Truffle Pasta
Fresh pasta with truffle is repeatedly singled out, with one diner calling it “amazing.”
Scalini Cucina
Downtown Dubai
Scalini Cucina is an Italian restaurant in Downtown Dubai, described as a colazione, pizzeria and trattoria. Reviews highlight it as a useful stop for breakfast shakshouka or an Italian dinner, with truffle pasta among the dishes that receive the most specific praise.
Reputation Score
4.6
★★★★★
755 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Lobster Pasta
The lobster pasta is described as creamy, well-seasoned and cooked to perfection.
Crisp Pizza
The pizza crust stands out for being especially crisp and light, while the Diavola also earns strong praise.
Breakfast
Breakfast gets a specific vote for shakshouka, an Americano and a calm atmosphere with soft music.
Family Friendly
Families can request the restaurant’s large teddy bears for children, and there is a dedicated kids’ menu.
Sharing Portions
One review found the appetizer, pizza and pasta portions suitable for sharing.
Italian Setting
Blue accents, warm wood and a central lemon tree give the dining room a distinctive Italian-style setting.
What to Eat at Scalini Cucina 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 Scalini Cucina, 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 Scalini Cucina got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 3
-
Diavola pizza Net +2
“I can safely say that their Diavola pizza is one of the top Diavola pizzas we have ever had.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I can safely say that their Diavola pizza is one of the top Diavola pizzas we have ever had.”May 2026
“Recommend- Diavola, Burrata, Tiramisu, Gelato”January 2025
-
Tiramisu Net +2
“To top it all off, the tiramisu was spectacular—light, creamy, and just the right amount of sweetness.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“To top it all off, the tiramisu was spectacular—light, creamy, and just the right amount of sweetness.”October 2024
“Recommend- Diavola, Burrata, Tiramisu, Gelato”January 2025
-
Truffle pasta Net +2
“Let’s talk about the truffle pasta — truly on another level. It’s insane how good it is; easily one of the best I’ve ever tried, if not the best.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Let’s talk about the truffle pasta — truly on another level. It’s insane how good it is; easily one of the best I’ve ever tried, if not the best.”October 2025
“Fresh pasta with truffle was amazing”December 2025
Honorable mentions (24)
-
Avocado with lobster Net +1
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”December 2024
-
Burrata Net +1
“Recommend- Diavola, Burrata, Tiramisu, Gelato”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Recommend- Diavola, Burrata, Tiramisu, Gelato”January 2025
-
Chicken milanese Net +1
“An excellent Chicken Milanese, perfectly al dente Salmon Farfalle. The truffle parmasean also fantastic!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“An excellent Chicken Milanese, perfectly al dente Salmon Farfalle. The truffle parmasean also fantastic!”May 2026
-
Eggless bread Net +1
“They serve eggless bread which was a delight for me being a strict vegetarian”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They serve eggless bread which was a delight for me being a strict vegetarian”January 2025
-
Fried calamari Net +1
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”December 2024
-
Fried zucchini Net +1
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”December 2024
-
Gelato Net +1
“Recommend- Diavola, Burrata, Tiramisu, Gelato”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Recommend- Diavola, Burrata, Tiramisu, Gelato”January 2025
-
Lemon croissant Net +1
“I had a fantastic breakfast, starting with scrambled eggs topped with truffles and a delicious lemon croissant, all finished off with a perfect cup of espresso.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had a fantastic breakfast, starting with scrambled eggs topped with truffles and a delicious lemon croissant, all finished off with a perfect cup of espresso.”September 2024
-
Lobster pasta Net +1
“And their lobster pasta? A masterpiece. It’s the kind of dish you can never go wrong with — creamy, perfectly seasoned, and simply unforgettable.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“And their lobster pasta? A masterpiece. It’s the kind of dish you can never go wrong with — creamy, perfectly seasoned, and simply unforgettable.”October 2025
-
Panzanella tuna salad Net +1
“Panzanella Tuna salad is a great light option to start with.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Panzanella Tuna salad is a great light option to start with.”May 2026
-
Pink sauce pasta Net +1
“Unfortunately, not many choices for the kids but my kids really love the Pink Sauce pasta.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Unfortunately, not many choices for the kids but my kids really love the Pink Sauce pasta.”May 2026
-
Pistachio french toast Net +1
“Definitely coming back for the Pistachio French Toast!! It was absolutely delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Definitely coming back for the Pistachio French Toast!! It was absolutely delicious.”December 2024
-
Pollo alla cacciatora Net +1
“The Pollo Alla Cacciatora is one of the best chicken dishes ever albeit it lacks of any sides. I wish they could also offer a boneless option but still one of the tastest chicken sauces.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The Pollo Alla Cacciatora is one of the best chicken dishes ever albeit it lacks of any sides. I wish they could also offer a boneless option but still one of the tastest chicken sauces.”May 2026
-
Risotto Net +1
“The Risotto I ordered is cooked to perfection.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The Risotto I ordered is cooked to perfection.”January 2025
-
Risotto with shrimps and zucchine Net +1
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”December 2024
-
Risotto with zucchini Net +1
“We ordered pizza margarita, salmon and the risotto with zucchini. Everything was tasty and super fresh. The pizza crust was the star of the show it was super crispy and light.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We ordered pizza margarita, salmon and the risotto with zucchini. Everything was tasty and super fresh. The pizza crust was the star of the show it was super crispy and light.”June 2025
-
Salmon farfalle Net +1
“An excellent Chicken Milanese, perfectly al dente Salmon Farfalle. The truffle parmasean also fantastic!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“An excellent Chicken Milanese, perfectly al dente Salmon Farfalle. The truffle parmasean also fantastic!”May 2026
-
Scrambled eggs topped with truffles Net +1
