Marina views
Outdoor seating gives diners a clear Dubai Marina view, especially appealing in cooler weather.
Vernos Cafe & Restaurant
Dubai Marina
Vernos Cafe & Restaurant is an Iranian-style cafe and restaurant serving international food, beverages and shisha in Dubai Marina. Reviews point to its weekend brunch buffet, marina views and dishes such as cheese pizza and Persian food.
Reputation Score
4.5
★★★★★
207 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Brunch value
The weekend buffet is repeatedly described as affordable, with one review reporting unlimited brunch and a milkshake for 49 AED.
Persian dishes
Several diners specifically enjoyed the Persian food, including Iranian kebab, although quality feedback is mixed.
Cheese pizza
Cheese pizza received a particularly enthusiastic mention from a diner who found it well made.
Live touches
Some visits have included a magician, including a small private show during dinner.
What to Eat at Vernos Cafe & 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 Vernos Cafe & 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.
Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Vernos Cafe & Restaurant, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
Food 10
-
Cheese pizza Net +1
“it was really good, great food and well made and had great service, the cheese pizza was very awesome, in general it was great”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“it was really good, great food and well made and had great service, the cheese pizza was very awesome, in general it was great”December 2023
-
Flavorful mushroom risotto Net +1
“The standout dishes include the perfectly grilled seafood platter, the succulent roast beef, and the flavorful mushroom risotto.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The standout dishes include the perfectly grilled seafood platter, the succulent roast beef, and the flavorful mushroom risotto.”October 2023
-
Fresh humus Net +1
“Now this one is my all-time preferred restaurant for Lebanese food as they serve fresh humus with hot khaboos.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Now this one is my all-time preferred restaurant for Lebanese food as they serve fresh humus with hot khaboos.”February 2023
-
Grilled chicken Net +1
“The only animal protein food you could find was some average-tasting fried chicken, hot dogs, fried fish, and some grilled chicken.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The only animal protein food you could find was some average-tasting fried chicken, hot dogs, fried fish, and some grilled chicken.”November 2023
-
Hot khaboos Net +1
“Now this one is my all-time preferred restaurant for Lebanese food as they serve fresh humus with hot khaboos.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Now this one is my all-time preferred restaurant for Lebanese food as they serve fresh humus with hot khaboos.”February 2023
-
Iftar Net +1
“We came vernos for Iftar, everything was fantastic. The sitting was good, outdoor view was awesome, food was good.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We came vernos for Iftar, everything was fantastic. The sitting was good, outdoor view was awesome, food was good.”March 2024
-
Iranian kebab Net +1
“The place was very nice, excellent food, especially the iranian kebab. Great desert. The owner of the place is extremely welcoming and the service was great. Thank you 🙏”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The place was very nice, excellent food, especially the iranian kebab. Great desert. The owner of the place is extremely welcoming and the service was great. Thank you 🙏”February 2023
-
Macaroni Net +1
“But food was no good. The only thing that was nice was the macaroni.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“But food was no good. The only thing that was nice was the macaroni.”February 2024
-
Mutabbal Net +1
“The "best" things available were some ice-cream-in-bread thing, mutabbal, and perhaps grilled chicken.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The "best" things available were some ice-cream-in-bread thing, mutabbal, and perhaps grilled chicken.”November 2023
-
Perfectly grilled seafood platter Net +1
“The standout dishes include the perfectly grilled seafood platter, the succulent roast beef, and the flavorful mushroom risotto.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The standout dishes include the perfectly grilled seafood platter, the succulent roast beef, and the flavorful mushroom risotto.”October 2023
Honorable mentions (3)
-
Succulent roast beef Net +1
“The standout dishes include the perfectly grilled seafood platter, the succulent roast beef, and the flavorful mushroom risotto.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The standout dishes include the perfectly grilled seafood platter, the succulent roast beef, and the flavorful mushroom risotto.”October 2023
-
Fried chicken Net 0
Mixed feedback
“The perfect FriedChicken and so delicious milk shake 👌🏼🔥and so cute Place, i love vernos cafe ❤️❤️”
Positive 1Negative 1
Review excerpts
“The perfect FriedChicken and so delicious milk shake 👌🏼🔥and so cute Place, i love vernos cafe ❤️❤️”November 2023
-
House salad Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“House salad was OK. fried chicken was OK. Noodles were okay.”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
Drinks 2
-
Coffee Net +1
“Tasty food and nice coffee.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Tasty food and nice coffee.”February 2024
-
Tea Net +1
“Atmosphere is very nice, nice view... service was slow a bit. Food was mostly delicious. Tea was also very good. Thanks a lot...”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Atmosphere is very nice, nice view... service was slow a bit. Food was mostly delicious. Tea was also very good. Thanks a lot...”February 2024
What to Avoid (6)
Food 5
-
Barg kebab Net −1
