Smooth shisha
Several reviewers rate the shisha highly, describing it as smooth and offering a broad choice of flavours.
OWL Cafe Dubai
Al Garhoud
OWL Cafe Dubai in Al Garhoud is a restaurant and shisha café with a relaxed, stylish setting. Reviews point to smooth shisha, varied Desi and Italian food, and a calm atmosphere suited to catching up with friends or settling in for a longer meal.
Reputation Score
4.7
★★★★★
215 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Calm setting
The café is repeatedly described as peaceful and quiet enough for conversation, without loud crowds or shouting.
Stylish interior
The black-themed interior, natural daylight and strong lighting make the café especially appealing for photos.
Varied food
Reviews mention a useful mix of Desi and Italian dishes, with fresh presentation and several memorable individual plates.
Welcoming service
Many customers describe the team as friendly, attentive and helpful, with service that makes group visits feel well looked after.
Group events
Customer reviews describe successful ladies’ kitty parties and other celebrations supported by the café team.
Ample parking
One review specifically notes that parking is ample, which is useful for drivers visiting with a group.
What to Eat at OWL Cafe Dubai 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 OWL Cafe Dubai, 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 OWL Cafe Dubai got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 3
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Lobster alfredo Net +1
“A friendly waiter dear Mr Abdullah recommended the Lobster Alfredo, and I must say it was absolutely delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“A friendly waiter dear Mr Abdullah recommended the Lobster Alfredo, and I must say it was absolutely delicious.”June 2024
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Seafood soup Net +1
“The seafood soup… honestly, mouthwatering doesn’t even do it justice. Deep, comforting, and layered with flavour, it tasted like the sea had been captured at its very best. Every spoonful was rich, fragrant, and incredibly satisfying — the kind of dish you think about long after you’ve left.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The seafood soup… honestly, mouthwatering doesn’t even do it justice. Deep, comforting, and layered with flavour, it tasted like the sea had been captured at its very best. Every spoonful was rich, fragrant, and incredibly satisfying — the kind of dish you think about long after you’ve left.”December 2025
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Taco salad Net +1
“The taco salad was fresh and perfectly seasoned, while the main dish chicken was tender and bursting with flavor.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The taco salad was fresh and perfectly seasoned, while the main dish chicken was tender and bursting with flavor.”November 2024
Tips for a Better Visit
Confirm fees. Ask about cover charges before booking a match night, especially after one customer reported a 75 AED viewing fee.
Check minimum. Confirm whether a minimum spend applies and whether it is per person; one booking review says the 100 AED requirement was not explained.
Verify screening. If football is the main reason for visiting, check the screen and broadcast arrangements first because one match stream repeatedly lagged.
Check orders. When ordering shisha, confirm the flavour when it arrives; one review says a wrong order was only adjusted rather than replaced.
Choose quiet. For an easy conversation over shisha, the café’s quieter atmosphere is a strong fit according to one visitor.
Plan parties. For a ladies’ gathering or celebration, discuss the seating and arrangements in advance rather than relying on the table setup on arrival.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Al Garhoud - Dubai
Al Garhoud, Dubai
| Mon | 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM |
| Tue | 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM |
| Wed | 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM |
| Thu | 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM |
| Fri | 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM |
| Sat | 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM |
| Sun | 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM |
Common Concerns
Match screening
One match-night visit reported a small screen, broadcast glitches every few seconds and channel changes before the match ended.
Extra charges
A customer objected to paying a 75 AED cover charge to watch a match, saying nearby spots did not charge one.
Minimum spend
A booking review says the 100 AED per-person minimum spend was not disclosed in advance.
Order errors
One match-night review says the shisha order was wrong and was not properly replaced after the issue was raised.
Table handling
A customer reported being asked to leave a table for another party, and said the manager handled the complaint poorly.
Customer-reported prices
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
75 AED
cover charge just to watch the match
“We paid a premium 75 AED cover charge just to watch the match here, a fee none of the neighboring spots charge and the experience was incredibly disappointing”Google review · June 2026
aed 100 per person
per person minimum spend
“The service was slow, we were not informed about the aed 100 per person minimum spend even though I called in advance to book”Google review · February 2025
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
OWL Cafe Dubai is a restaurant and shisha café in Al Garhoud, and the clearest reason to consider it is the combination of a calm, stylish setting with food and long, unhurried shisha sessions. Customers mention the Executive lunch offer, seafood soup, Lobster Alfredo and a varied Desi-Italian menu, so there is more to order than snacks alongside a hookah. The atmosphere is one of its strongest points.
Reviews describe a black-themed interior with natural daylight and photo-friendly lighting, while others value the quiet mood because it is easy to talk without loud crowds. Shisha receives particularly strong feedback for smooth quality and flavour choice. Ample parking was also noted, a useful detail for group visits.
Service is usually described as warm and attentive, and reviews cover birthdays and ladies’ kitty parties as well as casual meet-ups. Still, experiences are not completely consistent. One customer reported being moved from a table, while another described poor handling of a shisha mistake.
Food was called overpriced or merely okay by a few visitors, despite more enthusiastic reviews elsewhere. If you are coming for football, confirm the charges, seating and screening setup first: one match visit involved a 75 AED cover fee, a small lagging screen and weak mobile reception. Also ask about any minimum spend before booking.