Food Blog | 3 Fils | Jumeirah Fishing Harbour | Dubai

3 Fils is the super trendy spot in town right now, having won the top spot on MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2022. And it is absolutely deserved. The restaurant serves up super yummy food at a fairly reasonable price point that everyone can enjoy.

I’ve personally been there multiple times - even done a few rounds of takeaway, so I have a rough idea about most of the menu. One good thing about 3 Fils is that they have a main menu and a rotating menu of seasonal dishes so that every visit can be fresh as the first visit.

One quick note is that they have been increasing menu prices in between my visits, so some prices may not be reflective of current pricing.

Where It Is

3 Fils is located in Jumeirah Fishing Village. It’s fairly out of the way and is located on a row of shops by the fishing harbor. Parking is fairly sparse and can be challenging at times, so I do recommend coming just a bit earlier if you have a reservation/appointment - just in case you can’t find parking.

Address: Shop 02, Jumeirah Fishing Harbour - 1 Al Urouba St - Dubai

Operating Hours:

Daily: 12 - 11:30 pm (Except Tuesday - 6 - 11:30 pm)

What it Costs

On the two occasions I’ve eaten there and kept the receipt, (family of 4) we’ve eaten for AED506 and AED581. So on average, we’re eating for around AED140/person. It’s a bit steep - if you consider it a more casual dining experience - but if you consider that this is the top-ranked restaurant in the MENA region, then it is actually super worth it.

I think their salmon nigiri is actually fairly reasonable - especially relative to their sister restaurant Goldfish - being priced at AED41 for 4 pieces. Goldfish actually prices it at AED40 for 2 pieces, so relatively speaking, this is really the much better deal - and as I will talk about later, it actually tastes better here.

I will list down the prices of all the dishes below pictures of the food, but you can take a look at their menu (and seasonal menu) by clicking on this link here.

How it Tastes

I say this quite frankly - I haven’t been let down by any of the food served at 3 Fils yet (and I think I’ve been there around 4 times - plus a few rounds of takeaway). The only thing I was maybe confused by was this seasonal coconut drink recommended by the waitress that didn’t really taste like coconut. But apart from that instance, even their other drinks have been fine.

So, I will start off with one of the quirks of 3 Fils. They don’t serve their sushi with soy sauce. It’s not on your table and I’m pretty sure they won’t give it to you even if you begged. This is because their promise to you is that they import the best ingredients from Japan and they want you to fully appreciate the flavors. All the sushi rice is beautifully cooked, and doesn’t need soy sauce to enhance the flavors (they add a bit of wasabi inside already).

Seriously, this is a good place to order salmon nigiri

And I would say that they definitely back it up with great sushi. Their salmon nigiri stands out because of the rice - and you can really taste that it is perfectly seasoned with their sushi vinegar - not too much, not too little and it makes a delicious salmon nigiri.

You can really see it glisten when it’s served at your table, and it is just about bite-sized, so you can savor all the flavors from the salmon nigiri in one delicious bite.

My family has gotten the salmon carpaccio on a few occasions and it’s great if you want something with a bit more sauce to go with your salmon.

My family has tried a few of their sushi rolls, and they’re pretty good as well. We’ve had the volcano roll, crispy eel roll, and their soft shell crab maki. I think my favorite so far is the crispy eel roll - even though it is presented rather strangely, I do think that the flavors and the texture make it super yummy.

I would say that the soft shell crab maki comes a very close second (although you can see that my preference towards tempura shows through these choices) but more because of the caviar (which they don’t really point out in the menu. Honestly, it is one of those guilty pleasure kinds of dishes, whereby the caviar gives it that super umami tastes throughout.

If you like lamb, their slow-cooked lamb is definitely worth a try. Their marinade is super delicious and the meat really comes off the bone. I would say that their lamb isn’t even the most gamey-tasting lamb, so I would almost recommend it for those who aren’t big lamb fans as well.

If you want something that will knock your socks off, their Wagyu Truffle Burger does that and more because that dish is really pure indulgence in a single burger. I mean, you can really taste the quality in the beef and the truffle mayo + shaved truffle + truffle paste almost takes the umami level off the charts.

Seriously, if you want a burger, order this one and I think your standard for grading burgers seriously changes quite a bit. Granted, this is a pretty small burger - I think if you’re like me, you seriously can’t eat just a burger and be full for dinner.

I’m probably leaning on the side of decent, but not order-worthy for their sakura ebi. I think I’m just personally not the biggest fan of the little pieces of shrimp. I actually really like the pasta alone with the lobster oil and garlic, but I just don’t really like the ebi too much because I’m almost not sure about what to do with its shell/heads.

We’ve had a few of their seasonal menu items as well.

First is the shake don. This is basically a small bowl of salmon + rice with a ponzu mayo dressing with green ebiko. Honestly a really unique dish. I love the combination of flavors from the sauce to the salmon to the deliciously cooked rice. This is another one of those dishes that isn’t that big - as in, you won’t be full just having this, so just take note of that.

I’ve also tried their Fish Burger - I believe they used cod as their choice of fish (I can easily be mistaken) - but it’s pretty decent as well. They generally get their dressings for their dishes correct and the mix of flavors is really something that is impressive.

Brix provides their dessert offerings (they’re the shop next door). I think my favorite of the 3 I’ve had (I tried one African Powerhouse at Time Out Market) is their Ispahan. I actually really like the sponge cake coupled with the raspberry and the rose lychee milk.

Granted, this is definitely one of those desserts on the sweeter side of the spectrum, but I think they got the balance right with the crunchy and soft elements, as well as the sweet and acidic elements.

African Powerhouse (AED37) - Note - this was at Timeout Market

I think that the African Powerhouse is decent as well - strong dark chocolate coupled with a delicious vanilla ice cream but I think the Napolean is a bit more on the ‘meh’ side for me.

Star Rating

9.5/10. Strictly speaking, super yummy food at a price point that isn’t ridiculous. This (the colder months) is definitely one of the best times for it as you can sit outdoors and look over the harbor. Service is great as well, and they know what recommendations to make, and genuinely, I think that you cannot go wrong with 3 fils.

This is a great place to eat and this isn’t your traditional high-class fine dining restaurant - but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t serve up absolutely delicious food. Probably one of the most comfortable dining experiences you will find with no pressure on you to dress up or order an expensive set menu with wine.

Food Blog | 3 Fils | Jumeirah Fishing Harbour | Dubai

Where It Is

What it Costs

How it Tastes

Star Rating

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