Syrian Food
Reviews highlight authentic Syrian cooking, including tender pistachio kibbeh, mixed grills, hummus with meat and fresh mezze.
Sarooja
Dubai Marina
Sarooja is a Syrian-Arabic restaurant and café in Dubai Marina, with indoor and outdoor seating, traditional interiors and evening entertainment. It is known in reviews for hearty breakfasts and Syrian dishes, plus shisha for those looking to linger.
Reputation Score
4.2
★★★★☆
2,659 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Iftar Buffet
The Ramadan buffet is repeatedly praised for variety, including lentil soup, fattoush, spinach pastries, mandi, desserts and Em Ali.
Shisha Lounge
Shisha is a major draw, with several reviews praising its flavour and describing it as suitable for a relaxed late-night visit.
Live Music
Evening live music and entertainment add energy to the traditional setting, though the atmosphere can become lively later at night.
Outdoor Seating
The outdoor area gives diners a breezy place to sit with city views, while indoor seating offers the restaurant's decorated Syrian-style interior.
Breakfast Variety
Breakfast can be substantial, with one recent visitor describing a wide selection and another making it a regular Saturday morning habit.
Valet Parking
Several reviews mention free valet parking, which is useful given comments that finding the entrance and parking can otherwise be confusing.
What to Eat at Sarooja 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 Sarooja, this list is based on 50 reviews, not every review of the restaurant. We still have more reviews to analyze, so the scores may change. 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 Sarooja, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
Food 4
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Iftar buffet Net +4
“Very nice experience, Iftar buffet was elaborate and delicious. Staff was generous and helpful. Live music added to the liveliness of the place, worth every penny.”
Positive 4Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Very nice experience, Iftar buffet was elaborate and delicious. Staff was generous and helpful. Live music added to the liveliness of the place, worth every penny.”March 2024
“Iftar buffet was delicious, Very nice experience.”April 2024
-
Fattoush salad Net +2
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”March 2024
“I tried the fattoush salad, was really good and great portion too, a mixed grill platter with hot bread, hummus, etc, everything tasted so good, we were really impressed.”May 2022
-
Hot chocolate Net +2
“Hot chocolate was highlight for us too.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Hot chocolate was highlight for us too.”April 2024
“Ohhh plus their kunafa and hot chocolate is a must-try 🥳”May 2024
-
Iftar Net +2
“I like new management every thing was really good and price was really reasonable just 119 full iftar +shisha And also suhor”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I like new management every thing was really good and price was really reasonable just 119 full iftar +shisha And also suhor”March 2024
“Amazing experience, food is tasty, service team very friendly and professional, really best iftar I had in Dubai i, extremely recommended restaurant, thanks👍”April 2023
Honorable mentions (15)
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Em ali Net +1
“Visited Saruja for Iftar and had a great experience! The 99 AED buffet offered a very good variety of delicious food. I particularly enjoyed the desserts and fruits especially the Em Ali. The price is great, especially considering the quality of the food. Definitely recommend trying the Iftar buffet for 99 AED, or 119 AED for Iftar with Shisha. Great value for money!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Visited Saruja for Iftar and had a great experience! The 99 AED buffet offered a very good variety of delicious food. I particularly enjoyed the desserts and fruits especially the Em Ali. The price is great, especially considering the quality of the food. Definitely recommend trying the Iftar buffet for 99 AED, or 119 AED for Iftar with Shisha. Great value for money!”March 2024
-
Hummus Net +1
“I tried the fattoush salad, was really good and great portion too, a mixed grill platter with hot bread, hummus, etc, everything tasted so good, we were really impressed.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I tried the fattoush salad, was really good and great portion too, a mixed grill platter with hot bread, hummus, etc, everything tasted so good, we were really impressed.”May 2022
-
Humus with meat Net +1
“Food is truly delicious there. My fav dish is Mix grill, steak, and humus with meat. Highly recommended to try. U mush try their shisha as well.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food is truly delicious there. My fav dish is Mix grill, steak, and humus with meat. Highly recommended to try. U mush try their shisha as well.”April 2024
-
Kibbeh Net +1
“really authentic syrian food , the kibbeh was amazing with pistachio inside, the meat was so tender it melts in your mouth , highly recomanded”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“really authentic syrian food , the kibbeh was amazing with pistachio inside, the meat was so tender it melts in your mouth , highly recomanded”October 2021
-
Lentil soup Net +1
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”March 2024
-
Mandi Net +1
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”March 2024
-
Mix grill Net +1
“Food is truly delicious there. My fav dish is Mix grill, steak, and humus with meat. Highly recommended to try. U mush try their shisha as well.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food is truly delicious there. My fav dish is Mix grill, steak, and humus with meat. Highly recommended to try. U mush try their shisha as well.”April 2024
-
Mixed grill platter Net +1
“I tried the fattoush salad, was really good and great portion too, a mixed grill platter with hot bread, hummus, etc, everything tasted so good, we were really impressed.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I tried the fattoush salad, was really good and great portion too, a mixed grill platter with hot bread, hummus, etc, everything tasted so good, we were really impressed.”May 2022
