Muslims break their fast with Iftar, the Ramadan evening meal in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

The religious month of Ramadan is marked by fasting and prayer and holds great importance for Islam followers. During this month Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, sex and other vices from sunrise to sunset to achieve higher levels of patience, spirituality and humility. Dubai being a pre-dominantly Muslim populated Emirate; the significance of the religious month can be experienced in all spheres of daily life whether in social, business, entertainment and cultural aspects. Working hours and lifestyles change and in totality the whole city transforms into a more serene mood of religious commitment. Dusk follows the breaking of the fast known as Iftar after which various Ramadan related events are held at social meeting venues. A Non-Muslim is not expected to follow the religious practices during Ramadan; however he is surely counted upon to respect the sentiments of participating Muslims.

People pass by an Islamic exhibition set up for the holy month of Ramadan at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP / Kamran Jebreili)

To avoid offending the sentiments of Muslims one must be alert of their behavior during the month.  Here are some tips for Non-Muslims to be followed during the month of Ramadan

• In public places, behave and dress in a conservative manner to respect the religious observances followed during Ramadan. Women should avoid wearing short skirts and cover their knees. It is appreciated if they wear long sleeves.
• It is illegal to consume meat, drink or smoke in public and if found guilty it could lead to serious consequences. Even chewing gum is seen as an offence. Most restaurants will be closed during the day, but hotels will have contained spaces to serve food. Supermarkets and malls remain open during the day assuming no food or drink is consumed in public.
• Children, pregnant women, medically unfit people, and those fighting in the battle are not expected to fast.
• Greet Muslims by saying ‘Ramadan Kareem’ or ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ during Ramadan
• Be polite enough to attend an Iftar meal. Check local newspaper and TV channels for Iftar meal timings that change by one minute every day.
• Live music is barred, thus avoid functions in noisy environments whether at home or office, including dance clubs.
• Working hours are shorter during Ramadan. Government offices close at 2 pm while private sector office practices work for two hours less.
• Practice some charitable work by donating money, etc to the needy.

Restaurants for Non-Muslims available in Dubai during Ramadan

Many Non-Muslims find it difficult to locate restaurants that serve during the day. Here a list that may be of some help

• Supermarket that serve ready to go meals such as pies, salads, sandwiches, snacks etc
• Take away from fast food outlets of Burger King and McDonalds
• Limited outlets of Coffee shops and Cafes
• Restaurants, food outlets and coffee shops at Dubai Airport, Dubai Festival City, Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), Dubai Internet City, Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai Media City
• Takeaways at Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Batuta Mall and the Dubai Mall
• International cuisine restaurants include: Bistro Madeleine, Café Arabesque, Casa Mia, Epicure, Kisaku, Market Café, Planet Hollywood, Asha’s, Medzo, Mahi Mahi, Sukhothai, Wox, Sumo Sushi, Ewaan, Cactus Cantina, Café Sushi, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Mediterraneo, Mercurries, More Café, Wagamama, Zuma, Bussola, Certo, Karam Beirut, Noodle House, Sezzam, Toscana, Zheng He’s

Those wishing to savour traditional Iftar meals/buffets could do so at:

• Boulvar Restaurant
• Shabestan
• The Lobby Café
• Mediterraneo restaurant at Armani Hotel Dubai
• “At The Top” observation deck at Burj Khalifa
• Asateer Arabian tent at Atlantis Hotel
• Atrium restaurant
• KGrill
• Ramadan Nights At The Terrace
• Ping Pong
• All the star rated hotels in Dubai.

Please check our hotel related blogs for contact details

Whether one is Muslim or Non-Muslim it is essential that we learn to respect other religion’s feelings. Dubai is a progressive emirate among all, embracing all tourists and expatriates with warmth and providing them their religious space. However, it is not to be forgotten that the UAE is an Islamic country where their religion and followings are strictly adhered to. Visiting Dubai during the Ramadan period may not seem to a feasible idea for many tourists, but if you want to explore the spiritual nuances of Islam then this is the right time regardless of your beliefs.

