Malabar flavours
Customers describe it as a place for authentic Malabar food, including Lagone Biriyani and homemade-style Kallummakaaya.
Malabar Restaurant | Talal Restaurant
Al Qusais
Talal Restaurant in Al Qusais serves Malabar, Kerala, South Indian, Chinese and Arabic-style dishes in a straightforward dine-in setting. Reviews point especially to its biryani, beef dishes and evening tea with traditional Kerala snacks, with family seating and generally budget-friendly pricing.
Reputation Score
3.8
★★★★☆
1,541 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Tea counter
The Chai Kaapi counter serves Samovar-brewed milk tea alongside traditional Kerala snacks, making it a useful stop for an evening break.
Family seating
A dedicated family dining area is available, and one breakfast group of nine found the meal budget-friendly.
Helpful service
Several reviews describe attentive, courteous service, including staff who suggest dishes and help customers choose what to order.
Quick meals
Recent reviews mention quick service, fresh food and good portions for the price, which suits a straightforward meal in Al Qusais.
All-day puttu
A long-standing review notes that puttu is available throughout the day, rather than only during breakfast.
What to Eat at Malabar Restaurant | Talal Restaurant 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 Malabar Restaurant | Talal Restaurant, 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.
Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Malabar Restaurant | Talal Restaurant, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
Food 2
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Beef fry Net +2
“The Beef fry is also good.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The Beef fry is also good.”April 2024
“Staff were very friendly and especially moideen suggested with right food and it was excellent to have Idiyappam and beef fry.”June 2026
-
Idiappam Net +2
“Staff were very friendly and especially moideen suggested with right food and it was excellent to have Idiyappam and beef fry.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Staff were very friendly and especially moideen suggested with right food and it was excellent to have Idiyappam and beef fry.”June 2026
Honorable mentions (11)
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Avocado falooh Net +1
“Avocado Falooh was amazing and chicken butter a flavor explosion!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Avocado Falooh was amazing and chicken butter a flavor explosion!”September 2024
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Chicken butter Net +1
“Avocado Falooh was amazing and chicken butter a flavor explosion!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Avocado Falooh was amazing and chicken butter a flavor explosion!”September 2024
-
Chicken curry Net +1
“The chicken curry tastes good, but I don't like the way they have added the food cream.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The chicken curry tastes good, but I don't like the way they have added the food cream.”April 2024
-
Dosha Net +1
“I love their green piece curry, dosha and puttu of breakfast.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I love their green piece curry, dosha and puttu of breakfast.”August 2019
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Green piece curry Net +1
“I love their green piece curry, dosha and puttu of breakfast.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I love their green piece curry, dosha and puttu of breakfast.”August 2019
-
Kallummakaaya Net +1
“The Lagone Biriyani was absolutely mouth-watering, bursting with rich flavors, while the Kallummakaaya tasted truly homemade, with an authentic, comforting touch.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The Lagone Biriyani was absolutely mouth-watering, bursting with rich flavors, while the Kallummakaaya tasted truly homemade, with an authentic, comforting touch.”September 2024
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Lagone biriyani Net +1
“The Lagone Biriyani was absolutely mouth-watering, bursting with rich flavors, while the Kallummakaaya tasted truly homemade, with an authentic, comforting touch.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The Lagone Biriyani was absolutely mouth-watering, bursting with rich flavors, while the Kallummakaaya tasted truly homemade, with an authentic, comforting touch.”September 2024
-
Nilgiri chicken Net +1
“Had ordered Nilgiri chicken and Appam. The dish had good flavour”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Had ordered Nilgiri chicken and Appam. The dish had good flavour”January 2024
-
Oonu Net +1
“The meals( oonu) for lunch is very tasty and worthy for money.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The meals( oonu) for lunch is very tasty and worthy for money.”September 2019
-
Puttu Net +1
“I love their green piece curry, dosha and puttu of breakfast. They serve puttu all day and prepare their own version of Idiappam.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I love their green piece curry, dosha and puttu of breakfast. They serve puttu all day and prepare their own version of Idiappam.”August 2019
-
Appam Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“Had ordered Nilgiri chicken and Appam. The dish had good flavour”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
Drinks 2
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Authentic, freshly brewed milk tea Net +1
“What truly sets this place apart is its dedication to serving authentic, freshly brewed milk tea made in a Samovar. Each cup is a masterpiece, bursting with rich flavors and comforting warmth.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“What truly sets this place apart is its dedication to serving authentic, freshly brewed milk tea made in a Samovar. Each cup is a masterpiece, bursting with rich flavors and comforting warmth.”February 2024
-
Watermelon juice Net +1
“They served watermelon juice as a welcome drink which nice too.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They served watermelon juice as a welcome drink which nice too.”March 2023
What to Avoid (8)
Food 8
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Boil chicken Net −1