“I had a fantastic breakfast, starting with scrambled eggs topped with truffles and a delicious lemon croissant, all finished off with a perfect cup of espresso.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had a fantastic breakfast, starting with scrambled eggs topped with truffles and a delicious lemon croissant, all finished off with a perfect cup of espresso.”September 2024
-
Shakshouka Net +1
“For breakfast, I had shakshouka and an Americano coffee, and honestly, everything was just perfect.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“For breakfast, I had shakshouka and an Americano coffee, and honestly, everything was just perfect.”April 2026
-
Spaghetti lobster Net +1
“I ordered the spaghetti lobster and it was extremely divine.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I ordered the spaghetti lobster and it was extremely divine.”November 2024
-
Spaghetti with lobster Net +1
“The spaghetti with lobster was a standout as well, cooked to perfection and just the way I love it.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The spaghetti with lobster was a standout as well, cooked to perfection and just the way I love it.”October 2024
-
Tagliatelle alla bolognese Net +1
“The food was amazing, we had the Tagliolini Al Tartufo Nero & Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese and it was very delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food was amazing, we had the Tagliolini Al Tartufo Nero & Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese and it was very delicious.”February 2026
-
Tagliolini al tartufo nero Net +1
“The food was amazing, we had the Tagliolini Al Tartufo Nero & Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese and it was very delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food was amazing, we had the Tagliolini Al Tartufo Nero & Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese and it was very delicious.”February 2026
-
Truffle parmasean Net +1
“An excellent Chicken Milanese, perfectly al dente Salmon Farfalle. The truffle parmasean also fantastic!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“An excellent Chicken Milanese, perfectly al dente Salmon Farfalle. The truffle parmasean also fantastic!”May 2026
Drinks 3
-
Americano coffee Net +1
“For breakfast, I had shakshouka and an Americano coffee, and honestly, everything was just perfect.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“For breakfast, I had shakshouka and an Americano coffee, and honestly, everything was just perfect.”April 2026
-
Espresso Net +1
“I had a fantastic breakfast, starting with scrambled eggs topped with truffles and a delicious lemon croissant, all finished off with a perfect cup of espresso.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had a fantastic breakfast, starting with scrambled eggs topped with truffles and a delicious lemon croissant, all finished off with a perfect cup of espresso.”September 2024
-
Pizza margarita Net +1
“We ordered pizza margarita, salmon and the risotto with zucchini. Everything was tasty and super fresh. The pizza crust was the star of the show it was super crispy and light.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We ordered pizza margarita, salmon and the risotto with zucchini. Everything was tasty and super fresh. The pizza crust was the star of the show it was super crispy and light.”June 2025
What to Avoid (1)
Food 1
-
Chicken cotoletta Net −1
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The food is nice, and the ingredients good: me and my friends we tried one avocado with lobster 🦞, chicken cotoletta, asparagus, risotto with shrimps and zucchine, fried calamari 🦑 and as starter the staff offered us a selection of bread and fried zucchini. Everything tasted good, the flavors were intense, except for the cotoletta that is not very similar to the Italian one.”December 2024
Tips for a Better Visit
Share Dishes. Consider sharing appetizers, pizza and pasta; one review found those portions suitable for the table.
Try Breakfast. For a quieter morning-style visit, consider breakfast: shakshouka and an Americano were specifically praised.
Check Menu. Check the available menu before ordering if you have a favourite from the other branch; this location may have fewer choices.
Expect Noise. If conversation matters, bear in mind that the mall foot traffic can make the restaurant noisy.
Ask First. For special additions such as truffle oil, confirm that the kitchen can accommodate the request before ordering.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Financial Ctr St - opposite Dubai Waterfall
Burj Khalifa - Downtown Dubai, Dubai
| Mon | 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM |
| Tue | 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM |
| Wed | 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM |
| Thu | 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM |
| Fri | 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM |
| Sat | 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM |
| Sun | 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM |
Common Concerns
Limited Menu
The Downtown Dubai branch does not carry the full menu available at the other branch.
Mall Noise
The open mall setting can be noisy because of people walking past.
High Prices
One diner considered the restaurant overpriced, while another reported dishes at around €30–40 or more.
Main Courses
A negative review found the antipasti stronger than the mains, describing several main dishes as bland.
Customization
A request to add truffle oil to carpaccio was refused, and the dish was still charged.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Scalini Cucina is an Italian restaurant in Downtown Dubai with a menu that spans breakfast, pizza, pasta and classic dishes. The clearest reasons to consider it are the truffle pasta, lobster pasta and Diavola pizza, while breakfast has its own following for shakshouka and an Americano. Portions of the appetizers, pizza and pasta can work well for sharing.
The setting leans elegant but family-friendly. Reviews mention comfortable couches, soft music, a central lemon tree and teddy bears placed beside children. That makes it workable for a family meal as well as a polished lunch or dinner.
The open mall environment is also the main atmosphere-related drawback: one visitor found it really noisy because of passing foot traffic. Service is usually described as attentive, quick and welcoming, but one recent visit raises a useful caution about flexibility. A request for truffle oil on carpaccio was refused and the dish was still charged.
The branch also does not have the full menu available at the other location, so check what is offered if you are visiting for a particular dish. Pricing may feel high; one review called it overpriced, and another put dishes at around €30–40 or more.