Breakfast Choice
Breakfast includes a broad range of options, with plenty of vegetarian dishes.
Palm Jumeirah
Manava is a family-friendly buffet restaurant on Palm Jumeirah, serving breakfast and dinner with live cooking stations. Reviews point to a broad breakfast spread, vegetarian choices and occasional standout dishes such as butter chicken, though dinner quality and value can vary.
Source: Google Maps
Breakfast includes a broad range of options, with plenty of vegetarian dishes.
Live cooking stations add made-to-order variety, including multiple omelette stations at breakfast.
The restaurant suits families, with reviews describing it as welcoming for children and group meals.
One breakfast review specifically mentions complimentary valet parking at the hotel.
Butter chicken was singled out as an especially good dish during a staycation dinner.
Several reviews describe the service as polite, attentive and professional, including during special occasions.
Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Manava, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
“Only thing good was asian/indian, salad entree, rice, lamb ouzi, beef brisket.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Only thing good was asian/indian, salad entree, rice, lamb ouzi, beef brisket.”August 2024
“Butter chicken was amazing !”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Butter chicken was amazing !”May 2026
“Only thing good was asian/indian, salad entree, rice, lamb ouzi, beef brisket.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Only thing good was asian/indian, salad entree, rice, lamb ouzi, beef brisket.”August 2024
“Indian selection has no bread options (they wont make you naan or roti) although you can request paratha from a waiter and it will take about 20 mins.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Indian selection has no bread options (they wont make you naan or roti) although you can request paratha from a waiter and it will take about 20 mins.”August 2024
“But for a Brit beef bacon/sausage is no replacement for the pork versions.”
Positive 1Negative 0
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“But for a Brit beef bacon/sausage is no replacement for the pork versions.”December 2023
“At dessert counter 2 items out of 8-9 were good (one being UmmAli which is not difficult).”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“At dessert counter 2 items out of 8-9 were good (one being UmmAli which is not difficult).”August 2024
Mixed feedback
“Excellent breakfast buffet. 4 omelette stations which is great when it’s busy. They could stand to change up the menu from time to time. Overall very good and great service.”
Positive 1Negative 1
Review excerpts
“Excellent breakfast buffet. 4 omelette stations which is great when it’s busy. They could stand to change up the menu from time to time. Overall very good and great service.”April 2025
Only neutral feedback
“But for a Brit beef bacon/sausage is no replacement for the pork versions.”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
“Italian fare was the worst, cannolini, penne ariabata, aubergine parmigiana felt tossed from a can the sauce had no smell flavour, no real cheese nor herbs.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Italian fare was the worst, cannolini, penne ariabata, aubergine parmigiana felt tossed from a can the sauce had no smell flavour, no real cheese nor herbs.”August 2024
“After finishing our meal, we eagerly anticipated the promised birthday cake. Unfortunately, despite waiting patiently, it never arrived.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“After finishing our meal, we eagerly anticipated the promised birthday cake. Unfortunately, despite waiting patiently, it never arrived.”August 2024
“Italian fare was the worst, cannolini, penne ariabata, aubergine parmigiana felt tossed from a can the sauce had no smell flavour, no real cheese nor herbs.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Italian fare was the worst, cannolini, penne ariabata, aubergine parmigiana felt tossed from a can the sauce had no smell flavour, no real cheese nor herbs.”August 2024
“Kids menu was frozen nuggets, saysages, fish fingers and fries.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Kids menu was frozen nuggets, saysages, fish fingers and fries.”August 2024
“Breakfast was also disappointing Uttapam, french toast, waffles felt day old and dry as rag.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Breakfast was also disappointing Uttapam, french toast, waffles felt day old and dry as rag.”August 2024
“They even screwed up mac&cheese for kids which was made wt cooking cream and no seasoning.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“They even screwed up mac&cheese for kids which was made wt cooking cream and no seasoning.”August 2024
“Kids menu was frozen nuggets, saysages, fish fingers and fries.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Kids menu was frozen nuggets, saysages, fish fingers and fries.”August 2024