GFDL/ Nevit Dilmen

Tired of roaming under the scorching heat in the sandy dunes of Dubai? Try sipping  an afternoon tea at any of the cafes on the streets of the city. The tea, that sounds like a basic drink comes  with a lot of delicacies that actually make your mouth water after doing some shopping inside the air conditioned malls or the sunlit streets. A seven course tea includes a glass of champagne, some sandwiches, sorbets, scones and salmon-en-croute followed by some petits or chocolates and French pastries along with a plate and a knife,  but no fork!

A few cafes offering delicious afternoon tea:

Ahlan Lounge

A cozy place situated on the Al Fahidi Street inside the Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa at Bur Dubai, Ahlan Lounge serves delicious tea along with some mouthwatering Starbucks, pastries, sandwiches and other snacks.

Address: Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa, Bur Dubai, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 351 9111

Al Fayrooz

Set on the Jumeirah Beach Road inside Al Qasr Hotel, Al Fayrooz hosts a lovely tea set along with some live music for  afternoon tea lovers. For  an unforgettable experience, try out the smoked salmon sandwich served here.

Address: Al Qasr Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 366 6730

Al Murjan

A simple yet stylish tea lounge located on the Al Sufouh Road inside the Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa, Al Murjan serves carefully brewed tea along with delicious sandwiches, mini fruit scones, strawberry tart, pistachio torte, glazed pear flan and American chocolate cake.

Address: Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai Marina, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 399 5555

Dunkin Donuts

Decorated with melamine topped tables and black metal chairs placed in shiny grey tiled floors inside the cream and burgundy coloured walls hosting a shocking pink and orange logo, Dunkin Donuts is a place for all  members of the family. Serving some colourful delicacies topped with chocolate, double chocolate, apple, banana, blueberry, strawberry, lemon and coconut along with radiant yellow icing and bright orange or blazing green frosting in addition to brown smilies and stripes, the place is made to attract the kids.

Address: Karama, Trade Centre Road, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 397 9874

Lobby Lounge

With the late afternoon breeze swinging inside the cool and cozy ambience, Lobby Lounge is one of the popular places to enjoy afternoon tea with leisure.  Complete  with a beautiful view across the city, the place offers three deliciously different tea options, Arabic, traditional British and Chocolate, to choose from. Visit the place towards the end of the day to capture some stunning views of the sunset across the city.

Address: One&Only Royal Mirage, Al Sufouh Road, Jumeirah, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 399 9999

More

One of the most reasonably priced cafes located on the Al Doha Street inside the Dubai Mall, More is a famous venue for afternoon tea, business lunches and family get-togethers. The place also serves delicious brunch along with its hot tea and other food items on the menu.

Address: The Dubai Mall, Al Doha Street, Downtown Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 339 8934

Sahn Eddar

If you  stumble across this place, you are sure to spoil yourself! Located inside the magnificent Burj on the Jumeirah Beach Road, Sahn Eddar serves luscious and scrumptious tea along with a glass of champagne accompanied with some mouth watering delicacies that make your visit  worthwhile.

Address: Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 301 7600

Kambaa

Address: Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Marina, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 436 7777

Karat

Address: Dubai Mall, Al Doha Street, Downtown Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 438 8888

Leaves

Address: Grosvenor House Dubai, Al Sufouh Road, Dubai Marina, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 399 8888

Pearl Bar

Address: Le Méridien, Airport Road, Garhoud, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 217 0000

Raffles Salon

Address: Raffles, Sheikh Rashid Road, Oud Metha, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 314 9888

XVA Café

Address: XVA Art Hotel, Al Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai, Dubai
Tel. No: 04 353 5383

The different hotels of the city put an extra effort by decorating the hotel beautifully with lights and Christmas tree. Exquisite parties are organized for the guests and different mouthwatering delicacies accompanied with Christmas carols is on the list of almost every hotel of the city. Most of the hotels also offer special Christmas lunch for the foodie lovers.

