Japengo’s Café – Ibn Battuta Mall

In a nutshell: Great menu, great food and great service!
Score: 5/5


I have to admit that my favourite restaurant for casual dining is still Japengo’s. They are all over Dubai so it’s easy to find one in pretty much any shopping mall you visit. With Japanese, Italian, Lebanese, Chinese, Iranian, European, sandwiches and salads I reckon you’d have to be extremely fussy to not find something you want to eat! We stopped in here on our way to the airport to go on holiday to the UK and we were not disappointed.

We chose to sit ‘outside’ which is actually in the main part of China court opposite the Junk. With the restaurants on each side only separated by a wooden partition and it being a busy Thursday night, the atmosphere really was buzzing and lively. The black décor with a single red anthurium flower in a black vase on each table lend it a contemporary, sleek vibe. Sitting ‘inside’ means that you get a great view into the open kitchen and the chefs at work.

Juices, as with most Bin Hendi restaurants, are freshly squeezed and are mouth-wateringly good. My grilled salmon was a good portion, pepper-free (!!) and perfectly cooked to my liking. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy, so anyone who prefers soft veg would need to request that. Simon’s burger was huge and instead of the usual iceberg or local lettuce, there was rocket in the burger which gave it that little bit more oomph.

The fresh juices bump up the price and totalled 1/3 of the final bill. Without the drinks our meals would have cost just Dhs 120 but each drink is almost Dhs 25 – well worth it though. Only negative point was that our waiter was chewing gum but apart from that the service was efficient and friendly and we left feeling sated.