Café Isan is a restaurant serving dishes inspired by the cuisine of North-Eastern Thailand. A restaurant with a laid-back atmosphere and a self-proclaimed 'unpretentious vibe', its menu takes inspiration from Thai street food, with many of the dishes lighter than food you would expect from a typical Thai restaurant.
There are a range of light bites available, including dim sum, jumbo spring rolls and green curry rice balls. The restaurant also serves barbecued meat and fish, soup, salads, noodles and rice. They also serve vegan alternatives to a lot of their meat-based dishes, including vegan satay skewers with tofu and mushrooms, and a vegan Pad Thai. Menu must-tries include the mussel omelette and the green papaya salad, a Thai classic. There is also a separate 'farang' menu on offer at Café Isan, which features playful Thai-inspired takes on fast food dishes, including their Songkrang Burger, which is a chicken patty in a crunchy satay coating, with carrot and onion salsa and homemade peanut sauce.
They also offer daily 'happy hours', from 5pm to 7pm and from 11pm to 1am for 2-for-1 selected house drinks to enjoy alongside their Thai street food offering. There are also special events at the restaurant through the week, with 'Thai Tuesdays' and 'Fun Fridays' offering guests live music and sing-a-longs.
Café Isan has three outlets, with a fourth coming soon. Their Armada branch is licenced, and their original branch is not, so there's a venue for you whether you want alcohol-free dining or not. This is a hugely popular restaurant among locals and tourists alike, and is definitely worth a try for laid-back Thai dining in Dubai. They also offer delivery through Deliveroo, so you can get your Thai fix from home.