Al Fresco
The light and airy Al Fresco is a strangely pleasant hybrid of a Victorian greenhouse and the restaurant carriage of the Orient Express 3 Reviews
The light and airy Al Fresco is a strangely pleasant hybrid of a Victorian greenhouse and the restaurant carriage of the Orient Express. It’s just slightly unfortunate that the long restaurant amplifies the noise from the open kitchen and funnels it towards the entrance at the other end.
The funghi trifolati – sautéed wild mushrooms – is a light and tasty starter, rich with garlic and a good chilli bite. The insalata tonno e fagioli is a substantial French bean and tuna salad, well-presented and sprinkled through with a nice light vinaigrette.
Gnocchi gorgonzola is heavy and bland; a huge portion of dumplings in a rich, buttery cheese fondue and any gorgonzola is difficult to detect through the other dominant cheese flavour. Big fresh chunks of salmon and very tender squid attempt to compensate for the lack of cheese in the dairy-free frutti di mare pizza, but accordingly it is a poorly melded effort, more like a seafood platter adrift on a pizza base.
Round off the meal with a moist and moussey tiramisu. Dusted with a good layer of cocoa powder, it has a strong coffee flavour with a hint of almond. The torta di mele, an apple pie with honey syrup and vanilla gelato, is another good choice. The gelato is the star of the meal: cool, thick, creamy and loaded with vanilla flavour. Al Fresco is a pleasant bright restaurant and a good spot for a straightforward, good-value meal.
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