‪samad Al Iraqi ‬ - دبي

Forgot to take pictures of our orders was too famished at that time; Tasty menu and a place to recommend if you are into Arabic food with lots of options to choose from.

Absolutely great experience. Ambience old classic Presentation and taste of the food fresh and good. We ordered variety of food from mixed grill to rice preparations. Lentil soup n salads delectable Condiments olives and pickles Recommended Happy eating

For some reason the Masgouf fish didn’t taste as fresh or as crispy on the skin as I would have liked and when compared to other Iraqi restaurants including the Jumeirah outlet The kebabs, though , were outstanding . The pista kabab was so fresh and with a slight crunch from being well cooked. The yoghurt kabab is always great. It’s non pretentious and good food. But I think the Jumeirah joint is better

We were just blown away by the hospitality of this place! As soon as we were seated they served us complementary lentil soup! We ordered their special salad and the mix grill. Everything was delicious. They again gave us complementary dessert and tea! Was a great night out! Thank you!

Iraqi cuisine is somewhat different from the typical Levantine fare found in the UAE. For one, they have elaborate fish dishes, the Masgouf being the most popular. The fish used is generally a large, big boned river fish from the carp family (similar to the Rui in Bangladesh, but not the same). Its burnt over an open fire spit, with the fish oil providing part of the fuel. (River fish is extremely rare in Dubai restaurants, and I am sure it is imported by air freight)The result is a smoky, chunky fish, which disguises some of the inherent muddy taste of fishes from the carp family. The fish at Samad Iraqi was good, but not as good as I was hoping it would be (then again I am a seafood snob of Bengali heritage). And one downside for small parties is that you can only have a minimum of 2-3kg which is good enough for 6-8 people. Coming to the rest of the dishes, the standout was this adorable salad, with fresh cut avocado, chewy date pieces, orange slices, pomegranate, and barley on to; has to rank among the top 5 salads I have ever had in Dubai.The Iraqi tea was good as well as the gloriously unhealthy complimentary dessert, which was basically caramel smashed with flour and ghee (tasted similar to Rajasthani Churma)The kababs and lentil soup were good. All in all, a pricey but very decent introduction to Iraqi cuisine, you will get your money's worth if going as a group of 5-6 adults.