Fountain Views
Outdoor tables look towards the DFC water fountain and waterfront, giving the meal a scenic setting.
Semsom, Lebanese Cuisine
Dubai Festival City
Semsom is a Lebanese restaurant in Dubai Festival City serving familiar dishes with a modern twist. Customers come for plates such as fatteh and hummus, alongside waterfront outdoor seating, fountain views and a separate smoking area for shisha.
Reputation Score
4.5
★★★★★
2,396 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Strong Fatteh
Fatteh is a standout for several diners, with one returning guest especially praising the meat version and its generous quantity.
Hummus Trio
The Trio hummus is a memorable mezze choice; one reviewer called it the best hummus they had eaten in 20 years in the Middle East.
Shisha Area
There is a dedicated smoking or shisha space, and multiple reviews describe the shisha as smooth, flavorful and satisfying.
Quiet Breakfast
Breakfast can be a calm daytime visit, with a special smoking hall and a quieter atmosphere than the evening period.
Fresh Tabbouleh
The tabbouleh has been praised as especially fresh, while the menu also includes less usual ideas such as cauliflower hummus.
What to Eat at Semsom, Lebanese Cuisine 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 Semsom, Lebanese Cuisine, 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.
Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Semsom, Lebanese Cuisine, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
Food 3
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Kebabs Net +3
“The food is good but need some improvement especially the barbecue dishes such as Shish Tawouk and Kabab.”
Positive 3Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food is good but need some improvement especially the barbecue dishes such as Shish Tawouk and Kabab.”February 2026
“After a lot of debate, I went with fatteh, kebabs and arayes. All the dishes were excellent with good quantity and quality.”November 2025
-
Arayes Net +2
“After a lot of debate, I went with fatteh, kebabs and arayes. All the dishes were excellent with good quantity and quality. I was particularly a fan of the fatteh and the arayes.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“After a lot of debate, I went with fatteh, kebabs and arayes. All the dishes were excellent with good quantity and quality. I was particularly a fan of the fatteh and the arayes.”November 2025
“Reasonably priced shisha and Levant cuisine. I like the Arayes and Hummus + the iced raspberry flavoured Shisha (indoors). Looking forward to bringing my friends here. Unfortunately you cannot play your own boardgames and they don't have a selection of games. Great service and it's clean. They got new shishas!”November 2022
-
Fatteh Net +2
“The food was good especially the fatteh! but some of the meats were a bit dry, usually they are better..”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food was good especially the fatteh! but some of the meats were a bit dry, usually they are better..”May 2025
“After a lot of debate, I went with fatteh, kebabs and arayes. All the dishes were excellent with good quantity and quality. I was particularly a fan of the fatteh and the arayes.”November 2025
Honorable mentions (18)
-
Cauliflower hummus Net +1
“Flavourful Lebanese dishes, some with a nice twist like the cauliflower hummus.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Flavourful Lebanese dishes, some with a nice twist like the cauliflower hummus.”February 2025
-
Cheese kunafa Net +1
“One of the highlights was their coffee and the variety of desserts — whether the cheese kunafa or the dish I shared a photo of but can’t recall its name.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“One of the highlights was their coffee and the variety of desserts — whether the cheese kunafa or the dish I shared a photo of but can’t recall its name.”February 2026
-
Chicken liver Net +1
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”February 2026
-
Chicken taouk Net +1
“Chicken taouk was so tender, perfect flavours.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Chicken taouk was so tender, perfect flavours.”April 2021
-
Fresh bread Net +1
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”February 2026
-
Fresh juices Net +1
“Food quality and taste is good. Portions are good for 1 person. Little pricey but fine with entertainer deal. Kebab and tikka was juicy and tender. Fresh juices were prepared as per request. Ambiance was nice and cozy. Area of quite spacious and sepearte smoking / sheesha hall.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food quality and taste is good. Portions are good for 1 person. Little pricey but fine with entertainer deal. Kebab and tikka was juicy and tender. Fresh juices were prepared as per request. Ambiance was nice and cozy. Area of quite spacious and sepearte smoking / sheesha hall.”November 2024
