Shisha focus
Shisha is a major draw, with one regular visiting three or four times a week and others praising its quality and longevity.
Lila Café
Barsha Heights
Lila Café in Barsha Heights is a relaxed café-restaurant where people come for shisha, coffee, sports and filling meals. Reviews particularly highlight the lunch buffet, healthy set meals and a spacious, low-key atmosphere suited to unwinding or working.
Reputation Score
4.1
★★★★☆
597 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Buffet variety
The buffet has hot daily-changing dishes, with options described as ranging from soup and steak or fish fillets to kebabs, rice, gravy and salads.
Healthy choices
The Healthy Menu set meal and smaller portion options stand out for diners looking for fresher, lighter food.
Separate areas
The café has distinct smoking and non-smoking areas, so shisha guests and non-smokers have different spaces.
Work-friendly
Customers use Lila for laptop work, meetings and watching football, with TV screens and a generally relaxed setting.
Large portions
A tuna wrap, salad and fries were described as a balanced, well-cooked meal with generous portions.
What to Eat at Lila Café 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 Lila Café, 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 Lila Café got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 8
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Beef medellin Net +1
“From a la carte, my favourites are Smoked Salmon Salad and Beef Medellin..”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“From a la carte, my favourites are Smoked Salmon Salad and Beef Medellin..”February 2024
-
Beefsteak sandwich Net +1
“Thank you so much it was amazing , the taste of the Beefsteak sandwich was amazing.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Thank you so much it was amazing , the taste of the Beefsteak sandwich was amazing.”April 2025
-
Healthy 3 course menu option Net +1
“We go sometimes and enjoy the healthy 3 course menu option. Reasonably priced and the food is very fresh.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We go sometimes and enjoy the healthy 3 course menu option. Reasonably priced and the food is very fresh.”March 2017
-
Ramadan iftar Net +1
“Yesterday we had a Ramadan Iftar in this restaurant and it was very good option Quite The food was good and tasty 😋 and the quality also was amazing.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Yesterday we had a Ramadan Iftar in this restaurant and it was very good option Quite The food was good and tasty 😋 and the quality also was amazing.”May 2019
-
Shish tawook Net +1
“For the food, I ordered the Shish Tawook, and the chicken was incredibly soft, juicy, and tender. The rice was also delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“For the food, I ordered the Shish Tawook, and the chicken was incredibly soft, juicy, and tender. The rice was also delicious.”July 2026
-
Smoked salmon salad Net +1
“From a la carte, my favourites are Smoked Salmon Salad and Beef Medellin..”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“From a la carte, my favourites are Smoked Salmon Salad and Beef Medellin..”February 2024
-
Sticky toffee pudding Net +1
“The Sticky Toffee Pudding is excellent.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The Sticky Toffee Pudding is excellent.”October 2015
-
Tuna wrap Net +1
“I had tuna wrap, salad and fries. Balanced meal that was well cooked and delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had tuna wrap, salad and fries. Balanced meal that was well cooked and delicious.”July 2022
Drinks 4
-
Detox smoothie Net +1
“My favorite, though, was the Detox Smoothie—it was absolutely amazing and so refreshing!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“My favorite, though, was the Detox Smoothie—it was absolutely amazing and so refreshing!”July 2026
-
Iced coffee Net +1
“I grabbed an iced coffee and it totally hit the spot—smooth, chilled, and so good.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I grabbed an iced coffee and it totally hit the spot—smooth, chilled, and so good.”July 2025
-
Moroccan tea Net +1
“We also tried the Moroccan tea, which I really enjoyed, and the shisha was great as well.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We also tried the Moroccan tea, which I really enjoyed, and the shisha was great as well.”July 2026
-
Turkish coffee Net +1
“The perfect ambience and my fav place to be always, the food taste is extra avanga, and the most important my Turkish coffee hmm yummy.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The perfect ambience and my fav place to be always, the food taste is extra avanga, and the most important my Turkish coffee hmm yummy.”February 2020
What to Avoid (1)
Food 1
-
Beef escalope Net −1
“I ordered beef escalope but it was SPOILED BEEF. Worse experience by far. I waited 30mins for my food to arrive and when it comes, it was dry and overcooked and it tasted funky.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“I ordered beef escalope but it was SPOILED BEEF. Worse experience by far. I waited 30mins for my food to arrive and when it comes, it was dry and overcooked and it tasted funky.”June 2023
Tips for a Better Visit
Allow time. Build in extra time for food, especially at busy periods: reviews mention waits of over 20 and 45 minutes.
Try buffet. Ask about the buffet if you want variety; one review says its hot menu changes daily, while another describes a weight-based system.
Check coffee strength. If ordering coffee, specify your preferred strength; reviews range from praise for very strong caffeine to one complaint that it tasted watery.
Plan parking. Allow time to find parking: one review calls parking a nightmare, while another says street parking is available for a fee during business hours.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Lila Café - MCN Hive - G Floor
Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights, Dubai
| Mon | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Tue | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Wed | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Thu | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Fri | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sat | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sun | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
Common Concerns
Slow service
Several reviews report long waits, including more than 45 minutes for food and over 20 minutes for a small manakish.
Uneven quality
Food quality is not always consistent: one customer reported spoiled, dry beef escalope, while another found the coffee watery.
Tight seating
One regular found the chairs uncomfortable, and another said the café became cramped after moving.
Smoky atmosphere
Even with separate areas, a review says the café can feel smoky because many guests use shisha.
Value concerns
One review considered the prices high for the interior and below-average salads, so expectations on value may vary.
Customer-reported prices
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
70 AED
daily buffet
“Food varies, while Lila offers a very good variety with it’s daily buffet (70 AED at time of review) from 12 to 3 including shisha! The quality does sometimes suffer, but still good”Google review · December 2019
47dhs
buffet
“47dhs buffet included unlimited salads and hot meals with cold and hot drinks included”Google review · October 2017
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Lila Café in Barsha Heights is a neighbourhood café-restaurant built around relaxed, social visits. You can come for shisha, coffee, a meal, football on TV or laptop work. The separate smoking room is useful if you want shisha, while non-smokers have another area; several reviews describe the atmosphere as quiet, spacious and comfortable for lingering.
Food is broader than the typical shisha-café offering. Customers mention Shish Tawook, tuna wraps, beefsteak sandwiches, Smoked Salmon Salad and Beef Medellin, along with a Healthy Menu set meal. The lunch buffet is a practical choice when you want variety: reviews describe hot food, changing daily menus and everything from soup and salads to steak, fish fillets, kebabs, rice and gravy.
One review says buffet food is charged by weight, so ask how the current setup works before filling your plate. Service is often described as friendly and attentive, and regulars say staff remember their usual orders. Coffee opinions are mixed: some call it among the best in Barsha Heights and praise its strength, while another found it watery.
Food timing has also been inconsistent, with reports of waits beyond 20 or 45 minutes. Seating can be uncomfortable, and parking may require patience or a paid street space.