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Dubai has no shortage of Lebanese restaurants, but Ayamna has the advantage of a setting within one of the city’s best-known resorts. Part of the dining collection at Atlantis, The Palm, the restaurant centres its menu on generous mezze, charcoal-grilled meats and seafood, with traditional Lebanese flavours running throughout.
The menu’s scale makes Ayamna particularly well suited to a leisurely dinner shared across the table. Familiar staples sit alongside more elaborate dishes, while two set menus provide an easy route through the restaurant’s broader offering. The result feels appropriate for a resort restaurant without losing sight of the Lebanese cooking at its core.
Lebanese Dining at Atlantis, The Palm
Ayamna sits within Atlantis, The Palm on Palm Jumeirah, among a restaurant collection that includes Nobu Dubai, Hakkasan, Ossiano and Seafire Steakhouse & Bar. Its focus is distinctly Lebanese, with much of the menu built around the communal style of dining associated with the cuisine.
There is also plenty of choice for different appetites. Diners can build a meal à la carte or opt for the Berytus and Ayamna set menus, both designed for sharing. The former combines cold and hot mezze with grilled meats, sea bream, sweets and seasonal fruit, while the larger Ayamna spread adds dishes including lamb makanek, shrimp Provençal, grilled prawns and Lebanese citrus salmon.
A Dining Room Made for Long Evenings
Ayamna has the polished scale expected of Atlantis, while its Lebanese identity gives the restaurant a warmer character than a conventional hotel dining room. It works especially well for groups and families, where a succession of sharing plates can occupy the centre of the table, and dinner can unfold at an unhurried pace.
The dress code is casual, with tailored shorts, sleeved shirts and closed shoes or sandals accepted, so dinner does not demand formal dressing despite the grand resort setting. UAE national dress is also welcomed.
Mezze, Grills and Lebanese Classics
Mezze is the natural place to begin. Cold options cover familiar staples such as hummus, moutabal, baba ghanouj, stuffed vine leaves and tabouleh, alongside basil labneh with pomegranate, basil and pistachios. Mouhamara brings together Arabic chilli paste, walnuts and pistachios, while Lebanese fish tajin pairs grilled sea bass with tahini, green pepper, tomatoes, onions, garlic and pine nuts. Kebbeh nayeh is also available, prepared with beef, crushed wheat, mint, Arabic spices, pine nuts and walnuts.
The hot mezze offers enough variety to warrant a generous selection for the table. Cheese rakakat and meat sambousek sit alongside fried kebbeh, batata harra and lamb makanek cooked with pomegranate molasses. Beiruti hummus is topped with diced Wagyu beef and pine nuts, while seafood choices include shrimp Provençal and zaatar-marinated prawns wrapped in kunafa dough. Eggplant fatteh, baked spinach fatayer and falafel give vegetarian diners plenty to work with as well.
The main courses move into more substantial territory. Slow-cooked lamb shank comes with crushed potato and lamb jus, while the Mediterranean Majestic Hen is an oven-roasted baby chicken stuffed with oriental rice and accompanied by nuts and minted yoghurt. Seafood includes locally sourced sea bream with freekeh risotto, Lebanese citrus salmon with a trio-citrus tahina sauce and whole Canadian lobster with saffron-zaatar sauce and akawi cheese. There are also vegetarian options such as Lebanese vegetable stew and a creamy freekeh risotto.
For a meal that leans more heavily into the grill, the charcoal section is one of the strongest parts of the menu. Lamb chops, lamb kofta, lamb brochette and shish taouk can be ordered individually, while the mixed grill brings together lamb brochette, kofta, shish taouk, arayes, kebbeh and lamb chops. Grilled Wagyu brochette adds a richer beef option. Seafood is given similar attention through grilled king prawns and a substantial platter of Canadian lobster, prawns, salmon, sea bream and calamari, served with grilled Mediterranean vegetables, oriental sauce and saffron rice.
Sweets and Drinks
Dessert retains the restaurant’s regional character. The charcoal-grilled kunafa kabab combines kunafa dough, sweet cheese, pistachios and baklawa ice cream, while halawa bil jebin consists of sweet white cheese rolls filled with fresh cream and finished with pistachios and caramelised orange. There is also Um Ali, assorted Lebanese baklawa and Belle de Beyrouth Brûlée, a rice-based dessert scented with vanilla and rose water. A pistachio and lemon tart and sticky date pudding provide more contemporary alternatives.
The non-alcoholic drinks are particularly well matched to the food. House creations include Byblos with melon, lemon and ginger; Lebnani with fresh zaatar and lemon; Batroun with watermelon, basil and lemon; and a pomegranate and ginger blend. Lebanese lemonade, mint ayran, jallab, tamarind and Qamar El Deen also appear on the list, alongside Turkish coffee and white Lebanese coffee for the end of the meal.
Hospitality in the Lebanese Tradition
Ayamna makes the most sense as a shared experience. Mezze can accumulate quickly, so a considered selection followed by one or two grilled dishes gives the menu room to breathe. Larger groups have more freedom to explore the set menus, particularly the Ayamna option, which stretches across cold mezze, hot plates, seafood, grilled meats and sweets.
Vegetarian diners are also well served. Hummus, baba ghanouj, moutabal, mousakaa, stuffed vine leaves and mouhamara provide considerable choice among the cold mezze, with falafel, grilled halloumi, batata harra and spinach fatayer among the hot dishes. The main menu continues with vegetable stew, freekeh risotto and a plant-based kebab from the charcoal grill.
An Evening at Ayamna
Ayamna is a good fit for diners who want Lebanese food in the more polished surroundings of a major Dubai resort. The breadth of the menu is a large part of its appeal, particularly when several people dine together, and the table can move gradually through mezze, charcoal grills, and sweets.
Within Atlantis, The Palm’s extensive restaurant collection, it also offers a distinctly regional choice. Classic dishes remain prominent, seafood and premium meats broaden the menu, and the sharing format makes the experience feel relaxed enough for a family dinner while still carrying the sense of occasion expected of a night at Atlantis.
Location: Crescent Road, The Palm Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
