Fusion Menu
The Russian-Arabic fusion includes Siberian touches, with reviewers praising its unusual flavour combinations and polished presentation.
Shishka Restaurant
Al Sufouh
Shishka Restaurant in Al Sufouh serves Russian-Arabic fusion cuisine with shisha in a waterside setting. Reviews point to standout dishes such as lamb kofta and Royal kabab, while the outdoor view and evening atmosphere add to the appeal when service runs smoothly.
Reputation Score
4.4
★★★★☆
268 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Lamb Kofta
The lamb kofta is a strong pick: one reviewer called it among the best they had tasted in Dubai, though the portion felt modest.
Shisha Choice
Shisha is a genuine part of the experience, with Grape & Mint and Double Apple specifically mentioned by customers.
Water Views
Outdoor tables can overlook the Madinat canal, giving the restaurant a particularly attractive setting for an evening meal.
Custom Dish
A manager prepared an off-menu dish for one guest, which the reviewer described as one of their most delicious Dubai meals.
Breakfast Croissant
The breakfast croissant received a specific thumbs-up, alongside a positive mention of the shisha.
What to Eat at Shishka 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 Shishka 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 Shishka Restaurant got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 10
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Lamb kofte Net +2
“I had the lamb kofte and it was the most delicious kofte I have tasted, with a side of rice which was great too.”
Positive 2Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I had the lamb kofte and it was the most delicious kofte I have tasted, with a side of rice which was great too.”June 2024
“I had one of the best Lamb Koftas I’ve ever had in Dubai. The vegetables and bread slices on the side made the dish even better. However, one more kofta skewer would have made me feel fuller.”August 2024
-
Croissant Net +1
“The breakfast was so good especially the croissant 🥐 ! The shisha was perfect ✨ But”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The breakfast was so good especially the croissant 🥐 ! The shisha was perfect ✨ But”January 2025
-
Honey cake Net +1
“Very nice Arabic fusion food with Siberian touch and flavour , Royal kabab is a must try and honey cake and napleon , Shisha is very good and very good value for money , and you can validate your parking token for free 3 hours parking”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Very nice Arabic fusion food with Siberian touch and flavour , Royal kabab is a must try and honey cake and napleon , Shisha is very good and very good value for money , and you can validate your parking token for free 3 hours parking”March 2024
-
Hummus Net +1
“Delicious hummus and muhamarra, a tinge with a difference.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Delicious hummus and muhamarra, a tinge with a difference.”November 2023
-
Island bora Net +1
“One of the drinks he made is now my new fave, their special tea, "Island Bora". Apparently, it's a healthy drink and great for your skin as well 😉. The rest of the staff were friendly and attentive making our night just super special. Definitely a "must try" new place in Dubai. Will definitely be coming back for more of that iced tea!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“One of the drinks he made is now my new fave, their special tea, "Island Bora". Apparently, it's a healthy drink and great for your skin as well 😉. The rest of the staff were friendly and attentive making our night just super special. Definitely a "must try" new place in Dubai. Will definitely be coming back for more of that iced tea!”October 2023
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Medovik Net +1
“I like the ambiance and the staff are very accommodating, they are very friendly and I ordered Medovik and Shisha "Double Apple" I had a very lovely evening the food was exceptional and the service was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it. We will make sure we plan our next “do” there again with my family. Thank you Shishka Restaurant.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I like the ambiance and the staff are very accommodating, they are very friendly and I ordered Medovik and Shisha "Double Apple" I had a very lovely evening the food was exceptional and the service was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it. We will make sure we plan our next “do” there again with my family. Thank you Shishka Restaurant.”December 2023
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Muhamarra Net +1
“Delicious hummus and muhamarra, a tinge with a difference.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Delicious hummus and muhamarra, a tinge with a difference.”November 2023
-
Napleon Net +1
“Very nice Arabic fusion food with Siberian touch and flavour , Royal kabab is a must try and honey cake and napleon , Shisha is very good and very good value for money , and you can validate your parking token for free 3 hours parking”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Very nice Arabic fusion food with Siberian touch and flavour , Royal kabab is a must try and honey cake and napleon , Shisha is very good and very good value for money , and you can validate your parking token for free 3 hours parking”March 2024
-
Pelmeni Net +1
“However, ordering not much cheap pelmeni, I found it a pity to get 8 pieces of dumplings sized less than my cat’s balls (and he is just a standard domestic guy). That’s not how we do it in Taiga, for sure. It was very tasty though, appreciate! 🙏”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“However, ordering not much cheap pelmeni, I found it a pity to get 8 pieces of dumplings sized less than my cat’s balls (and he is just a standard domestic guy). That’s not how we do it in Taiga, for sure. It was very tasty though, appreciate! 🙏”January 2025
-
Royal kabab Net +1
“Very nice Arabic fusion food with Siberian touch and flavour , Royal kabab is a must try and honey cake and napleon , Shisha is very good and very good value for money , and you can validate your parking token for free 3 hours parking”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Very nice Arabic fusion food with Siberian touch and flavour , Royal kabab is a must try and honey cake and napleon , Shisha is very good and very good value for money , and you can validate your parking token for free 3 hours parking”March 2024
What to Avoid (5)
Food 5
-
Breakfast offer Net −1
