Dhow and Anchor (Dubai)


During my travels to other countries, I only occasionally dine at hotel restaurants, preferring places that are (hopefully) more local or not teeming with tourists. In Dubai, this preference goes out the window. That’s because, it’s mostly in hotels where I’m able to have an alcoholic drink with my meal. And a glass of chilled white wine simply makes the experience of dining al fresco so much better. After all, if you’re going to view the Burj Al Arab closely, why not do it from a sunny patio with a glass of vino?

So, this is how we found ourselves at Dhow and Anchor, a British restaurant located inside the famed Jumeirah Beach Hotel. It seems strange to go to Dubai to have British food, but with the number of expats in the country, they make good British eats – way better than the Chinese options we tasted.


The British coast fisherman’s pie (AED130) was fantastic incorporating big chunks of salmon, cod, and prawns, in a lovely leek gravy and covered with rich mashed potatoes that is more buttery than what you’d normally find on Shepard’s pie. Topped with a bit of cheese gratin, it makes for a heavenly pie that’s simply intoxicating, in taste and aroma.


So much so that it seemed to really draw in the flies. In fact, any dish seemed to attract the pesky buggers. The fly situation at Dhow and Anchor was horrendous with a huge pack of them descending upon the table as soon as our food arrived. We had to constantly have one hand waving in front of our plates, while eating quickly, and finally using our napkin to cover the dishes before they could be whisked away.

The restaurant really needs to invest in table fans that flitter around to help keep the flies away. As it stands, the fisherman’s pie was tasty but actually ingesting the dish was frustrating and rushed. I felt like I was having fast food when the meal should be savoured. Al fresco dining can be great, but I guess that’s the perils of outdoor eating.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 Address: Jumeirah Beach Hotel

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Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!