Seafood spread
The brunch buffet includes cold seafood, live seafood cooking, hot seafood dishes and a seafood bucket with sauces.
Spice Island
Al Muteena
Spice Island is an international buffet restaurant in Al Muteena, with brunches, dinner buffets and live cooking stations. Reviews point especially to the seafood spread and the Mongolian grill, where shrimp and lobster are cooked to order.
Reputation Score
4.5
★★★★★
2,563 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Mongolian grill
The Mongolian station is a strong draw, with one reviewer highlighting Chef Mustaq’s signature Mongolian lobster.
Live entertainment
Weekend buffet visits can include live singers, bands, saxophone and jazz, creating a lively dining setting.
Family space
The spacious restaurant has a kids activity area outside and was used successfully for a private birthday party of more than 100 guests.
Event support
For a baby shower, the restaurant added a partition to provide the group with more privacy.
Parking
Basement parking is available, including for large private celebrations.
What to Eat at Spice Island 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 Spice Island, 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.
These items at Spice Island got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 10
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Birthday cake Net +1
“Chef Stanley surprised us with a beautiful birthday cake that my Dad loved.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Chef Stanley surprised us with a beautiful birthday cake that my Dad loved.”May 2026
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Cheese cake Net +1
“The desserts looked amazing. The cheese cake & tart were the best.but the others 👎”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The desserts looked amazing. The cheese cake & tart were the best.but the others 👎”October 2025
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Fresh sashimi Net +1
“The variety and quality of the food were outstanding, especially the premium sushi rolls, maki, and fresh sashimi, alongside the perfectly prepared lobster and juicy shrimp.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The variety and quality of the food were outstanding, especially the premium sushi rolls, maki, and fresh sashimi, alongside the perfectly prepared lobster and juicy shrimp.”June 2026
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Fried fish Net +1
“Lobsters and fried fish are the most amazing.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Lobsters and fried fish are the most amazing.”July 2023
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Grill lobster Net +1
“Amazing service,foods&ambience here in Spice Island.Their steak and grill lobster was delicious. Special thanks to their friendly and accommodating staff Mr Harvy, Angelica&Leonie.We will definitely come back.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Amazing service,foods&ambience here in Spice Island.Their steak and grill lobster was delicious. Special thanks to their friendly and accommodating staff Mr Harvy, Angelica&Leonie.We will definitely come back.”June 2026
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Grilled salmon Net +1
“The only good tasting food was the grilled salmon, Mattar paneer and the Mongolian cooking station.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The only good tasting food was the grilled salmon, Mattar paneer and the Mongolian cooking station.”June 2025
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Lobsters Net +1
“Would absolutely recommend this place, and I’d gladly come back again to eat at the buffet. I'd like to recommend everyone visiting to get their food be cooked in Mongolian section and ask for shrimps and lobsters too. Great taste and fast service despite the long queue.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Would absolutely recommend this place, and I’d gladly come back again to eat at the buffet. I'd like to recommend everyone visiting to get their food be cooked in Mongolian section and ask for shrimps and lobsters too. Great taste and fast service despite the long queue.”March 2026
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Maki Net +1
“The variety and quality of the food were outstanding, especially the premium sushi rolls, maki, and fresh sashimi, alongside the perfectly prepared lobster and juicy shrimp.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The variety and quality of the food were outstanding, especially the premium sushi rolls, maki, and fresh sashimi, alongside the perfectly prepared lobster and juicy shrimp.”June 2026
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Mattar paneer Net +1
“The only good tasting food was the grilled salmon, Mattar paneer and the Mongolian cooking station.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The only good tasting food was the grilled salmon, Mattar paneer and the Mongolian cooking station.”June 2025
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Mongolian lobster Net +1
“I came here to celebrate my birthday during one of their flaming Friday dinners and the food was just spectacular, Chef Mustaq’s signature Mongolian lobster, it’s simply marvelous, it puts all other lobster dishes I’ve tasted before to shame, and the service? Staff members like Ms. Jinky and Ms. Angelica have made us feel so comfortable and taken care of in such meticulous detail, their politeness, approachability and expertise is nothing short of praise worthy.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I came here to celebrate my birthday during one of their flaming Friday dinners and the food was just spectacular, Chef Mustaq’s signature Mongolian lobster, it’s simply marvelous, it puts all other lobster dishes I’ve tasted before to shame, and the service? Staff members like Ms. Jinky and Ms. Angelica have made us feel so comfortable and taken care of in such meticulous detail, their politeness, approachability and expertise is nothing short of praise worthy.”July 2026