Tempting festive discounts wait for you as you enter the malls for doing some Christmas shopping. Almost every mall and shopping centre is enjoying Christmas by displaying some of the finest collections of the season. Wafi Mall is surely not to be missed when in Dubai during the festive season. The celebration is marked by a Santa’s grotto, Christmas songs and different discounts.

Everyone is invited to attend the mass prayers on the eve of Christmas at St. Frances of Assisi Church situated at Jebel Ali. The church also gives lunch to the poor during the festival. Several other churches in Dubai perform morning and evening prayers.

Ashiana

Opening Hours: Daily 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM; Friday Lunch 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Aangan
Aangan at Dhow Palace Hotel is an award winning restaurant with its specialty being Indian platter. The food is perfect to the T, and you really don’t need much help in choosing from the menu as everything is as delicious. Number of Indian families as well as outside tourists flock the restaurants for its ambience with a live band and taste that has everybody licking their plate. Something that you should lay your hands on is tomato curry lamb shank and tandoori.

Opening Hours: Lunch 12.00 PM  to 3.30 PM, Dinner 7.00 PM to 01.00 AM

Antique Bazaar
Brown tone hues welcome you to Antique Bazaar; a restaurant attached to Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai. The walls are adorned with images of famous Indian personalities recommending the restaurant which caters to Indian specialties with a live music background. Hydrebadi dishes are its forte at reasonable pricing and taste.

Opening Hours: Saturday to Thursday 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM; Daily 7:30 PM to 2:00 AM

Calicut Paragon
Part of the Paragon chain of restaurants from India, Calicut Paragon is an independent and inexpensive restaurant located on street side food bazaar of Karama Dubai. Serving Malabar specialties, non vegetarian servings obviously form a major part of its menu. Fish curry (fish pieces cooked in South Indian spiced sauce) and chicken biryani (spicy chicken and rice dish cooked in layers which includes lots of raw spices) are its lunch specialties. Accompaniments with the courses include chutneys, sauces, and curries. There’s also a tall glass of buttermilk to be gulped after the meal.

Opening Hours: Saturday to Thursday 11.30 AM to 4.30 PM, Friday 1.00 PM to 4.30 PM

Address: Opposite Lulu Centre, Karama, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel No: +971 4 3358700

Fax No: +971 4 3368629

Website: http://www.paragonrestaurant.net/

Dakshin
Dakshin at Lotus Hotel helps you discover South Indian flavor with live classical music streaming in the background. Among favorites are Masala Dosa (pancake stuffed with sautéed potatoes and onion), koondal porichathu (calamari rings dipped in batter and deep fried), onion pakora (onion rings dipped in batter and deep fried) and egg masala appam (pancake made from egg batter and vegetables). Hard core non vegetarians could try out murg tikka masala and mutton biryani with kulcha.

Opening Hours:  Saturday to Thursday 12 AM to 3 PM, 7 PM to1 AM; Friday 11 AM to 4 PM, 7 PM to 1AM

Delhi Darbar
Something so inexpensive yet to tantalizing is the best way to describe Delhi Darbar. Located on the Karama food streets in the Deira district of Dubai, this place is not the one to attract you for its interiors for they are very simple. But its food is simply delicious, very Indian and very aromatic. You could go with dishes like Palak Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala and Malai Kofta.

Opening Hours: Saturday to Thursday 9 AM to 1.30 AM; Friday 9 AM to 11.00 AM, 1.30 PM to 12 midnight

Address: Al Naif Rd, Ayal Nasir, Deira, P.O.Box: 6962, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel No: +971 4 2733444

Website: http://www.delhi-darbar.com/

Gazebo
Gazebo is an independent restaurant where you can savor some aromatic Indian culinary food. Situated in the Bur Dubai region, its Lucknowi and Hydrebadi curries attract you like a magnet with the achari gosht (lamb curry in sun dried tomato sauce) being the all time favorite. Other equally delectable servings are of Pudina Paneer tikka, Chana masala, and poppadums.

