gasteria” is my favorite beverage thus far.”April 2026
-
Macha latte coco Net +1
“I also took the macha latte coco and it was delicious 😝”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I also took the macha latte coco and it was delicious 😝”May 2026
-
Margarita pizza Net +1
“It’s a good fine dine cafe. We had ordered margarita pizza, raspberry juice fries and their signature luxury channel cake. Overall a great experience. Its a bit pricy but fair enough if we look that the location.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“It’s a good fine dine cafe. We had ordered margarita pizza, raspberry juice fries and their signature luxury channel cake. Overall a great experience. Its a bit pricy but fair enough if we look that the location.”June 2026
-
Moroccan tea Net +1
“The coffee is great and loved the Moroccan Tea, wow!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The coffee is great and loved the Moroccan Tea, wow!”December 2025
-
Raspberry juice Net +1
“It’s a good fine dine cafe. We had ordered margarita pizza, raspberry juice fries and their signature luxury channel cake. Overall a great experience. Its a bit pricy but fair enough if we look that the location.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“It’s a good fine dine cafe. We had ordered margarita pizza, raspberry juice fries and their signature luxury channel cake. Overall a great experience. Its a bit pricy but fair enough if we look that the location.”June 2026
What to Avoid (5)
Food 5
-
Borscht Net −1
“But I did not like the borscht 🤣”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“But I did not like the borscht 🤣”March 2026
-
Chicken cutlet Net −1
“We ordered the chicken cutlet and organic chicken, and the chicken cutlet had a very unpleasant smell and taste.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“We ordered the chicken cutlet and organic chicken, and the chicken cutlet had a very unpleasant smell and taste.”May 2026
-
Greek salad Net −1
“Very disappointing experience. The Greek salad contained an extremely small amount of feta — nowhere near a standard portion for a proper Greek salad. It felt incomplete and poorly balanced.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Very disappointing experience. The Greek salad contained an extremely small amount of feta — nowhere near a standard portion for a proper Greek salad. It felt incomplete and poorly balanced.”February 2026
-
Raspberry thyme Net −1
“So sea buckthorn infusion, raspberry thyme and similar actually contain caffeine, which is weird.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“So sea buckthorn infusion, raspberry thyme and similar actually contain caffeine, which is weird.”February 2026
-
Sea buckthorn infusion Net −1
“So sea buckthorn infusion, raspberry thyme and similar actually contain caffeine, which is weird.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“So sea buckthorn infusion, raspberry thyme and similar actually contain caffeine, which is weird.”February 2026
Tips for a Better Visit
Check teas. Ask about the tea ingredients first: one review says fruit teas such as raspberry thyme still contained black tea and caffeine.
Reserve cakes. For a birthday or special order, arrange the cake ahead; one customer specifically mentioned pre-booking orders and another found the last cake.
Try both spaces. Choose between indoor and outdoor seating; reviews mention both, while the terrace was especially appealing during winter.
Use parking. If driving, a review reports free basement parking and says spot 12 is about a one-minute walk from the café.
Order dessert. The handbag cakes are more than a photo prop: reviewers repeatedly describe the Chanel and Birkin-style desserts as tasty.
Check delivery. For delivery, confirm cutlery is included, especially with hot pasta; one nearby customer received none and found the pasta cold.
Plan the visit
Practical details
BH, G-R01 - BLVD HEIGHTS, TOWER 1
DOWNTOWN, UNIT - Downtown Dubai, Dubai
| Mon | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Tue | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Wed | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Thu | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Fri | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Sat | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Sun | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
Common Concerns
Food control
One reviewer reported foul-smelling eggs in the shakshuka and said the replacement was handled poorly.
Inconsistent cooking
A review described undercooked pasta, burnt sauce and overcooked meat, with the dish still charged after the complaint.
Cake pricing
One customer felt the cakes were overpriced for their size and quality, while another described the venue as a bit pricey.
Delivery omissions
A delivery order arrived with cold pasta and no cutlery, despite including napkins and wet napkins.
Tea labelling
A reviewer said fruit teas contained black tea without this being clear in the ingredients, which matters if you want caffeine-free tea.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Gasteria is a stylish café-restaurant in Downtown Dubai with a polished but comfortable setting. People come for breakfast, coffee and the distinctive handbag-shaped desserts, especially the Chanel Bag, Birkin and Hermès-style cakes. The specialty coffee also gets specific praise, making this more than a dessert photo stop.
Breakfast reviews mention pancakes, avocado toast, shakshuka and even eggs Benedict served at 5pm, while other customers enjoyed five-cheese pizza, salads, salmon and dinner. Indoor and outdoor seating are available, and one review describes the venue as dog friendly. Winter terrace visits, coffee breaks and working from the café all feature in the feedback.
There are useful cautions. Several reviewers describe the pricing as high or the cakes as poor value for their size, although another called prices reasonable for the Boulevard location. More seriously, individual reviews report rotten-smelling eggs, undercooked pasta and burnt meat, with complaints they felt were handled badly.
Delivery also needs checking: one nearby customer received cold pasta without cutlery. If ordering fruit tea, ask about ingredients because one reviewer found black tea in supposedly fruit-based infusions. Drivers may find free basement parking, with spot 12 described as the closest access point.
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