Warm service
Staff are repeatedly described as kind, welcoming and attentive, with thoughtful touches such as remembering a baby’s preferred banana.
O'lio Restaurant
DIFC
O’lio is a hotel-based fusion restaurant in DIFC serving American-Italian dishes throughout the day. Reviews make it especially appealing for breakfast and buffet dining, with a relaxed setting, cocktails and attentive hospitality often adding to the experience.
Reputation Score
4.8
★★★★★
1,019 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Breakfast buffet
Breakfast and the morning buffet are regular highlights, with staff helping guests with both food and drinks.
Food variety
Guests mention a broad choice spanning dishes such as lasagna, salads, pizza, burgers and pasta.
Relaxed setting
The restaurant is described as cozy, clean and comfortable, with relaxing music and a pleasant atmosphere for lunch or dinner.
Drinks selection
Reviews specifically praise the beer selection, wine and cocktails, including a fresh pineapple mocktail and Aperol Spritz.
What to Eat at O'lio 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 O'lio 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.
These items at O'lio Restaurant got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 4
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Beef lasagna Net +1
“The food was delicious — we tried the Beef Lasagna and Chicken Caesar Salad, both perfectly prepared and full of flavor.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food was delicious — we tried the Beef Lasagna and Chicken Caesar Salad, both perfectly prepared and full of flavor.”October 2025
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Chicken caesar salad Net +1
“The food was delicious — we tried the Beef Lasagna and Chicken Caesar Salad, both perfectly prepared and full of flavor.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food was delicious — we tried the Beef Lasagna and Chicken Caesar Salad, both perfectly prepared and full of flavor.”October 2025
-
Chicken curry Net +1
“food is replenish kinda slow. chicken curry is very good though. shoutout to moataz for taking good care of our group.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“food is replenish kinda slow. chicken curry is very good though. shoutout to moataz for taking good care of our group.”February 2026
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Ravioli with crab Net +1
“Ravioli with crab 🦀 are excellent!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Ravioli with crab 🦀 are excellent!”June 2024
Drinks 2
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Aperol spritz Net +1
“Beautiful ambiance and great food! Superb service by Mohammed at breakfast and special thanks to Anish for the amazing Aperol Spritz at lunch, and for Alvin for looking after us!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Beautiful ambiance and great food! Superb service by Mohammed at breakfast and special thanks to Anish for the amazing Aperol Spritz at lunch, and for Alvin for looking after us!”April 2025
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Pineapple mocktail Net +1
“prime location, near to the financial center metro, food is great! especially like the pineapple mocktail, so fresh! staff are friendly and sweet. great experience”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“prime location, near to the financial center metro, food is great! especially like the pineapple mocktail, so fresh! staff are friendly and sweet. great experience”October 2024
What to Avoid (6)
Food 6
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Pizza margherita Net −1
“I can't believe this place is rated 4.8 on Google... Last month I was there with my family and ordered Pizza Margherita, Pizza Pepperoni and Caesar salad. Caesar salad was very average and both pizzas were just awful as they have them frozen and heat them up only.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“I can't believe this place is rated 4.8 on Google... Last month I was there with my family and ordered Pizza Margherita, Pizza Pepperoni and Caesar salad. Caesar salad was very average and both pizzas were just awful as they have them frozen and heat them up only.”March 2026
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Pizza pepperoni Net −1
“I can't believe this place is rated 4.8 on Google... Last month I was there with my family and ordered Pizza Margherita, Pizza Pepperoni and Caesar salad. Caesar salad was very average and both pizzas were just awful as they have them frozen and heat them up only.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“I can't believe this place is rated 4.8 on Google... Last month I was there with my family and ordered Pizza Margherita, Pizza Pepperoni and Caesar salad. Caesar salad was very average and both pizzas were just awful as they have them frozen and heat them up only.”March 2026
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Scallopini al limone Net −1
“Ordered the Scallopini al limone—apparently a “beef” dish, though the overcooked mystery meat slices made me wonder if I accidentally ordered grandma’s Sunday pork roast. When I asked about doneness, the waiter looked at me like I’d asked for unicorn meat. “Always well done,” he assured. Spoiler: it was done, alright.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Ordered the Scallopini al limone—apparently a “beef” dish, though the overcooked mystery meat slices made me wonder if I accidentally ordered grandma’s Sunday pork roast. When I asked about doneness, the waiter looked at me like I’d asked for unicorn meat. “Always well done,” he assured. Spoiler: it was done, alright.”April 2025
