Huqqabaz Souk Al Bahar

HuQQaBaz at Souk Al Bahar is a Turkish-inflected Lebanese restaurant and lounge on the Downtown waterfront, facing directly onto the Burj Khalifa and the choreographed Dubai Fountain. The dining room is warmly decorated in modern Levantine textures - patterned tile, brass lantern lighting, deep banquette seating - and an expansive terrace opens onto the waterway with tables ranged along the fountain side. The atmosphere builds through the evening, conversational through the early seatings and notably livelier once the fountain shows begin. The kitchen covers Turkish and Lebanese cooking with clear attention. Mezze arrive generously - hummus, moutabal, tabbouleh, and fattoush carrying proper brightness - and freshly baked saj and taboon breads come to every table through service. The grilled mains are where the kitchen really shows its hand: shish tawook, kofta, lamb chops, and a considered mixed grill all work cleanly, and the kitchen accommodates vegetarian tables with genuine rather than token care. Close with baklava and a proper Turkish coffee or Arabic tea service. Shisha is a serious part of the offering, with an extensive flavour list and terrace seating allocated for smoking guests. The drinks programme is entirely non-alcoholic, with well-constructed mocktails and fresh-juice blends that match the effort of the food menu. Service is attentive without being over-rehearsed; the floor team paces tables for the fountain shows, handles groups and date bookings with composure, and remembers returning guests across visits. HuQQaBaz sits in the mid-to-upper casual bracket for the area, with value holding up well given the view and the genuine quality of the cooking. For a Levantine dinner with a front-row fountain terrace, proper shisha, and a kitchen that takes the cuisine seriously rather than softening it for tourist palates, it is one of the more complete bookings at Souk Al Bahar. Reservations for the terrace are essential.