ILA Restaurant & Cafe

Name: ILA Restaurant & Cafe
Address: Al Seef St, Umm Hurair, Dubai, AE
Telephone: +97143585822

Umm Hurair

Restaurant 04 358 5822

ILA Restaurant & Cafe is a contemporary dining spot in Umm Hurair with indoor, outdoor and upstairs seating. Customers come for the creekside atmosphere, Arabic dishes such as shish taouk, and desserts including kunafa with ice cream.

Reputation Score

4.2

★★★★☆

1,150 ratings

Call Website Directions

The Good Stuff

Showing 2 of 7

Creek views

Outdoor seating faces Dubai Creek, with especially appealing sunset and evening views.

Kunafa

Kunafa topped with vanilla ice cream, syrup and pistachios is a recurring dessert highlight.

Let's go!

What to Eat at ILA Restaurant & Cafe

Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of ILA 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

Batata hara Net +2

“3. Batata Hara: Comes with free freshly made bread 4/5 (26.25 AED)”
Fattoush Net +2

“- Fattoush: Always my favorite. A light and refreshing salad with baked khaboos that gives it a great crunch”
Lentil soup Net +2

“Food is okay but there was no extraordinary about it but Lentil soup hits different compared to the others I tried before.”

Honorable mentions (25)

Avocado salad Net +1

“Enjoyed avocado salad tossed in a zingy fresh dressing with a dash of olive oil, chicken livers cooked to perfection and dressed with pomegranate sauce and a dish of hummus Beiruti which was smooth and full of flavour.”
Buffalo mozzarella pizza Net +1

“Their buffalo mozzarella pizza (US$13.30 plus VAT) is so delicious that my dining companion, who is not a pizza fan, ate 3 slices.”
Butter chicken Net +1

“I’m glad I did because the butter chicken I ordered was very tasty and the best I’ve had in a long time.”
Cheesecake Net +1

“The cheesecake is fantastic and our waiter Abdel Magid (I think I spelt his name correctly) was very very nice to us.”
Chicken livers Net +1

“Enjoyed avocado salad tossed in a zingy fresh dressing with a dash of olive oil, chicken livers cooked to perfection and dressed with pomegranate sauce and a dish of hummus Beiruti which was smooth and full of flavour.”
Chicken mushroom soup Net +1

“- Chicken Mushroom Soup: Loved the creamy texture”
Chicken pasta Net +1

“Chicken Pasta ( Absolutely Delicious !! The Staff Got It Customized By Not Adding Mushroom For Me, Loved It )”
Grilled kofta Net +1

“- Grilled Kofta: Loved the presentation on a smoking grill. The lamb was juicy and tender”
Hummus Net +1

“We tried their Vegetable & Mushroom Pizza, Zaatar Manoushe, Hummus and Moroccan Tea - All items were authentic and delicious! Pita bread was freshly made and perfectly baked”
Hummus beiruti Net +1

“Enjoyed avocado salad tossed in a zingy fresh dressing with a dash of olive oil, chicken livers cooked to perfection and dressed with pomegranate sauce and a dish of hummus Beiruti which was smooth and full of flavour.”
Kunafa topped with ice cream Net +1

“Kunafa Topped With Ice Cream ( End To A Delicious Meal, It Was Mouth Watering )”
Lamb shops Net +1

“Great view, ambiance, fairly priced, great service and the lamb shops were cooked correctly and flavorful . Mohammad Amin went out of his way to prepararé a mint sauce for the lamb shops.”
Mix grill platter Net +1

“food is decent quality....bit pricy....especially because the quantity is very small....we ordered mix grill platter and pasta for kids & soup....finally the sweet - Um Ali, which was yummy and served in a traditional way...”
Mixed meat pizza Net +1

“We ordered mixed meat pizza and a chicken shawarma wrap sandwich. Pizza was good but the sandwich didn’t taste that great.”
Moroccon chicken Net +1

“Moroccon chicken (W/Rice) : AED 79 (ABSOLUTELY LOVEDDDDDD THIS)”
Mutton kofta Net +1

“I would highly recommend to try the Mutton kofta (basically sheeikh kabab), it was amazingly fresh and juicy”
Penne arrabbiata Net +1

“Penne Arrabbiata 7/10”
Sheesh tawook Net +1

“if you ate here you need to try their hummus fattoush sheesh tawook pizzas and kunafa for sure”
Shish taouk Net +1

“4. Shish Taouk: Comes with free French fries 🍟 5/5 (59.85 AED)”
Spaghetti bolognese Net +1

