Dubai: Breakfast in Dubai Marina – My favorites

One of the luxuries I often allow myself is to go out and have breakfast at a restaurant. I live in Dubai Marina, and the breakfast offerings reflect the demographics of this area, which means that you’ll primarily find breakfast spots catering to tourists and European expats.

During the week, the breakfast crowd is usually made up by stay-at-home moms/wives and tourists. The breakfast spots below are therefore great if you’re after the usual western breakfast classics such as Eggs Benedict, pancakes and granola bowls.

Here are my favorite breakfast restaurants in Dubai Marina:

Bistro des Arts

This cozy French bistro has a prime location right in the sweet spot of Dubai Marina, only steps away from Marina Mall. Their Eggs Benedict with beef bacon is delicious, and the coffee is top notch too. There’s both indoor and outdoor seating available.

What to order? Eggs Benedict and Pain Perdu (French toast)

Bistro des Arts, Dubai Marina (next to The Address and Marina Mall), Dubai, Tel: +971(0)4 55 11 576, Hours: Mon-Sun 7:30am – 11:00pm

>Visit Bistro des Arts’ website

Baker & Spice

Baker & Spice are among the pioneers in Dubai regarding organic produce, and many of their ingredients are sourced from local farmers. For a long time, Baker & Spice has remained a well-kept secret among the residents at Marina Promenade, because if you don’t live there, chances are slim you’ll ever go there The price tag is pretty hefty, but if you don’t mind paying a premium price for your organic breakfast, Baker & Spice is for you.

What to order? The blueberry pancakes with mascarpone. The Eggs Benedict is also nice, but pricey.

Baker & Spice, Marina Promenade, Dubai Marina, Dubai, Tel: +971(0)4 36 24 686, Hours: Daily:  8am-11pm

> Visit Baker & Spice’s website

Fümé

In the evenings, Fümé is known to draw a party crowd, and I found the music a bit too loud for a lazy Saturday morning, when I was there. Maybe they forgot to turn down the music from the night before, but hey, it’s never too early to get the party started?  Just like the evening menu, the breakfast menu offers a really nice all-round selection of all the food you’d want to see on your breakfast plate. The major drawback at Fümé is that you can’t sit outside, so even though the food is very good, I would primarily recommend Fümé for breakfast during the summer months, when it’s too hot to be outdoors anyway.

What to order? The French toast is nice.

Fümé, Pier 7 Level 1, Dubai Marina, Dubai, Tel: +971-44215669, Hours: Sun-Thu 12 noon – 2am, Fri+Sat: 9am-1am

> Visit Fümé’s website

Café Bateel

I’ve been walking by Café Bateel so many times but it took quite a while before I finally gave it a try, because from the outside Café Bateel doesn’t look like much of a breakfast spot. I’ll also admit, that I like their lunch options better, but the breakfast is decent, and the quality of both service and food is consistent (trust me, I’ve dined there more than 20 times now). During the cooler months, the tables outside, right on Marina Walk are where you want to be

What to order? The shakshouka is delicious.

Café Bateel, Marina Walk, Dubai Marina, Dubai, Tel: 9714 368 4697, hours: Sat-Wed: 7:30am – 12 midnight, Thu+Fri: 7:30am – 1am

> Visit Café Bateel’s website

Le Pain Quotidien

Poul and I used to live just 5 minutes from Le Pain Quotidien, so “Le Pain” as Poul prefers to call it (pronounced as the English “Pain”) was our go-to breakfast place. The food at this Belgian bakery chain is organic, and their bread is superb. I don’t like their Eggs Benedict sauce, and their smoked salmon, but the rest is very nice. Le Pain Quotidien is located in Marina Mall but there’s both indoor and outdoor seating available. On weekends, scoring a table outside can be a challenge.

What to order: The brunch set menus The Angler and The Butcher are both good value for money. The chia pudding is very nice too, but not enough as breakfast. I usually order it for dessert.

Go there for: The location. Right in the Marina Mall sweet spot.

Le Pain Quotidien, Marina Mall, Dubai Marina, Dubai,  Tel:  +971 (0) 4 190595, Hours: Daily 7:30 am – 11pm

> Visit Le Pain Quotidien’s website