You know I love my birthdays. After my raging 20’s birthday blowout celebration last year, I decided to go a little laid back and opt for the Key West Brunch Dubai. Key West Brunch in Dubai is a lovely restaurant located at Nikki Beach Resort & Spa, right in the beginning of Jumeirah. They have an evening brunch called Jammin’ @Key West which at AED 250 (US$68) per head is tremendous value, considering the gorgeous location and unlimited food and alcohol. The brunch runs from 6-11pm, with happy hour running from 11pm to 1am.

Key West Brunch Dubai Review

The ambience

Sunset at Key West, Nikki Beach Resort & Spa
Nothing like that view right? Told you it looks like the Maldives!

Going to Nikki Beach is like having a piece of Maldives in Dubai. As we were reaching towards the end of April, it’s starting to get hot in Dubai. However, as we were by the sea the breeze was absolutely wonderful; keeping the overall weather cool enough and comfortable for all. We managed to arrive in time to get our own seats. If you are a large group, make sure you get there early and grab as much seating as you can! Because this Key West brunch is so laid back, you’ll kind of have to do the leg work yourselves.

The trade off, however, is pretty great. This very unpretentious brunch is a refreshing change to the usual rager brunches in Dubai where you have to be dressed to the nines (For other awesome options, check out my post on unique brunches in Dubai). Even though it’s in a luxurious location such as Nikki Beach, it’s such a resounding relief not to be decked up with heels that you can’t even walk in. That for me, is the ultimate luxury. We were all dressed comfortably for the beachside with sandals/slippers. Most Dubai brunches and clubs need you to be dressed fancy and wear heels to enter. They also don’t really like walk-ins, unless you’re on a guest list and can be borderline racist. None of that here though! Such a relief!

The music by the resident band Cubache is amazing. They’re a really talented lot and the two times that I’ve been, I’ve really enjoyed the music. There’s a point after 9.30/10pm where the DJ takes over and plays mostly reggaeton music, which could be fun for some folk, but for others can be quite the nightmare. I personally don’t enjoy an overdose of reggaeton, and F.C. has zero tolerance for it especially because of some of the nasty lyrics.

What to eat

View vibe!

The Key West Brunch Dubai has a huge selection of Caribbean, Floridian and Latin food stations. I’ve been there once before, and I have to say that the food is true to advertising and unbelievably delicious! A visit to the ceviche station is a must; their octopus ceviche is absolutely delicious and fresh! There are also some delicious tostadas and tacos on offer.

The other stations are all hot food, ranging from delicious goat curry with parathas to grilled shrimp and fish. We also saw a decent vegetarian paella as well as scrumptious loaded hot dogs that were a winner with both adults and kids alike. Overall, I liked the food; the live cooking stations made a big difference when it came to the freshness of the food.

For dessert, it was a bit of a task getting to them. We only happened to spot some ice cream by the bar, but were offered it only about an hour later by very frazzled waiters. There were no desserts at the stations; perhaps they should add them as by the time it got to us, we had literally no options for ice cream. When I went for the launch night of this Key West brunch Dubai, I was indeed quite impressed with the dulce de leche churros, however all of 14 of us were offered only one churro. Not one churro each, no. One. I requested the staff for more, but it never came our way. Maybe they were out. Either ways, I will never know.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pictures because it was too dark, and the lights were quite harsh as well so all the food pics turned out to be blue or red.

What to drink

Birthday crew at Key West Brunch Dubai
As you can see, the painkiller drinks were a hit!

There were a selection of three rum-based cocktails, one of which was called the ‘painkiller’; which was very tropical, served in a cannonball and by far my go-to drink for the night. They also had mojitos. They also had beer & wines on offer. Since you have to get your own drinks, expect to queue. The bartenders were quite efficient in the beginning, but after a couple of hours; one of them was constantly complaining that they didn’t have help, which was a bit of a killjoy.

Me with my cousins
That, is the face of a happy birthday girl

Overall, it was still enjoyable if you’d like a laid back value brunch at sundown, with some excellent live Cuban music, delicious food in the chicest of locations!

Disclaimer: I received a media discount.

LOCATION

Key West - Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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