Kiku

Name: Kiku
Address: Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre - 51st St, Al Garhoud, Dubai, AE
Telephone: +97147022455

Al Garhoud

Japanese restaurant Open now 04 702 2455

Kiku is a traditional Japanese restaurant in Al Garhoud, inside Le Meridien, with a sushi bar and teppanyaki table. Reviews make it especially useful for classic dishes such as sashimi lunch and katsu curry, with tatami-style seating for a quieter, more traditional meal.

Reputation Score

4.4

★★★★☆

722 ratings

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The Good Stuff

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Authentic Menu

Longtime diners value traditional dishes beyond sushi, including Goya Chanpuru, Tonkatsu and noodle soups.

Teppanyaki Sets

The set menu can be a full meal, covering seafood, steak, fried rice and dessert cooked in front of you.

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What to Eat at Kiku

Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Kiku, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.

Food 6

Fried rice Net +3

“We have ordered fish, chicken and beef items along with fried rice ... Food was filling and good in taste as well”
Miso soup Net +3

“Miso Soup served rapidly after the salad had been placed: Fantastic miso soup. Red miso i believe, but had a wonderful umami flavour. 5/5”
Salmon Net +3

“The salmon is a must to try.”
Sashimi Net +3

“The types of sushi and sashimi on offer, and quality of ingredients were otherwise very good.”
Tepenyaki Net +3

“The flavors!! OMG the flavors!! So fresh. So tender. So scrumptious!! I had to do my happy dance. I appreciated that the chef was mindful of photo taking and video making whilst he cooked the teppanyaki.”
Fatty tuna nigiri Net +2

“We ordered Kobe beef shabu shabu, fried rice, several types of sushi and sashimi. Overall, the best was the fatty tuna nigiri 🍣🥰”

Honorable mentions (35)

Asparagus bacon maki Net +1

“While the sushi and sashimi have always been excellent, what made Kiku stand out for us was the wider menu: dishes like Goya Chanpuru, Tonkatsu, Asparagus Bacon Maki, noodle soups, and other traditional favorites we did not often find elsewhere.”
Avo maki sushi rolls Net +1

“The Avo maki sushi rolls were my absolute favorite—so fresh and perfectly balanced!”
Butaniku shogayaki set Net +1

“Butaniku Shogayaki Set - 5⭐️ (Loved this one, even by the said critic;)”
Chef's special Net +1

“We ordered 3 sets of the Chef's Special for Dhs225 each, which featured the following:”
Ebi chilli Net +1

“The Ebi chilli was surprisingly very good as well and we highly recommend if you need a little spice kick.”
Fillet steak Net +1

“Fillet Steak with Teppanyaki Vegetables (we all selected the fried rice with this instead of boiled rice): We requested med-rare x2 and rare 1x, as we were a bit concerned that they would be slightly overdone similar to the lobster & prawns. Overall I'd say that again the temp was a bit higher than requested as the chef hadn't taken into account the continued cooking time as the meat rested on the plate. Flavour on the meat was good, well seasoned. Vegetables were nice and crisp (mainly bean sprouts as the veg, which is fine by me). Fried rice, which is one of my favourite items, was very well done and heated well the next day too. Overall 4/5.”
Fresh fruit dessert Net +1

“Fresh Fruit Dessert (all 3 of us got it instead of ice cream): Lovely way to finish the meal, all fruits were fresh, firm and flavourful.”
Fruit Net +1

“They serve you salad, lobster, steak, scallop, fried rice and dessert (ice cream or fruit). They all tasted really nice, but my only comment would be how salty the food was (especially the tepenyaki). Im not sure what sauce they put on the meat / lobster but the salt was so much. Other than that everything tasted nice.”
Goya chanpuru Net +1

“While the sushi and sashimi have always been excellent, what made Kiku stand out for us was the wider menu: dishes like Goya Chanpuru, Tonkatsu, Asparagus Bacon Maki, noodle soups, and other traditional favorites we did not often find elsewhere.”
Ice cream Net +1

