Could there possibly be a more picturesque spot than Fish Dubai? From the moment you arrive and stroll down to the restaurant along the quaint cobble stoned path, you are immediately struck by a sense of tranquility that few venues can match in the city.

Once you make it inside the whitewashed taverna you are afforded a series of cozy places to be seated and while the afternoon away. Of these, the most sought after being that closest to the water. There’s not too many places where you can dine at the waters edge, white sand and waves gently rolling in. It’s idyllic and completely transformative after a day negotiating the concrete jungle. 

It’s a setting that’s got sundowners and seafood written all over it. 

It seems that every seaside locale has it’s own angle and with Fish Beach the menu is based around the Aegean and attempts to blend Turkish and Greek classics in a sharing format that covers Hot Plates, Cold Plates, Casseroles and Grills.

To start off there’s some complimentary bread and a vegetable & herb basket which is nice touch and the perfect springboard into ordering some olives and a beverage or two while you start getting your Instagram game on. There’s a comprehensive wine list and in this kind of setting you can expect to be paying a premium for your plonk.

Getting back to the food and there’s a lot to choose from across the roughly two dozen plates and if you don’t have a command of Turkish or Greek language the names probably won’t mean much to you.

In a bid to keep it simple we went for the Hamsi - which is  the marinated Black Sea anchovies with mixed pickles basil and olive and lemon (AED 42) and the Kalamari -  which of course is everyone favorite starter when in doubt - deep fried baby calamari and tartare (AED 68). Neither were large portions but both were quite enjoyable and thankfully not too heavily battered.

As sun begins to set, we opt for a couple of mains. One from the land and the other from the sea.

These came in the form of the Safran - which is the pan fried Sea Bass with white wine celery roots and a nice little saffron sauce (AED 164) and the Enick -  The slow cooked lamb shank which comes with root vegetables and potatoes with small side of Ottoman rice (AED 158). In a bid to seem to be overtly healthy we also ordered the Mavsim - which is a side of seasonal greens with tomatoes and sweetcorn served with pomegranate molasses which came in at 42 Dirhams.

From the starters through to the mains the flavor profiles were all what you would expect but without hitting any high notes, while the portion sizes could never be described as big. To be honest they were quite small but this isn’t Fuddruckers so it’s probably best going into this with something under your belt. Not Literally! I’m not suggesting you smuggle a loaf of bread in ok? But it might help….

As for the service, it was ok but not quite at the level that a venue like this should command for the price it is but you knew that already right?

Bottom Line:

This is place where you’re paying for the views and the ambience and that’s why you’re there first and foremost. The food while competent is the lesser of the drawcards. Despite that, this is a restaurant that has its own unique vibe and is perfect for a date night or impressing out of towners until those magnificent views are stolen by the new Dubai Harbor development.