Thiptara, The Palace, The Old Town

Best South-East Asian Winner 20 Comments

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The walk to Thiptara, past an azure pool and a row of elegant majlis heightens expectations, which thankfully are not let down by the food. With elegant, simple, Thai-influenced decor, Thiptara’s main dining room is an intimate affair with a terrace that overlooks the Dubai fountains. The menu is refined and not overly complicated, but offers staple curries alongside delicious fish dishes. A steamed sea bass with chilli and lime is light, fresh and zingy whilst their seafood green curry comes loaded with scallops, prawns and mussels. Refreshingly service is efficient and not overly intrusive. All in all, one of the best Thai restaurants in Dubai, and wonderfully romantic to boot.

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 By Time Out Dubai staff
Time Out Dubai,

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Posted by: Nathan McCole on 17 Apr ' 13 at 10:03
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Family friendly
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Edited by TimeOutDubai.com

One word to describe this place "average"! Food is average and the terrace at the back is not romantic (cramped with too many tables packed in with tourists and families wanting to see the water fountain show)! If you want better food and a more romantic, exclusive atmosphere then Pai Thai is a much better choice! An expensive lesson in "don't believe the hype"!

Posted by: Sonya Matson on 08 Nov ' 12 at 01:04
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  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Wow fabulous! My two words say it all. :-)

Posted by: Lou on 27 Oct ' 12 at 14:24
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

This was a great venue with excellents standards of food and service. The view was superb - great views of the fountains without the bustle of Souk al Bahar (yet this is only a few minutes away); I would certainly suggest that you book the outside terrace if the weather permits. Really enjoyed the duck dishes - incredibly tender. The meal was good value for money - a similar price to other Thai restaurants in the immediate area but far superior in quality. I would reccommend this venue for both intimate meals for two or for larger groups.

Posted by: Mandy on 08 Sep ' 12 at 06:09
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  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

I was 'taken out to dinner' by friends. LOVLEY experience, the view of the fountains was amazing. The waiting staff on that night seemed to be 'stretched' [as if not enough available], but the staff we did have were very attentative. The food was very very good. I can't star the value because I didn't pay the bill, but from what I ate, I'm sure I got full worth ! I would certainly go there again on another visit to Dubai, and recommend to others.

Posted by: VC on 16 May ' 12 at 20:12
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  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Have been to Thiptara with the friends. Found the place was amazing. Food was authentic, Service was attentive. Like to go back to Thiptara soon & recomend for romantic dinner.

Posted by: Slu Khin on 10 Oct ' 11 at 08:25
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Visited in september. weather was still humid on the terrace so prefered to sit inside. it was an amazing experience. our waitress was very polite $ knowledgeable. food was very nice, portions are quite good as well. i wikk only say it was worth trying.

Posted by: Reif Kee on 01 Aug ' 10 at 09:06
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  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Was there for my baby girl birthday dinner.. food was great, would love to give a full star but few dishes are not well executed. other than that, the food is fresh, tasty, taste of the real Thai cuisine unlike other places where the chef are not from Thailand... friendly staff that they have, very caring & polite. wanted to give full star also but sad to say i have to wait for awhile for my bills either they forgot ot short handed... to all UAE people, please go & check out the place. its beautiful & food is great.

Posted by: kelly moult on 10 Mar ' 10 at 09:54
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  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

brilliant. all round a wonderful evening out.we will defentitlly be back . the fountain was awesome a great view of khalifa.

Posted by: peter gerber on 10 Mar ' 10 at 07:08
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

AMAZING.EXPENSIVE BUT QUALITY FOOD AND LARGE POTIONS AND QUALITY VENUE.WAITRONS NEED SOME WORK ,BUT FRIENDLY.

Posted by: lindy masters on 09 Mar ' 10 at 10:00
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  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

stunning venue,excellent food and makes for a great evening with friends and we were not dissapointed. this was an expensive night out but worth it. the food was to die for and chef mac our host was a delight. will definetly be going back.