“They serve you salad, lobster, steak, scallop, fried rice and dessert (ice cream or fruit). They all tasted really nice, but my only comment would be how salty the food was (especially the tepenyaki). Im not sure what sauce they put on the meat / lobster but the salt was so much. Other than that everything tasted nice.”
Kaisou salad Net +1

“Their mixed pickle plate was excellent and I loved the Kaisou Salad.”
Karaage Net +1

“Karaage - exceptional. Flavorful and crispy but not overcooked. Frankly the highlight of the meal.”
Katsu curry rice Net +1

“I have to admit the katsu curry rice is on point and its really good.”
Kimchee ramen Net +1

“Kimchee Ramen - 3.5⭐️ (A bit bland, acc. to my friend who's a fan of authentic kimchee. But it was alright for me, I suppose🤷‍♀️)”
Kimchi pork belly Net +1

“I highly recommend the rolls and the kimchi pork belly.”
Mixed pickle plate Net +1

“Their mixed pickle plate was excellent and I loved the Kaisou Salad.”
Nabiyaki udon Net +1

“The Nabiyaki udon which my wife enjoyed and was craving and Pork Tonkatsu which is also a rare dish to find in Dubai.”
Pork katsu curry meal Net +1

“pork katsu curry meal definitely would fill two people up, starting from their refreshing salad - earthy miso soup - steamed rice with pork katsu with katsu curry.”
Prawn tempura sushi roll Net +1

“I always prefer the prawn tempura sushi roll, it's a classic and a must-try.”
Sashimi lunch Net +1

“Four of us went there for lunch, had sashimi lunch with beer as always, perfect combination”
Scallops Net +1

“Prawns, Lobster & Scallops cooked on Teppan: Flavours good, all seafood was fresh. However, we all found that certain pieces of lobster were overcooked which was a shame. Prawns cooked well overall, although a bit firm for our preference. Scallops cooked well, although important to note that it's 1 scallop each and medium sized. Overall 3.5/5”
Steak Net +1

“They serve you salad, lobster, steak, scallop, fried rice and dessert (ice cream or fruit). They all tasted really nice, but my only comment would be how salty the food was (especially the tepenyaki). Im not sure what sauce they put on the meat / lobster but the salt was so much. Other than that everything tasted nice.”
Steak tapanyaki Net +1

“Excellent food. We had Maki’s and steak tapanyaki.”
Strawberry mocha ice cream Net +1

“BTW u recommend the strawberry mocha ice cream it's the absolute best, everyone should visit kiku. 😋”
Sushi platter Net +1

“We were two and ordered Miso soup, the Seaweed salad, a Sushi platter in which we asked for 5 kinds of nigiri: sake/Salmon, meguro/ Yellow tuna, Eel/unagi, Boiled shrimps/ebi, Hamachi/ yellow tail, also got a plate of miso cod, and wrapped our dinner up with a Sukiyaki sirloin cut.”
Tako Net +1

“Tako - Quite good. 7.5/10”
Tamago Net +1

“Tamago - Very solid. 7.5/10”
Teppanyaki set Net +1

“I went first and it was during happy hour so I got my self the teppanyaki set (it’s a sampling of what’s on the menu) and every food was delicious.”
Tokujō chirashi Net +1

“Amazing tokujō chirashi offered for lunch, with plenty of fresh fish on top of rice.”
Yakitori Net +1

“We had the yakitori which is quite tasty and priced well.”
Bluefin Net 0

Mixed feedback

“The food was delicious and fresh, specially the sushis, blue fin tuna, fatty tuna (exceptional) and the salmon.”
Lobster Net 0

Mixed feedback

“They serve you salad, lobster, steak, scallop, fried rice and dessert (ice cream or fruit). They all tasted really nice, but my only comment would be how salty the food was (especially the tepenyaki). Im not sure what sauce they put on the meat / lobster but the salt was so much. Other than that everything tasted nice.”
Set menu Net 0