-
Hummus Net +1
“Reasonably priced shisha and Levant cuisine. I like the Arayes and Hummus + the iced raspberry flavoured Shisha (indoors). Looking forward to bringing my friends here. Unfortunately you cannot play your own boardgames and they don't have a selection of games. Great service and it's clean. They got new shishas!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Reasonably priced shisha and Levant cuisine. I like the Arayes and Hummus + the iced raspberry flavoured Shisha (indoors). Looking forward to bringing my friends here. Unfortunately you cannot play your own boardgames and they don't have a selection of games. Great service and it's clean. They got new shishas!”November 2022
-
Iftar meal Net +1
“Our visit for an iftar meal for two provided a generous quantity of food, easily sufficient for four individuals. Each dish presented an authentic Lebanese flavor profile.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Our visit for an iftar meal for two provided a generous quantity of food, easily sufficient for four individuals. Each dish presented an authentic Lebanese flavor profile.”March 2026
-
Meat skewers Net +1
“I had the meat skewers AED 84, it was tender, soft and delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had the meat skewers AED 84, it was tender, soft and delicious.”September 2025
-
Mixed grill platter Net +1
“Portions are quite small compared to the price — the mixed grill platter shown in the image costs 83, which doesn’t feel worth it.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Portions are quite small compared to the price — the mixed grill platter shown in the image costs 83, which doesn’t feel worth it.”April 2026
-
Rice with meat Net +1
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”February 2026
-
Shish tawouk Net +1
“The food is good but need some improvement especially the barbecue dishes such as Shish Tawouk and Kabab.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food is good but need some improvement especially the barbecue dishes such as Shish Tawouk and Kabab.”February 2026
-
Spicy potatoes Net +1
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We tried the spicy potatoes, rice with meat, and chicken liver, along with their delicious fresh bread.”February 2026
-
Tikka Net +1
“Food quality and taste is good. Portions are good for 1 person. Little pricey but fine with entertainer deal. Kebab and tikka was juicy and tender. Fresh juices were prepared as per request. Ambiance was nice and cozy. Area of quite spacious and sepearte smoking / sheesha hall.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food quality and taste is good. Portions are good for 1 person. Little pricey but fine with entertainer deal. Kebab and tikka was juicy and tender. Fresh juices were prepared as per request. Ambiance was nice and cozy. Area of quite spacious and sepearte smoking / sheesha hall.”November 2024
-
Taboulah Net 0
Mixed feedback
“Tabbouleh is super fresh too.”
Positive 1Negative 1
Review excerpts
“Tabbouleh is super fresh too.”February 2025
-
Batata harra Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“We ordered Eggplant Fatteh, Kafta, and Batata Harra. The food tasted good while we were eating it, and there were no immediate concerns. However, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour after the meal, both my sister and I developed severe symptoms including vomiting, stomach pain, and constipation, which became serious enough that we had to go to the hospital for medical treatment. We are not making any conclusions about the cause, but we wanted to bring this matter to your attention as both of us became ill shortly after eating the same meal. We hope you will investigate the food preparation and quality controls to ensure the safety of your customers.”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
-
Eggplant fatteh Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“We ordered Eggplant Fatteh, Kafta, and Batata Harra. The food tasted good while we were eating it, and there were no immediate concerns. However, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour after the meal, both my sister and I developed severe symptoms including vomiting, stomach pain, and constipation, which became serious enough that we had to go to the hospital for medical treatment. We are not making any conclusions about the cause, but we wanted to bring this matter to your attention as both of us became ill shortly after eating the same meal. We hope you will investigate the food preparation and quality controls to ensure the safety of your customers.”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
-