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Small bites Net −1
“I’m sorry, but to be honest, the food was not good at all. The Spaghetti Polpette was the worst pasta I’ve ever had in my life. The Small Bites tasted like defrosted frozen food and were unnecessarily salty. I tried ordering a variety of dishes, but unfortunately, none of them were enjoyable.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“I’m sorry, but to be honest, the food was not good at all. The Spaghetti Polpette was the worst pasta I’ve ever had in my life. The Small Bites tasted like defrosted frozen food and were unnecessarily salty. I tried ordering a variety of dishes, but unfortunately, none of them were enjoyable.”January 2025
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Spaghetti polpette Net −1
“I’m sorry, but to be honest, the food was not good at all. The Spaghetti Polpette was the worst pasta I’ve ever had in my life. The Small Bites tasted like defrosted frozen food and were unnecessarily salty. I tried ordering a variety of dishes, but unfortunately, none of them were enjoyable.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“I’m sorry, but to be honest, the food was not good at all. The Spaghetti Polpette was the worst pasta I’ve ever had in my life. The Small Bites tasted like defrosted frozen food and were unnecessarily salty. I tried ordering a variety of dishes, but unfortunately, none of them were enjoyable.”January 2025
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Caesar salad Net −2
“The Caesar salad was also below expectations in terms of quality and taste.”
Positive 0Negative 2
Critical review excerpts
“The Caesar salad was also below expectations in terms of quality and taste.”March 2026
“I can't believe this place is rated 4.8 on Google... Last month I was there with my family and ordered Pizza Margherita, Pizza Pepperoni and Caesar salad. Caesar salad was very average and both pizzas were just awful as they have them frozen and heat them up only.”March 2026
Tips for a Better Visit
Allow time. If you are on a schedule, visit outside busy periods or allow extra time: one review reports waits of 30 minutes or more.
Choose fresh. If freshly prepared food matters to you, consider ordering from the restaurant rather than choosing the buffet.
Check pizzas. Ask how the pizzas are prepared before ordering, as one reviewer said both were frozen and reheated.
Avoid peak noise. For a quieter meal, avoid crowded evening periods; one reviewer found the packed dining room very loud.
Expect light cocktails. Cocktails are available, but one review found them very light, so keep that expectation in mind when ordering.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Rose Rayhaan by Rotana - Sheikh Zayed Rd
Trade Center Second - DIFC, Dubai
| Mon | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Tue | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Wed | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Thu | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Fri | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Sat | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Sun | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
Common Concerns
Slow service
Several reviews report long waits, including food taking 30 minutes or more and one soup arriving after about 90 minutes.
Order delays
One diner waited over two and a half hours, with repeated forgotten requests and some orders never arriving.
Inconsistent cooking
A dinner review reported undercooked meat, an oily and mushy sweet potato, salty soup and a disappointing Caesar salad.
Frozen pizzas
One reviewer said the Margherita and Pepperoni pizzas were frozen and reheated rather than made in-house.
Noisy evenings
The space can become packed and loud, making it less comfortable for a quiet dinner.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
O’lio is a hotel restaurant in DIFC with an American-Italian fusion menu and an all-day dining format. You can come for the breakfast buffet, order dishes such as Beef Lasagna or Chicken Caesar Salad, or settle in for drinks including cocktails, beer and wine. The reviews suggest that breakfast and the broad choice of food are among its more dependable draws.
The setting is generally described as cozy, clean and relaxed, with music that suits an easy lunch or dinner. Families may appreciate the attentive touches reported by guests, including staff remembering a request for banana for an infant. The restaurant also welcomes diners who are not staying at the hotel.
Service is the strongest recurring positive, but timing is inconsistent. Some diners describe fast, professional attention, while others waited 30 minutes or more, had orders forgotten, or spent over two and a half hours waiting for a final meal. The food has a similar split: several guests found it fresh and delicious, while others reported undercooked meat, salty dishes or poor-quality pizza.
If you are in a hurry, visit outside busy periods; if you want a quiet meal, avoid crowded evenings. For freshness, some guests preferred ordering from the restaurant rather than the buffet.