A casual Italian restaurant with a huge deli, coffee stand, ice cream counter and mini grocery store.

Here’s our BITESIZE review. You can read our in-depth review in the March issue of What’s On.

Contact details: The Dubai Mall, lower ground floor, Dubai, daily 9am to midnight. Tel: (04) 3308899. Metro: Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It’s massive. Stretching back into the distance and up into the rafters, Eataly is an Italian emporium with many sections celebrating the magic of Italian food.

VIBE  
Large, loud and buzzy. It’s a quick stop-off for lunch or dinner. Not a place to get dressed up for.

WHAT TO ORDER  
Spaghetti alla chitara: a simple peasant dish of fresh pasta, ricotta cheese and black pepper.

LOOK OUT FOR
The guy with his sleeves rolled up, elbow deep in a tank of water, fishing out plump balls of mozzarella.

IDEAL FOR
A pizza or a bowl of pasta after a draining shopping trip in The Dubai Mall. Or a quick espresso if you’re only halfway through maxing out your credit card in the shops. A good place to buy cute gifts too.

INSIDER INFO
Eataly (corny name, but we like it) has branches in Italy, Chicago and New York.

FINAL THOUGHTS
A welcoming  café/restaurant with a good energy and staff whose enthusiasm is infectious. Aisles and aisles of Italian produce are great fun to wander around, enabling you to buy and take home what you’ve just eaten in the restaurant.

eataly.com