Honorable mentions (10)
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Premium sushi rolls Net +1
“The variety and quality of the food were outstanding, especially the premium sushi rolls, maki, and fresh sashimi, alongside the perfectly prepared lobster and juicy shrimp.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The variety and quality of the food were outstanding, especially the premium sushi rolls, maki, and fresh sashimi, alongside the perfectly prepared lobster and juicy shrimp.”June 2026
-
Ramadan buffet Net +1
“Ramadan buffet is amazing and organized have alot of varieties special thanks to the manager and to Harvey who was serving us in a very attentive way ……”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Ramadan buffet is amazing and organized have alot of varieties special thanks to the manager and to Harvey who was serving us in a very attentive way ……”March 2026
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Salmon Net +1
“My favorites are the live seafood grill station, seafood boil counter that they will serve to your table, cheese and cold cuts section, salmon and desserts station. There's nothing I did not like. Everything was impressive.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“My favorites are the live seafood grill station, seafood boil counter that they will serve to your table, cheese and cold cuts section, salmon and desserts station. There's nothing I did not like. Everything was impressive.”February 2026
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Saturday & sunday brunch Net +1
“Spice island is our go to place, I highly recommend it's Saturday & Sunday brunch. It's endless options of food variety with many live food counters. My personal favorite is seafood live counter & Mushtaq make it super delicious, he is one of the oldest employee here, very humble. Other staffs are also very friendly & professional Shiva is the incharge very hospitable & accommodating with his cute smile. Nina & Angela are superb with their charming personality, all together makes it a perfect weekend brunch. Thank you for always keeping such high standards of food & services. Keep up the good work.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Spice island is our go to place, I highly recommend it's Saturday & Sunday brunch. It's endless options of food variety with many live food counters. My personal favorite is seafood live counter & Mushtaq make it super delicious, he is one of the oldest employee here, very humble. Other staffs are also very friendly & professional Shiva is the incharge very hospitable & accommodating with his cute smile. Nina & Angela are superb with their charming personality, all together makes it a perfect weekend brunch. Thank you for always keeping such high standards of food & services. Keep up the good work.”May 2024
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Saturday brunch Net +1
“The food quality was great and a lot of choices, the drinks flowed well, we had a great time. We were there for the Saturday brunch and we found it to be good value and much better value than many other Dubai brunches we have been to.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food quality was great and a lot of choices, the drinks flowed well, we had a great time. We were there for the Saturday brunch and we found it to be good value and much better value than many other Dubai brunches we have been to.”August 2025
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Saturday buffet Net +1
“Enjoyed a good Saturday buffet at Spice Island at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai. Great value for money and the staff were very friendly and attentive, especially Crystal was the best.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Enjoyed a good Saturday buffet at Spice Island at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai. Great value for money and the staff were very friendly and attentive, especially Crystal was the best.”November 2025
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Shrimps Net +1
“Would absolutely recommend this place, and I’d gladly come back again to eat at the buffet. I'd like to recommend everyone visiting to get their food be cooked in Mongolian section and ask for shrimps and lobsters too. Great taste and fast service despite the long queue.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Would absolutely recommend this place, and I’d gladly come back again to eat at the buffet. I'd like to recommend everyone visiting to get their food be cooked in Mongolian section and ask for shrimps and lobsters too. Great taste and fast service despite the long queue.”March 2026
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Steak Net +1
“Amazing service,foods&ambience here in Spice Island.Their steak and grill lobster was delicious. Special thanks to their friendly and accommodating staff Mr Harvy, Angelica&Leonie.We will definitely come back.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Amazing service,foods&ambience here in Spice Island.Their steak and grill lobster was delicious. Special thanks to their friendly and accommodating staff Mr Harvy, Angelica&Leonie.We will definitely come back.”June 2026