Kafta Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“We ordered Eggplant Fatteh, Kafta, and Batata Harra. The food tasted good while we were eating it, and there were no immediate concerns. However, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour after the meal, both my sister and I developed severe symptoms including vomiting, stomach pain, and constipation, which became serious enough that we had to go to the hospital for medical treatment. We are not making any conclusions about the cause, but we wanted to bring this matter to your attention as both of us became ill shortly after eating the same meal. We hope you will investigate the food preparation and quality controls to ensure the safety of your customers.”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
Drinks 1
-
Coffee Net +1
“One of the highlights was their coffee and the variety of desserts — whether the cheese kunafa or the dish I shared a photo of but can’t recall its name.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“One of the highlights was their coffee and the variety of desserts — whether the cheese kunafa or the dish I shared a photo of but can’t recall its name.”February 2026
What to Avoid (3)
Food 3
-
Fateh with meat Net −1
“Fateh with meat came in 5 min too much oil inside but as a presentation and plating was cool”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Fateh with meat came in 5 min too much oil inside but as a presentation and plating was cool”January 2026
-
Fattoush Net −1
“Their fattoush is very poor, full of lettuce, barely 2 mints, no dressing, just little oil.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Their fattoush is very poor, full of lettuce, barely 2 mints, no dressing, just little oil.”August 2025
-
Shawarma sandwich Net −1
“I ordered shawarma as a sandwich but it was a bit salty.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“I ordered shawarma as a sandwich but it was a bit salty.”December 2023
Tips for a Better Visit
Go Daytime. Try lunch or breakfast for a calmer visit; one review says evenings can become busy and hectic.
Check Seating. Ask which tables are non-smoking before settling in, especially if you want the waterfront side.
Use Deals. If the pricing feels steep, check whether an Entertainer deal applies; one diner found it helped manage the bill.
Share Dishes. For iftar, sharing may make sense: one meal for two was described as generous enough for four people.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Dubai Festival City Mall, Ground Floor, Festival Waterfront P.O.B.o.x 3139
Al Kheeran - Dubai Festival City, Dubai
| Mon | 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Tue | 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Wed | 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Thu | 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Fri | 9:00 AM – 1:00 AM |
| Sat | 9:00 AM – 1:00 AM |
| Sun | 9:00 AM – 1:00 AM |
Common Concerns
High Prices
Several diners felt the bill was high for the portions, including an AED 84 meat-skewer plate described as too small.
Service Swings
Service is inconsistent: some visits are attentive, while others involve repeated calls for one request or ignored requests.
Smoking Layout
Much of the waterfront seating is reported to be shisha seating, leaving limited non-smoking space with fountain views.
Uneven Dishes
Reviews are mixed on execution: barbecue dishes were said to need improvement, while another diner found the fattoush and liver very poor.
Health Concern
One review reported vomiting and stomach pain after a shared meal, while explicitly saying the diners were not concluding that the restaurant caused it.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Semsom is a Lebanese restaurant in Dubai Festival City built around relaxed meals, shisha and waterfront views. The most useful orders mentioned by customers include fatteh, the Trio hummus, arayes and grilled dishes; the restaurant also has outdoor seating facing the fountain and a separate smoking area. The food has genuine highlights.
Fatteh and hummus receive especially strong praise, while tabbouleh, spicy potatoes, chicken liver, kunafa and other mezze have also impressed diners. Breakfast is described as quiet, and an iftar meal for two was reportedly generous enough for four. The setting works for family gatherings, daytime celebrations and a slower evening drink or shisha session.
There are important trade-offs. Several reviews say prices feel high for the portions, with one AED 84 meat-skewer plate described as too small. Service ranges from warm and attentive to slow or inattentive, and evening visits can become hectic.
Non-smoking waterfront seating may be limited, so ask about table placement before ordering. Grill quality and individual dishes are also inconsistent across reviews, making the view, atmosphere and shisha a more reliable draw than every item on the menu.