“- Spaghetti Bolognese: I usually prefer thick spaghetti, and this was just the right thickness. The sauce was delectable with the perfect quantity of mince and cheese”
Um ali Net +1

“finally the sweet - Um Ali, which was yummy and served in a traditional way...”
Vegan shawarma Net +1

“1) Vegan Shawarma - I had it for the first time & I loved it !! Filled with soya , veggies and sauces !! Nothing is overpowering , it's just a perfect blend of all the taste !! The sauce added a great flavour , quite tangy and tasty !!”
Vegetable & mushroom pizza Net +1

“We tried their Vegetable & Mushroom Pizza, Zaatar Manoushe, Hummus and Moroccan Tea - All items were authentic and delicious! Pita bread was freshly made and perfectly baked”
Zaatar manoushe Net +1

“We tried their Vegetable & Mushroom Pizza, Zaatar Manoushe, Hummus and Moroccan Tea - All items were authentic and delicious! Pita bread was freshly made and perfectly baked”
Iftar set menu Net 0

Mixed feedback

“Currently in the month of Ramada they have amazing iftar set menu for just 49!”

Drinks 2

Moroccan tea Net +3

“Plus they have shisha and one of the best Moroccan tea.”
Watermelon juice Net +2

“We also ordered watermelon & pineapple juice which were very refreshing 🍹”

Honorable mentions (6)

Cappuccino Net +1

“I stopped by around 9 am for breakfast and was served by Marissa. I loved the cappuccino she recommended for me.”
Fruit cocktail Net +1

“- Beverages: Both fruit cocktail and watermelon juice were freshly prepared and equally delicious”
Lemon & watermelon fresh juice Net +1

“Lemon & Watermelon Fresh Juice ( Very Refreshing !! )”
Pineapple juice Net +1

“We also ordered watermelon & pineapple juice which were very refreshing 🍹”
Pomegranate juice Net +1

“Amazing pomegranate juice with stoning presentation!”
Turkish coffee Net +1

“They serve hot breads and the Turkish coffee was a delight.”

What to Avoid (2)

Food 2

Chicken shawarma wrap sandwich Net −1

“We ordered mixed meat pizza and a chicken shawarma wrap sandwich. Pizza was good but the sandwich didn’t taste that great. It wasn’t the traditional Lebanese shawarma, but chicken pieces stewed with a little bit of sauce.”
Foul with tomatoes Net −1

“I ordered foul with tomatoes and it came with a basket of Arabic bread, cheese, olives and Rahash. The beans were undercooked and the flavor was somewhat under-pronounced.”

Tips for a Better Visit

Showing 2 of 6

Try sunset. Choose outdoor seating around sunset for the strongest creek views.

Ask upstairs. If you want shisha, ask for the upstairs area; it is arranged separately from non-shisha dining.

Plan the visit

Practical details

Al Seef St

Umm Hurair 1, Dubai

04 358 5822

Get directions

Common Concerns

Showing 2 of 5

Worn seating

One customer found the couch seating very old and torn.

Air conditioning

An air-conditioning issue was noted during one visit.

Customer-reported prices

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

39 AED

Set menu

“OFFER: They have a set menu for 39 AED where you can order 1 lentil soup, 1 salad, 1 main dish, 1 dessert and water”

Google review · May 2022

AED 49/ AED 69

Iftar menu

“We tried their iftar menu which was priced at just AED 49/ AED 69 which consisted of refreshing mocktails , salad, hot mezze platter, main course and desserts”

Google review · May 2022

DXB
LOCAL

The Bottom Line

ILA Restaurant & Cafe is a creekside contemporary dining spot in Umm Hurair, with indoor and outdoor tables plus an upstairs shisha area. It suits a relaxed meal where the setting matters as much as the plate: customers describe peaceful views, soft music and a calm atmosphere, especially outdoors around sunset. The menu leans Arabic but also covers international comfort food.

Reviewers specifically mention fattoush, shish taouk, lentil soup and kunafa with ice cream; the lentil soup even scored 10/10 in one comparison, while the kunafa arrives with vanilla ice cream, syrup and pistachios. Vegan diners have another route through the Just Vegan partnership, and staff accommodated a request to leave mushrooms out of chicken pasta. Value is a recurring draw.

Reviews describe set menus with soup, salad, a main, dessert and water from AED 39, with shisha versions at AED 59; iftar menus were reported at AED 49 or AED 69. Food quality is not entirely consistent: some diners found it merely decent, and one disliked the shawarma wrap. There are also reports of worn couch seating, an air-conditioning issue and slow breakfast service.

Parking is available, but one reviewer allowed 15–20 minutes for the walk from the parking area.