Opening Hours: Lunch 12.00 PM to 3.15 PM, Dinner 7.00 pm to 11.45 pm

Address: Next to Sharaf DG, Al Mankhool Road, Bur Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel No:+971 4 3598555 / 3599712

Fax No:+971 4 3599713

Website: http://www.gazebo.ae/

Indego
Grosvenor House Hotel is abode to the Indego restaurant with Chief Chef Vineet Bhatia doling up trademark Indian dishes for its guests. Vineet Bhatia is also the first Indian Chef to receive the Michelin star. The menu is not exactly traditionally Indian but a fusion twisted up with continental and European flare. So dishes like chocolate samosa dessert may sound a little odd but are worth trying. There is also the smoky salmon with dressings of honey, yogurt and chilly.

Opening Hours: Sunday to Friday 7.30 PM to midnight; Thursday 7.30 PM to 1.00 AM

India Palace
Splendidly done up intricate wooden carved interiors with traditional copper tableware as in the old times, India Palace takes you the forgone era of kings and queens. The menu is as elaborate with starters like Hara Bhara Kebabs (spinach cutlets), lasoon machli (garlic and yoghurt mix-coated fish). Main course includes dishes like banjara kofta (balls of cottage cheese rolled in spinach, deep fried and sauted with tomato gravy) while desserts spin up names like Saffron Kulfi; a milk product.

Opening Hours: 12.00 PM to 11.30 PM Daily

Address: PO Box 34861, Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel No: +971 4 2869600

iZ
iZ is an high-end restaurant located in Grand Hyatt, Dubai. But the delicacies served here will definitely help you forget the prices. With both vegan and non-vegetarian options available, the menu becomes endless, but the dish worth trying is prawn masala. It’s heavenly tasting this dish in these cream lit interiors. Highlights are the tandoori dishes cooked at the live cooking stations and the elite crowd that frequents the restaurants.

Opening Hours: Lunch: 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM Daily
Dinner: 7:00 PM to 12:30 AM Daily (until 1:00 AM on Thursdays and Fridays)

Options
Indian Chef Sanjeev Kapoor of ‘Khana Khazana’ fame has opened his own chain or restaurant of which Dubai has one its branch in Options. Traditional Indian cooking but tastes that linger and attract you back to the restaurant. If you are missing Indian food and wouldn’t want to experiment then Options is the best ‘option’.

Opening Hours: 7 PM to 12 AM Daily

Address: Convention Centre Office Tower, Dubai World Trade Centre, P.O. Box 9668, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel No:+97 4 3293293

Spice Lounge
An independent restaurant, the pleasant and warm Spice Lounge comes up with a gastronomic fare that matches its tastefully done up ambience. You will enjoy the whole experience of coming here due to the great food served here which includes lip smacking dishes like biryani, mutton rogan josh and sinful desserts.

Opening Hours: Sunday to Wednesday 12 PM to 12 AM, Thursday to Saturday 12 PM to 1 AM

Address: Al Ghazal Luxury Tower, Ground floor, Al Wasl Road (near Al Ghazal Mall and Iranian Hospital), Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel No:+971 4 3453365

Zaika
Zaika is attached to Al Murooj Rotana Hotel and its friendly interiors and hospitable staff welcome to the world of North Indian cuisine. There are 3 private dining rooms having capacity for 8 guests each and the restaurant is separated out on two floors. Every dish on its menu is worth try but a special mention for dhania (coriander) murg and naan (Various types of rice also go well with curries).

Opening Hours:  Sunday to Thursday 12.00 PM to 3.00 PM and 7.00 PM to 11.30 PM,  Friday & Saturday: From 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 7.00 PM to 11.30 PM