“Me and a friend went for the breakfast offer which includes 6 items/shisha We got only 4 items of what we ordered Eggs were cold Food wasnt fresh We couldn't touch half of it as it wasn't good”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Me and a friend went for the breakfast offer which includes 6 items/shisha We got only 4 items of what we ordered Eggs were cold Food wasnt fresh We couldn't touch half of it as it wasn't good”January 2025
-
Egg benedict Net −1
“Very poor food testing on my life, they bring dishes not as per our order, we ordered omlette but they bring normal scrupled egg and egg benedict, but bring without mushroom, they didn't put on the table two dishes the Grilled Halloumi and Cheesy Toast, Everything was delayed, and the service was poor overall.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Very poor food testing on my life, they bring dishes not as per our order, we ordered omlette but they bring normal scrupled egg and egg benedict, but bring without mushroom, they didn't put on the table two dishes the Grilled Halloumi and Cheesy Toast, Everything was delayed, and the service was poor overall.”February 2025
-
Eggs Net −1
“Eggs were cold Food wasnt fresh We couldn't touch half of it as it wasn't good”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Eggs were cold Food wasnt fresh We couldn't touch half of it as it wasn't good”January 2025
-
Iftar Net −1
“they advertised on social media for amazing iftar with delicate looking desserts and food, in reality it was so embarrassing experience as i had guests with me and everything was terrible away from kind service of stuff especially one morrocan lady i dont know her name”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“they advertised on social media for amazing iftar with delicate looking desserts and food, in reality it was so embarrassing experience as i had guests with me and everything was terrible away from kind service of stuff especially one morrocan lady i dont know her name”March 2025
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Iftar offer Net −2
“We went in yesterday for the “Iftar Offer”. The staff were very unfriendly. The food was not good. They had only two dishes available and when we asked about another beef dish other tables got and we didn’t, they said that the table next to us took all the beef. Everything was late to arrive and all the staff acted like they were forced to be there. They advertised an amazing spread of desserts and drinks, when in reality there was only some cakes and pudding and the only drink available was tamarind. Worst iftar experience so far, we had friends coming with us and we were so embarrassed by what we saw. literally false advertisement. If i could give zero stars, I would.”
Positive 0Negative 2
Critical review excerpts
“We went in yesterday for the “Iftar Offer”. The staff were very unfriendly. The food was not good. They had only two dishes available and when we asked about another beef dish other tables got and we didn’t, they said that the table next to us took all the beef. Everything was late to arrive and all the staff acted like they were forced to be there. They advertised an amazing spread of desserts and drinks, when in reality there was only some cakes and pudding and the only drink available was tamarind. Worst iftar experience so far, we had friends coming with us and we were so embarrassed by what we saw. literally false advertisement. If i could give zero stars, I would.”March 2025
“We booked the Iftar package for 12 March. When we arrived, it happened that our booking was not registered. The staff found a table for us, however. We had to wait for very long untill they offered us something to break the fast, long after iftar time. The set menu was very poor and scarce, the food was substandard and the waiters, although very polite, didn't know what they were doing and taking way too long.”March 2025
Tips for a Better Visit
Check Availability. Ask what is actually available before ordering, especially Uzbek Plov and other featured dishes, as items have sold out or been unavailable.
Confirm Iftar. If booking Iftar, confirm the reservation and the live menu in advance; guests reported unregistered bookings, late service and limited dishes.
Allow Time. Build in extra time for breakfast or busy meals. One party waited 52 minutes without receiving food.
Choose Outdoors. For the canal view, request outdoor seating, but check shade first because one visit found only a single shaded table.
Validate Parking. Ask about parking validation and the minimum bill before paying; one customer said a 90 AED bill did not qualify.
Check Order. When ordering a set or breakfast offer, check the dishes as they arrive: guests reported missing items, cold eggs and random substitutions.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Souk Madinat Jumeirah - Shop No 23
Al Sufouh 1, Dubai
Common Concerns
Service Delays
Several visits involved long waits, missing orders, or food arriving late; one breakfast table waited 52 minutes without being served.
Iftar Shortages
Iftar reviews report limited availability, late food, and a much smaller dessert and drinks selection than advertised.
Order Errors
Guests reported receiving random or incorrect dishes, including scrambled eggs instead of an omelette and missing menu items.
Small Portions
Portions can feel undersized: one guest found eight pelmeni very small, while another wanted an extra kofta skewer.
Added Charges
One customer objected to being charged for bread and considered the water charge high; many menu dishes were also unavailable.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Shishka Restaurant in Al Sufouh is a Russian-Arabic fusion restaurant with shisha and a waterside setting. The menu has drawn praise for lamb kofta, Royal kabab, Uzbek Plov when available, and desserts such as honey cake and Napoleon. It suits an evening meal or relaxed shisha stop, especially if you can get an outdoor table overlooking the canal.
The food can be excellent. Reviewers describe the lamb kofta as among the best they have tasted in Dubai, and several praise the flavour combinations, presentation and atmosphere. Breakfast also has a fan in the croissant, while shisha flavours mentioned include Grape & Mint and Double Apple.
An off-menu dish prepared for one guest was another memorable success. Service is the important caveat. Recent Iftar visits reported unregistered bookings, late food, limited dishes and a dessert-and-drinks selection that did not match the advertising.
Other guests received incomplete or incorrect orders, and one breakfast party waited 52 minutes without being served. Check availability, confirm your booking and allow extra time. Parking validation also deserves a question at the start: one reviewer said a 90 AED bill did not qualify.