-
Mtabal Net +1
“We tried almost everything Shawrma was good, mashawee were excellent, mtabal was excellent, tabouleh was poor and not fresh at all.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We tried almost everything Shawrma was good, mashawee were excellent, mtabal was excellent, tabouleh was poor and not fresh at all.”January 2020
-
Shawrma Net +1
“We tried almost everything Shawrma was good, mashawee were excellent, mtabal was excellent, tabouleh was poor and not fresh at all.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We tried almost everything Shawrma was good, mashawee were excellent, mtabal was excellent, tabouleh was poor and not fresh at all.”January 2020
-
Spinach pastries Net +1
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”March 2024
-
Steak Net +1
“Food is truly delicious there. My fav dish is Mix grill, steak, and humus with meat. Highly recommended to try. U mush try their shisha as well.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food is truly delicious there. My fav dish is Mix grill, steak, and humus with meat. Highly recommended to try. U mush try their shisha as well.”April 2024
-
Theri business lunch Net +1
“I tried theri business lunch..the service was good..absolutely love the ambience and interior of the restaurant.food was good too..”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I tried theri business lunch..the service was good..absolutely love the ambience and interior of the restaurant.food was good too..”April 2024
-
Warag 3enab Net +1
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Some of my favorites were the lentil Soup, warag 3enab, fattoush salad, spinach pastries and loved the mandi! 😍”March 2024
-
Kunafa Net 0
Mixed feedback
“Ohhh plus their kunafa and hot chocolate is a must-try 🥳”
Positive 1Negative 1
Review excerpts
“Ohhh plus their kunafa and hot chocolate is a must-try 🥳”May 2024
Drinks 1
-
Turkish coffee Net +1
“Definitely recommended for tourists groups to visit. This place has an amazing vibe, best Turkish coffee & life music ... 🫶”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Definitely recommended for tourists groups to visit. This place has an amazing vibe, best Turkish coffee & life music ... 🫶”October 2024
What to Avoid (2)
Food 2
-
Sahoor menu Net −1
“Went for sahoor, didn’t enjoy the food that much but the vibe of the place and the live music and lively ambiance was fun. Probably have better food on the menu just the sahoor menu wasn’t all that impressive.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Went for sahoor, didn’t enjoy the food that much but the vibe of the place and the live music and lively ambiance was fun. Probably have better food on the menu just the sahoor menu wasn’t all that impressive.”May 2022
-
Tabouleh Net −1
“We tried almost everything Shawrma was good, mashawee were excellent, mtabal was excellent, tabouleh was poor and not fresh at all.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“We tried almost everything Shawrma was good, mashawee were excellent, mtabal was excellent, tabouleh was poor and not fresh at all.”January 2020
Tips for a Better Visit
Choose Timing. For a quieter meal, consider going before 11:30, since one review says the DJ makes the venue very noisy afterwards.
Clarify Seating. If you avoid smoke, confirm the seating policy when you arrive; a promised non-smoking area was reportedly not enforced.
Try Business Lunch. The business lunch is a practical daytime option; reviews describe large portions and a meal with rice, fattoush, an Arabic dish and lentil soup.
Check Bill. Keep an eye on checkout and retain your payment confirmation, as one diner reported confusion when the bill was handled by shisha staff.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Sarooja, SkyView Tower
Marsa Dubai - Dubai Marina, Dubai
Common Concerns
Portion Dispute
One customer paid over 200 AED for a cheese plate advertised as serving three but said the portion was far too small.
Late Noise
A review warns that the venue becomes very noisy after 11:30 when the DJ starts, which may not suit a quiet meal.
Dish Inconsistency
Food feedback is mixed: one reviewer called the kunafah horrible, while another found tabouleh poor and not fresh.
Smoking Boundaries
Smoke-free seating has not always been enforced; one diner said guests smoked beside a table that staff had identified as non-smoking.
Customer-reported prices
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
40 aed
business package
“Great place, lovely food and they have amazing business package for 40 aed”Google review · April 2024
99 aed
Iftar
“Iftar is for 99 aed without shisha and 119 with shisha”Google review · April 2024
69 aed
Suhoor with shisha
“Suhoor only 69 aed with shisha and 49 without”Google review · April 2024
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Sarooja is a Syrian-Arabic restaurant and café in Dubai Marina, worth considering when you want a full meal that can stretch into a late evening with shisha and live music. Reviews specifically mention mixed grills, pistachio kibbeh, hummus with meat, Syrian breakfast and an extensive mezze-style spread. Indoor and outdoor seating lets you choose between the decorated interior and a breezier open-air table.
The Ramadan offers received especially strong feedback. The 99 AED Iftar buffet was praised for its variety, including lentil soup, fattoush, spinach pastries, mandi, desserts and Em Ali; reviewers also mentioned 119 AED with shisha. Suhoor was reported at 49 or 69 AED depending on the option.
A business lunch and a 49 AED drink-and-shisha package were also mentioned. There are a few practical caveats. The DJ can make the restaurant very noisy after 11:30, and food quality is not completely consistent: one reviewer disliked the kunafah and another found the tabouleh poor and not fresh.
A separate complaint described a tiny cheese portion for a supposedly three-person dish costing over 200 AED. If you do not smoke, confirm your seating, as one non-smoking-area promise was reportedly not enforced. Free valet parking is repeatedly mentioned, but watch for the side turn.
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