Buffet variety
The buffet covers Filipino mains, seafood, side dishes and desserts, with food replenished quickly.
Hot Palayok Restaurant & Grill Dubai
Al Karama
Hot Palayok is a Filipino restaurant in Al Karama serving classic mains, street food and desserts in a relaxed setting with bright murals. Reviews make the buffet, especially Kare-kare and sushi, the main draw for family meals and celebrations.
Reputation Score
4.4
★★★★☆
3,019 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Filipino flavours
Customers describe the food as true-to-taste Filipino cooking, including comforting stews and grilled dishes.
Kare-kare
Kare-kare is a standout for at least one returning diner, who rated it highly.
Warm service
Reviews repeatedly describe the staff as attentive, welcoming and quick to respond during buffet meals.
Celebrations
Birthday visits can include singing and a slice of cake with a candle, adding a small celebratory touch.
Live entertainment
One family heard a live band while dining early, and another review mentions live entertainment during a birthday meal.
Value
Several diners consider the buffet worthwhile for its quality and selection, with affordable Filipino food choices.
What to Eat at Hot Palayok Restaurant & Grill Dubai 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 Hot Palayok Restaurant & Grill Dubai, 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 Hot Palayok Restaurant & Grill Dubai got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 9
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Kare kare Net +2
“Another thing i loved the most is their food especially the Kare-kare. 100/10 for me.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Another thing i loved the most is their food especially the Kare-kare. 100/10 for me.”April 2026
“We like their sushis and kare kare.”March 2026
-
Baby back ribs bbq Net +1
“The place is great! As always. Mr. Arjay is very accommodating and welcoming. The food is superb👌 flavorful, comforting, and consistently satisfying. A must try bilo-bilo and baby back ribs BBQ. It’s the kind of food that keeps you coming back, and I’ve been a loyal customer since 2016. Highly recommended! 🍲✨”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The place is great! As always. Mr. Arjay is very accommodating and welcoming. The food is superb👌 flavorful, comforting, and consistently satisfying. A must try bilo-bilo and baby back ribs BBQ. It’s the kind of food that keeps you coming back, and I’ve been a loyal customer since 2016. Highly recommended! 🍲✨”February 2026
-
Bilo-bilo Net +1
“The place is great! As always. Mr. Arjay is very accommodating and welcoming. The food is superb👌 flavorful, comforting, and consistently satisfying. A must try bilo-bilo and baby back ribs BBQ. It’s the kind of food that keeps you coming back, and I’ve been a loyal customer since 2016. Highly recommended! 🍲✨”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The place is great! As always. Mr. Arjay is very accommodating and welcoming. The food is superb👌 flavorful, comforting, and consistently satisfying. A must try bilo-bilo and baby back ribs BBQ. It’s the kind of food that keeps you coming back, and I’ve been a loyal customer since 2016. Highly recommended! 🍲✨”February 2026
-
Buko pandan Net +1
“On the bright side, I really enjoyed the buko pandan.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“On the bright side, I really enjoyed the buko pandan.”March 2026
-
Chili crab and shrimp Net +1
“I especially enjoyed the Chili crab and shrimp, which stood out for its taste and quality.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I especially enjoyed the Chili crab and shrimp, which stood out for its taste and quality.”April 2026
-
Glazed chicken Net +1
“Their food was good. Fave was their glazed chicken and inday inday. Never fails everytime we dine here.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Their food was good. Fave was their glazed chicken and inday inday. Never fails everytime we dine here.”April 2026
-
Halo halo Net +1
“There is also halo halo drinks on the side besides the sushi bar.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“There is also halo halo drinks on the side besides the sushi bar.”March 2026
-
Inday inday Net +1
“Their food was good. Fave was their glazed chicken and inday inday. Never fails everytime we dine here.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Their food was good. Fave was their glazed chicken and inday inday. Never fails everytime we dine here.”April 2026
-
Lunch buffet Net +1
“Had a lunch buffet here. Lot of varieties with decent taste. We have chicken, beef, seafood option along with several side dishes. Desserts were also good and refreshing. Their staffs are helpful and they refill the meals fastly. Just the atmosphere was too busy at that time, so packed and crowded.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Had a lunch buffet here. Lot of varieties with decent taste. We have chicken, beef, seafood option along with several side dishes. Desserts were also good and refreshing. Their staffs are helpful and they refill the meals fastly. Just the atmosphere was too busy at that time, so packed and crowded.”January 2026
What to Avoid (5)
Food 5
-
Chicken intestine Net −1
“However, one thing disappointed me. The chicken intestine or “isaw” tasted and smells like fishy and seemed like it was not cleaned properly.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“However, one thing disappointed me. The chicken intestine or “isaw” tasted and smells like fishy and seemed like it was not cleaned properly.”March 2026
-
Chiffon cake Net −1