“Those who interested boil chicken they can try charcoal,pic attached the blood in bone”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Those who interested boil chicken they can try charcoal,pic attached the blood in bone”March 2023
-
Charcoal chicken Net −1
“Worst experience, they are not cooking properly even charcoal chicken, directly the frozen item they are putting on high flame and giving, staff don't know about take order.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Worst experience, they are not cooking properly even charcoal chicken, directly the frozen item they are putting on high flame and giving, staff don't know about take order.”March 2023
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Chicken65 Net −1
“We order chicken65 with poratta and beef curry its very bad taste quality , , never recommend anyone 🙏🏻 bad experience , its not worth”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“We order chicken65 with poratta and beef curry its very bad taste quality , , never recommend anyone 🙏🏻 bad experience , its not worth”April 2026
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Kingfish Net −1
“The kingfish was badly prepared — dry, flavorless, and with no proper tones of spice or seasoning. It felt more like chewing a piece of sponge than eating fresh, well-cooked fish. There was no balance, no freshness, no aroma, and no real taste.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The kingfish was badly prepared — dry, flavorless, and with no proper tones of spice or seasoning. It felt more like chewing a piece of sponge than eating fresh, well-cooked fish. There was no balance, no freshness, no aroma, and no real taste.”April 2026
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Ney pathal Net −1
“Beef curry is poor in taste, doesn't matter taste depends but ney pathal is made by old dough. It tastes rotten, informed cashier and waiter they responded that we will to improve later. Good gesture 😂😂 no refund or change that spoiled ney pathal.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Beef curry is poor in taste, doesn't matter taste depends but ney pathal is made by old dough. It tastes rotten, informed cashier and waiter they responded that we will to improve later. Good gesture 😂😂 no refund or change that spoiled ney pathal.”February 2026
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Poratta Net −1
“We order chicken65 with poratta and beef curry its very bad taste quality , , never recommend anyone 🙏🏻 bad experience , its not worth”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“We order chicken65 with poratta and beef curry its very bad taste quality , , never recommend anyone 🙏🏻 bad experience , its not worth”April 2026
-
Prawn dynamite starter Net −1
“Prawn dynamite starter was not great. The started came after the main course. Hence was disappointed.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Prawn dynamite starter was not great. The started came after the main course. Hence was disappointed.”January 2024
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Beef curry Net −2
“Beef curry is poor in taste, doesn't matter taste depends but ney pathal is made by old dough.”
Positive 0Negative 2
Critical review excerpts
“Beef curry is poor in taste, doesn't matter taste depends but ney pathal is made by old dough.”February 2026
“We order chicken65 with poratta and beef curry its very bad taste quality , , never recommend anyone 🙏🏻 bad experience , its not worth”April 2026
Tips for a Better Visit
Try biryani. For a first order, consider Lagone Biriyani or Kappa Biriyani with beef; both received specific praise in separate reviews.
Tea stop. Come for evening tea and Kerala snacks if you want the restaurant’s more distinctive experience rather than a full meal.
Family seating. Ask about the dedicated family area before settling in, as one group had to wait for a seat there.
Order timing. If ordering starters with a main course, check the expected sequence because one starter arrived after the main dish.
Inspect dishes. Check the food when it arrives and raise concerns immediately; one diner reported an old, spoiled-tasting ney pathal.
Plan the visit
Practical details
شارع الوحيدة
Al Qusais - Al Qusais 1, Dubai
| Mon | 6:30 AM – 1:00 AM |
| Tue | 6:30 AM – 12:30 AM |
| Wed | 6:30 AM – 12:30 AM |
| Thu | 6:30 AM – 12:30 AM |
| Fri | 6:30 AM – 12:30 AM |
| Sat | 6:30 AM – 12:30 AM |
| Sun | 6:30 AM – 12:30 AM |
Common Concerns
Inconsistent food
Food quality is uneven: recent reviews call the kingfish dry and bland, while others found chicken 65 and beef curry poor in taste.
Service lapses
Some diners report inattentive waiters and difficulty placing additional orders after the food arrives.
Dish delays
One review says a prawn dynamite starter arrived after the main course, while another mentions delays serving food to the table.
Parking pressure
Parking can be difficult on weekend evenings, despite another review noting open RTA parking nearby.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Talal Restaurant is a Malabar and Kerala-focused restaurant in Al Qusais where you can order biryani, beef dishes, South Indian staples, tea and traditional snacks. The reviews give the clearest nod to Lagone Biriyani, Kappa Biriyani with beef, beef fry and the Chai Kaapi counter’s Samovar-brewed milk tea. It is a practical choice when you want generous, budget-conscious regional food rather than a formal dining experience.
There is a dedicated family dining area, although it may involve a wait when busy. The setting is described as simple, clean and comfortable, with a more designed interior after renovation. Long-time customers also mention Kerala oonu, puttu served all day and evening tea with snacks, so breakfast and a quick tea stop are both worthwhile uses of the restaurant.
Service is often described as friendly, attentive and quick, but the experience is not consistent. Other diners reported waiters failing to return for additional orders, delayed starters and poor-quality dishes including dry kingfish, weak beef curry and old-tasting ney pathal. Weekend-evening parking can be difficult, though open RTA parking has been reported nearby.
Check your order when it arrives and consider visiting outside the busiest periods.