Posted by: shirley kongthong on 09 Mar ' 10 at 09:53
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

WE HAD A FABULOUS EVENING. THE FOOD WAS INCREDIBLE AND IT WAS WONDERFUL TO HAVE THE ATTENTION OF CHEF MAC.THE SERVICE HOWEVER NEEDS A BOOT UP THEIR BEHIND.THEY REALLY NEED TO SORT THAT OUT. OTHERWISE IT WAS NEAR PERFECT.PRICEY BUT THE PORTIONS WERE BIG AND DELICIOUS.

Posted by: Kilani on 14 Feb ' 10 at 20:12
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

This restaurant is definitely romantic. The staff are helpful and friendly, the ambiance is spot on and if you are seated outdoors ( which I recommend) you have the full experience of the musical fountains of Dubai Mall. The food is average, I've had much nicer/authentic food for less than a 1/3 of the price I paid here which ended up close to 750 AED without drinks or tips!!! But for first timers the location is a must-try if you can spare the change - therefore I would only return with new comers to Dubai.

Posted by: Amby on 12 Feb ' 10 at 13:26
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Extremely disappointing. Right from the confusion on our booking....to the service and the food....all of that was extremely disappointing and bad experience. Fountains were good but one cant hear the music....wish the restaurant could have syncronised with their internal music system. Overall we left with not a great feeling.

Posted by: nellya on 20 Nov ' 09 at 11:39
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  • Would you go back to this restaurant? No

very disappointing! food is acceptable but not amazing for the price you pay. For the seafood set menu you pay 350dhs (just food) each and portions are quite small. Tiny pieces of fruits offered as a dessert were very hard and tasteless.
We were expecting that from previous reviews, so we were ready to enjoy just the ambience and the view. Outside terrace is quiet small, if you sit close to this amazing fire balls outside the terrace it gets quite hot even on a cool night. The fountains you can not enjoy because you dont get a full view of them and you can not hear the music accompanied them. All you can hear is the loud splashes of water, which gets quite annoying at the end. So you get much better view from the restaurants closer to dubai mall with more reasonable prices. At the end we paid 1700 dhs for 4 people with just one bottle of wine! Well overpriced even for Dubai standards. Will not reccommend it to anybody!

Posted by: Kitty on 18 Nov ' 09 at 08:26
OverallDecorService
FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? No

As the write-up says, the décor, grounds and surroundings are amazing. We had a table on the terrace which gave beautiful views of the Dubai Fountain, although the music of the restaurant drowned out that accompanying the "performance".
The food was good but not as amazing as you'd expect for the price. We ended up paying just short of 600EAD for a three course meal, 2 bottles of sparkling water and one glass of wine.
The service on the other hand was poor. The staff were lovely, but seemed overworked and inefficient - at times too fast (they asked us three times if we were ready to order within 5 minutes of having the menus) and at others far too slow (we had to wait 20 minutes for the bill, and when prompted, they had forgotten all about it).
All in all, I'd recommend that people try it once, as a treat, for the setting, but I won't go back to eat. There is a bar called FAI in the same pavilion building, which will let you see the same stuff but for less cost!

Posted by: Monique on 16 Oct ' 09 at 10:26
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  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Very very disappointing!! View is nice, but food and drinks were way below average. Service was sloppy, clumsy (waitress dropped a spoon in food while serving and just giggled) and slow. Too expensive for what you get. Know much better Thai restaurants in Dubai where you will get value for money. Would not recommend it to anybody.

Posted by: Prasenjit on 23 Sep ' 09 at 07:00
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  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

beautiful decor, great ambience...dancing fountains outside make it more amazing...service is a little slow....but overall a great experinence...a MUST VISIT for all....

Posted by: Kat on 11 Apr ' 09 at 20:03
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

AMAZING!! The fountains outside just make it even more unreal!! A MUST visit for everyone!

Posted by: katherine on 16 Mar ' 09 at 07:12
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: katherine on 15 Mar ' 09 at 17:13
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FoodAmbienceValue
  • Best for: Romantic
  • Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

definitely one of the best restaurant and service in Dubai. The location is amazing....

 
 

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