“When I arrived at around 6:37 PM, I saw a pink cake on display and asked the Filipina staff on duty about the price and whether there were other newly baked cakes available. She informed me that it was the last cake available and that the price was 60 AED. Although the cake already looked old and the icing appeared cracked, I still decided to buy it because I wanted my friend to celebrate her birthday with a cake. She also mentioned that I could pay the 60 AED later. However, when we cut the cake during the celebration, we noticed that the icing separated immediately and looked old, and the chiffon cake was hard and not fresh. The taste was not good as well, and it really seemed like the cake had been baked at least two days earlier.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“When I arrived at around 6:37 PM, I saw a pink cake on display and asked the Filipina staff on duty about the price and whether there were other newly baked cakes available. She informed me that it was the last cake available and that the price was 60 AED. Although the cake already looked old and the icing appeared cracked, I still decided to buy it because I wanted my friend to celebrate her birthday with a cake. She also mentioned that I could pay the 60 AED later. However, when we cut the cake during the celebration, we noticed that the icing separated immediately and looked old, and the chiffon cake was hard and not fresh. The taste was not good as well, and it really seemed like the cake had been baked at least two days earlier.”March 2026
-
Maki Net −1
“However, the taste of the Maki and some of the grilled options could use improvement.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“However, the taste of the Maki and some of the grilled options could use improvement.”September 2025
-
Pink cake Net −1
“When I arrived at around 6:37 PM, I saw a pink cake on display and asked the Filipina staff on duty about the price and whether there were other newly baked cakes available. She informed me that it was the last cake available and that the price was 60 AED. Although the cake already looked old and the icing appeared cracked, I still decided to buy it because I wanted my friend to celebrate her birthday with a cake. She also mentioned that I could pay the 60 AED later. However, when we cut the cake during the celebration, we noticed that the icing separated immediately and looked old, and the chiffon cake was hard and not fresh. The taste was not good as well, and it really seemed like the cake had been baked at least two days earlier.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“When I arrived at around 6:37 PM, I saw a pink cake on display and asked the Filipina staff on duty about the price and whether there were other newly baked cakes available. She informed me that it was the last cake available and that the price was 60 AED. Although the cake already looked old and the icing appeared cracked, I still decided to buy it because I wanted my friend to celebrate her birthday with a cake. She also mentioned that I could pay the 60 AED later. However, when we cut the cake during the celebration, we noticed that the icing separated immediately and looked old, and the chiffon cake was hard and not fresh. The taste was not good as well, and it really seemed like the cake had been baked at least two days earlier.”March 2026
-
Sagot gulaman Net −1
“However, the sagot gulaman was quite bitter and had a strong, concentrated vanilla taste that made it hard and unable to drink.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“However, the sagot gulaman was quite bitter and had a strong, concentrated vanilla taste that made it hard and unable to drink.”March 2026
Tips for a Better Visit
Visit off-peak. Go at an off-peak time if parking matters; one review says parking is more available then.
Allow traffic. For dinner plans, leave extra time because traffic in Karama can be heavy.
Check inclusions. Ask what is included before starting the buffet, since drinks may be charged separately.
Save room. Arrive hungry: the selection is substantial, and one diner specifically warned against coming on a full stomach.
Ask about birthdays. If you are celebrating, ask about the birthday presentation, which one review says included singing and cake.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Wasl Hub - Corner of 39th and - 6C St
Al Karama, Dubai
| Mon | 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Tue | 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Wed | 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Thu | 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Fri | 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Sat | 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Sun | 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
Common Concerns
Washroom issue
One diner reported a man using the female toilet and said the signage should be clearer and stricter.
Busy periods
The dining room can become packed and crowded during busy buffet visits.
Extra drinks
Drinks are not included in the buffet, which disappointed one repeat diner.
Inconsistent dishes
A review found the isaw fishy-smelling and seemingly not cleaned properly.
Cake freshness
One birthday customer said a displayed cake was hard, stale-tasting and later charged more than first quoted.
Customer-reported prices
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
60 AED
cake
“She informed me that it was the last cake available and that the price was 60 AED”Google review · March 2026
105 AED
cake
“What surprised me even more was when the staff told me that the cake I bought would cost 105 AED instead of 60 AED, which was the price she had clearly informed me earlier”Google review · March 2026
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The Bottom Line
Hot Palayok is a Filipino restaurant in Al Karama where the buffet is the main reason to visit. You can work through a broad selection of Filipino dishes, from seafood and grilled items to desserts, with Kare-kare and sushi receiving specific praise. Several diners also describe the food as true-to-taste and comforting, rather than simply varied.
The setting is warm, spacious and family-friendly, so it suits group meals, birthdays and casual visits. Birthday celebrations may include singing and a slice of cake with a candle, while one early visit featured a live band. Service is a consistent strength in the reviews: staff are described as attentive during buffet meals, quick to refill dishes and helpful when guests need assistance.
Value is another recurring theme, with diners calling the buffet affordable or worth the price for its selection. There are a few practical caveats. Drinks are not included in the buffet, dinner-time parking can be difficult, and the room may feel crowded at peak times.
One diner also reported a hard, stale cake and a disputed cake price, so confirm the cost and freshness before paying. If parking matters, an off-peak visit is the safer bet.