Only neutral feedback

“We got the set menu where they cool infront of you, and I would say it was very fulfiling and worth the price.”
Shoyu ramen Net 0

Only neutral feedback

“The shoyu ramen is the average level and I noticed that the soft boiled egg is not exactly soft. Its more overcooked. Noodles are firm and springy. Overall its hits on some points and miss everything else as a whole. Don't get me wrong this ramen is so far the tastiest I have tasted in Dubai but also at the same time I wish it could be more.”
Unagi set Net 0

Only neutral feedback

“Foods were average. We ordered the unagi set. The pickles weren’t that good compared to Japan.”

Drinks 3

Draft beer Net +1

“The draft beer was also excellent.”
Lime & mint juice Net +1

“Lime & mint juice - good. Nothing special, and small glass.”
Orange juice Net +1

“Orange juice was good too.”

What to Avoid (8)

Food 8

Chicken gyoza Net −1

“The chicken gyoza was below average.”
Grilled mackerel Net −1

“On the food front things aren’t much better. The sushi is badly cut, the miso tastes like it came out of a container, and the grilled mackerel was dry.”
Kimchi pork belly ramen Net −1

“The kimchi pork belly ramen was my least favorite dish but loved the fact that the noodles were thin.”
Otoro Net −1

“Otoro - Disappointing. Probably a 6/10 which is unfortunate because I was looking forward to it very much.”
Teppenyaki ribeye Net −1

“Ordered 8 plates of teppenyaki ribeye and sirloin as part of our order. Expected that to be the star. The meat was ok, not bad, but we were disappointed as we were expecting great food”
Teppenyaki sirloin Net −1

“Ordered 8 plates of teppenyaki ribeye and sirloin as part of our order. Expected that to be the star. The meat was ok, not bad, but we were disappointed as we were expecting great food”
Urchin Net −1

“Urchin - Ok. 6/10”
Yellowfin Net −1

“Yellowfin - Not bad but not impressive. 6.5/10”

Tips for a Better Visit

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Book Ahead. Reserve ahead for weekends, when the restaurant can be busy.

Check Opening. Check current opening status before travelling; a July review reported a temporary renovation closure.

Plan the visit

Practical details

Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre - 51st St

Al Garhoud, Dubai

04 702 2455

Mon	Closed
Tue	12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Wed	12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Thu	12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Fri	12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Sat	12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Sun	12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM

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Common Concerns

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Smaller Menu

A longtime customer says many familiar dishes, including Goya Chanpuru and noodle soups, have recently disappeared.

Heavy Salt

One teppanyaki set was judged overly salty, especially the meat and lobster sauces.

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The Bottom Line

Kiku is a long-running Japanese restaurant in Al Garhoud, inside Le Meridien, with a traditional dining room, sushi bar, teppanyaki table and tatami-style seating. It is worth considering if you want classic Japanese cooking rather than a modern sushi-bar menu. Reviews mention sashimi lunch, nigiri, katsu curry rice and teppanyaki sets as useful starting points.

The sashimi and nigiri receive plenty of praise, including fatty tuna nigiri and fresh salmon, while the katsu curry meal was substantial enough for two in one review. Teppanyaki sets are designed as a full meal: one included salad, lobster, steak, scallop, fried rice and dessert. The setting suits families, groups and celebrations, although the chef interaction may be fairly restrained rather than theatrical.

There are trade-offs. Longtime customers are disappointed that the menu has recently become smaller, and some teppanyaki dishes were too salty or cooked beyond the requested temperature. Sushi feedback is mixed, so expectations should be measured.

Parking is available at the hotel, and weekend diners should reserve ahead. Prices can feel high, although reported examples include a Dhs225 Chef’s Special set and AED100–150 per person for lunch. Check the restaurant’s current status before visiting because a July 2026 review reported a temporary renovation closure.