Mall of the Emirates

Until the Dubai Mall opened, the Mall of the Emirates was the biggest shopping centre in Dubai. Situated in the Al Barsha area of the city, it offers more than 500 shops, an indoor ski resort, a multiplex cinema, a theatre, a huge selection of restaurants and fast food outlets, and two hotels.

Anchor stores at the Mall of the Emirates are Carrefour, Debenhams, Harvey Nichols, and Centrepoint.

Carrefour is a large hypermarket situated on the ground floor of the mall. As well as food and household products, it also sells clothes and shoes for adults and children, toys and games, garden equipment and furniture, tents and camping equipment, luggage, furniture, rugs and carpets, televisions, audio equipment, DVDs, cameras and video cameras, game consoles, and mobile telephones.

Harvey Nichols Dubai is spread over 3 floors and is the largest Harvey Nichols store outside the UK. The store is well known for its strong collections of women’s designer clothes, handbags, and footwear. Brands stocked include Alberta Ferretti, Emilio Pucci, Issa, L’Wren Scott, J Mendel, Maison Rabih Kayrouz, Zagliani, Lana Marks, Nancy Gonzalez, Gucci, Le Silla, Marni, Moschino, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Vionnet, Alexander McQueen, Georges Chakra, Maison Du Posh, Burak Uyan, Sergio Rossi, Camilla Skovgaard, and Tadashi.

Centrepoint occupies 140,000 square feet of the ground floor and is home to Shoe Mart, Splash, Lifestyle, and Babyshop. Shoe Mart specialises in affordable footwear for men, women and children, while Splash offers high street fashion from its own designers and international brands such as UMM and Lee Cooper. Babyshop caters to babies and children aged up to 16 years old and stocks affordable toys, clothes, prams and pushchairs, furniture, and more. Lifestyle sells a wide range of products including perfumes, cosmetics, bags, jewellery, home furnishings, bedding, and lighting.

The Fashion Dome extension opened in 2010 and houses around 40 luxury fashion retailers under a massive 38 metre high glass dome. Stores include Cartier, Giorgio Armani, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Versace, Canali, D&G, Michael Kors, Paul Smith, Paul & Joe, Sephora, CH Carolina Herrera, and Galliano.

Via Rodeo is another luxury shopping area within the mall. Situated on the first floor, just north of the Fashion Dome it is lined with designer stores such as Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Etro, Celine, Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli, Jimmy Choo, Burberry, YSL, Boucheron, and Bvlgari.

Other stores include the Virgin Megastore (CDs, DVDs, video games, and books), Aizone (Lebanese fashion shop), H&M, Next, River Island, Zara and Zara Home, Crate & Barrel (home furnishings), Marina Exotic Home Interiors, Gallery One (photographic prints and canvases), Jacky’s Electronics (cameras and camcorders, TVs, musical instruments, car and home audio products, computers, printers, mobile phones, office equipment, fridges, freezers, washing machines etc.), Jumbo Electronics, Home Centre (home furniture, mattresses and bedding, floor coverings, lighting, kitchenware etc.) , ID Design (home, office and garden furniture),Toy Store, Juicy Couture, Praias (bikinis), Mexx, Mango, Borders (large bookstore with large range of books and magazines in both English and Arabic), Mothercare, Jenny Rose (maternity wear), Tape a L’Oeil (children’s fashion), and Aminian Persian Carpets. The MMI liquor store is tucked away on the ground floor at the eastern end of the mall. The entrance is next to the car park.

Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort at the western end of the mall. It offers 5 slopes that vary in difficulty. The longest is 400 metres with a drop of over 60 metres. It also features a freestyle zone, a snow park, a shop, and restaurants.

VOX Cinemas (previously CineStar) is a 14-screen multiplex cinema showing all the latest blockbuster movies. It offers two Gold Class theatres where cinemagoers can collect their tickets without queuing, watch the movie in a large, reclining leather armchair. Food and drinks can also be ordered on entry and are served during the first 15 minutes of the film. For cinema listings and movie times visit the official VOX Cinemas website.

The Mall of the Emirates also boasts a large children’s entertainment area. Magic Planet features various rides, video games, a bowling alley, pool tables, a children’s soft play area, and video games. One of the highlights is RoboCoaster, a two-person thrill ride on a giant robotic arm.

The Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre is a thriving, non-profit creative centre on the second floor. The Centrepoint Theatre can seat over 500 while the Kilachand Studio Theatre can accommodate 150. Together they offer plays, comedy shows, operas, classical music concerts, ballet, and films. The complex also includes dance studios, art classrooms, an art gallery, and restaurant. A comprehensive programme of courses and workshops is on offer. Classes available include creative writing, crafts, painting and drawing, pottery, sculpture, drama, acting, dance and ballet, music and singing, and fitness and self-defence.

