Da Vinci’s

If faux-rustic ambience is your cup of tea then Da Vinci’s is the place to be 6 Reviews

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2007

If faux-rustic ambience is your cup of tea then Da Vinci’s is the place to be. It ticks all the Italian stereotype boxes, right down to a bearded mannequin playing a piano. This cavernous diner gets top marks for effort, but unfortunately the food fails to deliver on the promised dolce vita. A fungi fargiti opener, with mushrooms surprisingly filled with minced mushroom, looks as appetising as two wholemeal buns left out in the rain. But the well-textured filling saves the day. The insalata dello chef starter offers up Parma ham on the principle of quantity over quality, which results in an edible cheese basket filled with uninspiring greens.

The grilled hammour main course flirts with chewiness, but emerges a success thanks to a smothering of garlic, oregano and tomato concasse. Sadly, the homemade shrimp and salmon taglierini in cream sauce is a decidedly average affair. For a venue that calls itself ‘Dubai’s friendliest Italian restaurant’, service is attentive although mains are sometimes rushed out before guests have properly finished their starters. All this said, Da Vinci’s represents sound value for money, especially if you take advantage of the discount for early birds – dine before 8pm.

• Previous reviews
  • 26 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 26 October,2005- reviewed by Matthew Lee
  • 01 March,2003- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 January,2003- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 September,2001- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.