-
Tart Net +1
“The desserts looked amazing. The cheese cake & tart were the best.but the others 👎”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The desserts looked amazing. The cheese cake & tart were the best.but the others 👎”October 2025
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Weekend buffet Net +1
“Best food. Fun ambience. Great service. Shout out to Jinky & Jason for attending to our requests. Seafood chef so efficient. Awesome singer & jazz player. Fun place to enjoy weekend buffet. Kudos to all the staff. Festive weekend!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Best food. Fun ambience. Great service. Shout out to Jinky & Jason for attending to our requests. Seafood chef so efficient. Awesome singer & jazz player. Fun place to enjoy weekend buffet. Kudos to all the staff. Festive weekend!”June 2026
What to Avoid (4)
Food 4
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Kimchi Net −1
“What I have noticed is that Kimchi and lamb were tasteless and that is not how it would taste.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“What I have noticed is that Kimchi and lamb were tasteless and that is not how it would taste.”January 2024
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Pasta Net −1
“The pasta and other food didn't taste good.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The pasta and other food didn't taste good.”June 2025
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Roast beef Net −1
“Food was a a total disappointment. Roast beef was tough and inedible. Other food contents not being refilled on time.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Food was a a total disappointment. Roast beef was tough and inedible. Other food contents not being refilled on time.”July 2026
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Stir fry Net −1
“Talking about the stir fry section, I don’t know if the chef cleans the wok, the stain of the sauce was sticking and the stir fry I had was just ‘ugly’ and wasn’t appetising at all.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Talking about the stir fry section, I don’t know if the chef cleans the wok, the stain of the sauce was sticking and the stir fry I had was just ‘ugly’ and wasn’t appetising at all.”May 2026
Tips for a Better Visit
Arrive early. For themed brunches, arrive early to reduce the risk of empty counters and long live-station queues.
Try Mongolian. Ask for shrimp and lobster at the Mongolian section; a reviewer specifically praised the taste and fast service despite the queue.
Use basement parking. If you are driving, check the basement parking, which was available for both regular diners and a large private party.
Plan photos. For celebrations, plan photography around the dim lighting or ask whether spotlights can be provided.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Salah Al Din St
Al Muteena - Deira, Dubai
| Mon | 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM, 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM |
| Tue | 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM, 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM |
| Wed | 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM, 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM |
| Thu | 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM |
| Fri | 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM |
| Sat | 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM |
| Sun | 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM, 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM |
Common Concerns
Slow refills
During some busy buffets, seafood, sushi and hot dishes ran out and were not replenished quickly.
Inconsistent cooking
Food quality is uneven in some visits: one reviewer found the roast beef tough, while another found the steaks poor.
Crowded atmosphere
A busy themed brunch was described as chaotic and loud, with queues at several live stations.
Dining hazards
One review flagged smoke from the stir-fry station and a sharp, uneven entrance floor that caused tripping incidents.
Dim lighting
The private party area was considered too dim for photographs, although spotlights were provided.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Spice Island is a large international buffet restaurant in Al Muteena, built around brunches, dinner buffets and live cooking. Seafood is the clearest reason to consider it: reviews mention cold seafood, live seafood grilling, hot seafood dishes, fresh sashimi, lobster and shrimp. The Mongolian station is another standout, particularly when you ask for shrimp or lobster to be cooked there.
Sunday and Saturday brunches also include live music, with reviews mentioning singers, a saxophonist and a jazz player. The spacious setting works well for family meals and celebrations. A baby-shower group received a partition for privacy, while a birthday party for more than 100 guests used a designated private area and basement parking.
Kids activity space was also mentioned during family brunch. The atmosphere can be lively, but that turns into noise and queues on crowded themed brunch days. Quality and service are not perfectly consistent.
Several diners found the food fresh and well prepared, while others reported tough roast beef, poor steaks, empty counters and slow replenishment. 5 hours for drinks. Arriving early, especially for a themed brunch, is sensible; drivers can use basement parking.
For event photos, note that the private area may be dim and ask about extra lighting.