There’s a great choice of restaurants and places to eat at the mall. There are two food courts, one on the ground floor at the eastern end of the mall and another on the first floor at the western end. Restaurants are also found on the ground floor of the Fashion Dome and on the first floor, next to VOX Cinemas.

The West Food Court is situated on the first floor below Magic Planet and close to Ski Dubai. Places to eat here include La CreParis (French crepes), New York Fries (fries made to order, with a variety of toppings), Fujiyama (Japanese), Hatam (Persian), Panda (Chinese), Beirut (Lebanese), Zaatar W Zeit (Lebanese wraps), Mongolian Barbecue, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, Ban Khun Mae (Thai), Pasha (Turkish), Nawab (Indian), and Burger King. There are also Johnny Rockets (American 50s style diner) and TGI Fridays (American) restaurants in Magic Planet.

The East Food Court is located on the ground floor at the eastern end of the mall, near Centrepoint. Fast food outlets here include McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, Papa John’s Pizza, Teriyaki (Japanese), Saj Express (Lebanese), Karam Express (Lebanese), Magic Wok (Chinese), and Thai Express.

The ground floor of the Fashion Dome is home to a diverse range of restaurants. PF Chang’s (American Chinese), Biella (Italian), Al Halabi (Arabic, Lebanese), Fauchon (French), Asha’s (Indian restaurant owned by Asha Bhosle), and Tribes (South African) are all here. The Emporio Armani Caffe (Italian – great pizzas) is found at the end of Via Rodeo.

Restaurants on the first floor next to VOX Cinemas include Japengo Café (International), Indian Pavilion (Indian), Pars (Iranian), Al Hallab (Lebanese), California Pizza Kitchen, Chili’s (Mexican), La Piazza (Italian), and the Butcher Shop & Grill (South African steakhouse). An area a little further to the west is home even more restaurants, some of which are licensed; St Maxim’s (French steakhouse), Apres (chic cocktail bar – good views of Ski Dubai), Karam Beirut (Lebanese), Salmontini (seafood, sushi), and Chop Chop (Asian, Japanese).

The Kempinski Hotel is a 5-star hotel at the western end of the mall. Licensed restaurants and bars here include the Evory Lounge (sports bar – watch Premier League football on big screens), 1897 Bar (cocktail bar and cigar lounge), KGrill (International), and Sezzam (1,000 seat restaurant with 3 open kitchens). The Aspen café is also here and offers sandwiches, freshly baked breads, and afternoon tea.

The 4-star Pullman Hotel at the opposite end of the mall also offers various eating and drinking options.

Restaurants elsewhere include the Avalanche Café and St Moritz Café in Ski Dubai, Almaz by Momo and the Food Market in Harvey Nichols, and Starbucks in Debenhams.

The Mall of the Emirates is open 7 days a week. Opening times are Sunday to Wednesday 10 am to 10 pm, and Thursday to Saturday 10 am to midnight. Opening hours for Carrefour are 9 am to midnight daily.

Five customer service desks are spread throughout the mall and offer store guides and maps (in both English and Arabic). The main customer service desk (on the ground floor outside Carrefour) also offers gift vouchers, branded merchandise, mobile phone recharging, photocopying, stamps, lost and found property assistance, and a fax service.

Other facilities and services include toilets, baby changing areas, an Etisalat bill payment machine, baby stroller rentals, luggage storage, prayer rooms, Emirates Post mailboxes, car hire (Thrifty), and banks (Emirates NBD, Dubai Islamic Bank, HSBC, Noor Islamic Bank etc.).

Getting to the Mall of the Emirates is easy. It’s situated in the Al Barsha area of the city, just off the Sheikh Zayed Road at Interchange 4.

A 4-storey car park offers spaces for over 7,000 vehicles. Parking is free at weekends (Friday and Saturday) and public holidays and for the first four 4 hours the rest of the week. A pay-on-exit system is in operation. Drivers must validate their parking tickets at a pay machine (even if no fee is due) before returning to their vehicles. Pay machines accept notes and major credit cards.

Customers of Ski Dubai and VOX Cinemas enjoy an additional free hour of parking and should present their parking ticket to the Ski Dubai or VOX Cinemas cashier to have the extra time applied.

The mall has its own dedicated Metro station. The Mall of the Emirates Metro Station is on the Red Line and is linked to the mall by an air-conditioned walkway.

All taxi drivers should be able to find the Mall of the Emirates easily. The main drop off and pick up point is at the entrance near Harvey Nichols and Debenhams.

Hotels and places to stay near the Mall of the Emirates include the Holiday Inn Al Barsha, Time Oak Hotel & Suites, Time Topaz Hotel Apartments, Citymax Al Barsha, and Corp Executive Hotel Apartments.