“as an answer to your question: we ordered Barg kebab and rice,, the meat was so tasteless and so not worth the price and the rice was also very bad.. i even doubt if that was really Persian rice or not.. also we had to pay for the rice separately which was another disadvantage of this restaurant.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“as an answer to your question: we ordered Barg kebab and rice,, the meat was so tasteless and so not worth the price and the rice was also very bad.. i even doubt if that was really Persian rice or not.. also we had to pay for the rice separately which was another disadvantage of this restaurant.”February 2024
-
Doughnut Net −1
“First time I encounter this worst food ever. all is not fresh its look like leftover! even there sweet the doughnut is old. I'm so much shy to my boss bcz I recommend to them. Sorry to say but its good to eat in ddc there price was 39 but the variety is more and taste is good and clean.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“First time I encounter this worst food ever. all is not fresh its look like leftover! even there sweet the doughnut is old. I'm so much shy to my boss bcz I recommend to them. Sorry to say but its good to eat in ddc there price was 39 but the variety is more and taste is good and clean.”November 2023
-
Fried fish Net −1
“The only animal protein food you could find was some average-tasting fried chicken, hot dogs, fried fish, and some grilled chicken.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The only animal protein food you could find was some average-tasting fried chicken, hot dogs, fried fish, and some grilled chicken.”November 2023
-
Hot dogs Net −1
“The only animal protein food you could find was some average-tasting fried chicken, hot dogs, fried fish, and some grilled chicken.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The only animal protein food you could find was some average-tasting fried chicken, hot dogs, fried fish, and some grilled chicken.”November 2023
-
Persian rice Net −1
“as an answer to your question: we ordered Barg kebab and rice,, the meat was so tasteless and so not worth the price and the rice was also very bad.. i even doubt if that was really Persian rice or not.. also we had to pay for the rice separately which was another disadvantage of this restaurant.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“as an answer to your question: we ordered Barg kebab and rice,, the meat was so tasteless and so not worth the price and the rice was also very bad.. i even doubt if that was really Persian rice or not.. also we had to pay for the rice separately which was another disadvantage of this restaurant.”February 2024
Drinks 1
-
Vanilla milkshake Net −1
“As far as taste goes, everything was average or below average. The worst offender was the vanilla milkshake. It was a disgrace.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“As far as taste goes, everything was average or below average. The worst offender was the vanilla milkshake. It was a disgrace.”November 2023
Tips for a Better Visit
Choose timing. For the buffet, try arriving when it opens or after 3 pm; one reviewer found peak service overwhelmed.
Check availability. Ask what is currently on the buffet before settling in, since kebab and other main dishes were unavailable on one visit.
Confirm drinks. Before ordering brunch, confirm whether coffee is included and how many drinks the package allows.
Use parking. If driving, check the marina tower parking mentioned by a reviewer; another found parking off the main road useful.
Sit outdoors. Outdoor seating is a strong draw in winter, when reviewers found the weather well suited to a marina dinner.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Dubai Marina - Dubai
Dubai Marina, Dubai
Common Concerns
Food consistency
Several brunch and dinner reviews describe food as cold, dry, tasteless or seemingly leftover, so quality can vary by visit.
Slow service
Some diners reported slow service, delayed buffet refills and waits for main dishes.
Buffet gaps
At busy brunches, reviewers found missing dishes and waited for proper lunch items to appear.
Limited drinks
One brunch review says the package limits guests to one drink, such as a milkshake, coffee or water.
Value concerns
Some diners felt the food quality and service did not justify the price, including a complaint about rice being charged separately.
Customer-reported prices
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
49 AED
unlimited brunch + milkshake
“The cafe has this amazing brunch offer every Saturday & Sunday! The price is 49 AED that includes unlimited brunch + milkshake”Google review · September 2023
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Vernos Cafe & Restaurant is a Dubai Marina dining spot with indoor and outdoor seating, Iranian-style food, international dishes and shisha. The marina outlook is the clearest reason to consider it, particularly for a relaxed outdoor meal. Reviews also mention Persian food, Iranian kebab and cheese pizza, giving diners options beyond the buffet.
Weekend brunch is the restaurant’s most discussed offer. Several reviewers reported a 49 AED package with unlimited brunch and a milkshake, while others liked the range of international dishes and the value for groups. The experience is not entirely predictable, though: some guests found the buffet tasty and varied, while others encountered cold, dry or apparently leftover food, missing main dishes and long waits for refills.
Timing matters. One detailed review recommends arriving as soon as the buffet opens or after 3 pm because service became overwhelmed, and a late brunch visit around 1 pm was also disappointing. Confirm the current buffet selection and drink terms before paying; one guest expected coffee to be included but was charged extra.
Drivers may find free parking at Marina Tower, and winter outdoor seating is frequently praised. The overall picture is attractive setting and friendly service, with food quality and buffet management needing a little caution.