“Italian fare was the worst, cannolini, penne ariabata, aubergine parmigiana felt tossed from a can the sauce had no smell flavour, no real cheese nor herbs.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Italian fare was the worst, cannolini, penne ariabata, aubergine parmigiana felt tossed from a can the sauce had no smell flavour, no real cheese nor herbs.”August 2024
“The read that seafood curry consisted of mushy squid and prawns.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The read that seafood curry consisted of mushy squid and prawns.”August 2024
“They served chunky bland white frozen chicken as sheesh tawook.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“They served chunky bland white frozen chicken as sheesh tawook.”August 2024
“Tom yum soup was watery dish wash water wt no seafood in it.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Tom yum soup was watery dish wash water wt no seafood in it.”August 2024
“Breakfast was also disappointing Uttapam, french toast, waffles felt day old and dry as rag.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Breakfast was also disappointing Uttapam, french toast, waffles felt day old and dry as rag.”August 2024
“Breakfast was also disappointing Uttapam, french toast, waffles felt day old and dry as rag.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Breakfast was also disappointing Uttapam, french toast, waffles felt day old and dry as rag.”August 2024
“For example, there was little to pair with the rice or noodles, and even the sausages were bland.”
Positive 0Negative 3
Critical review excerpts
“For example, there was little to pair with the rice or noodles, and even the sausages were bland.”May 2026
“My only complaint would be, why do the sausages never look like they are cooked and look anemic.”December 2023
Go Early. For a calmer breakfast, arrive early; the restaurant becomes more crowded later in the morning.
Sit Outside. Choose an outdoor table if you dislike busy dining rooms and constant plate-clinking noise.
Check Water. Before booking a half-board dinner, ask whether bottled water is included and confirm the charge.
Ask Ahead. If you have dietary needs, mention them before arrival; one guest received dedicated gluten-free support.
Use Valet. If you are driving for breakfast, check the hotel’s complimentary valet option mentioned by a guest.
Expect Crowds. Breakfast can get especially busy near closing time, so avoid arriving close to 11am if possible.
Plan the visit
| Mon | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM |
| Tue | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM |
| Wed | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM |
| Thu | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM |
| Fri | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM |
| Sat | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM |
| Sun | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM |
Dinner buffet guests repeatedly objected to paying separately for plain drinking water.
Dinner quality is inconsistent: one review found the first night disappointing and the second only slightly better.
Some guests found the buffet selection too limited for its hotel setting and price.
A two-day breakfast review said several dishes lacked flavour and the dessert selection barely changed.
One birthday celebration ended with a promised cake never arriving despite a 20-minute wait after the meal.
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
buffet
“The buffet was priced at 195 AED, but honestly, the service and quality weren't worth even 50 AED”Google review · June 2025
small bottle of water
“I mean NONE!!!! Even if you choke and you want water they will charge you 20 AED FOR THE SMALL BOTTLE OF WATER!”Google review · July 2020
The Bottom Line
Manava is a hotel buffet restaurant on Palm Jumeirah with breakfast and dinner service. Breakfast is the safer choice in the reviews: guests mention a wide selection, vegetarian options, egg stations and fresh juices. Families also like the relaxed, child-friendly setup, while live cooking stations give dinner and breakfast a made-to-order element.
The experience is not completely consistent. Some diners describe fresh, flavourful dishes and praise the presentation, live stations and desserts; others found the buffet limited, bland or poorly balanced. Butter chicken received a specific thumbs-up, but breakfast dishes were also criticised for repetition, and one guest said some sections were closed.
Service is generally the strongest part, with repeated comments about attentive and professional staff, although a birthday cake reportedly failed to arrive. Plan around the crowds: early breakfast is quieter, while the restaurant becomes busy near the 11am finish. Outdoor seating may suit anyone who dislikes the noise of a busy dining room.
If you are booking half board or dinner, ask about drinks before committing. Multiple reviews complain that plain water is charged separately, with reported bottle prices ranging from AED 20 to AED 34. Complimentary valet parking was mentioned for breakfast visits.