Silicon Central opened in April 2021 as Lulu Group's flagship mall for Dubai Silicon Oasis, 81,500 square metres of retail for a free zone that was established in 2004 and now houses tens of thousands of residents and the Dtec technology campus. It has become the dining hub for a part of Dubai that the restaurant lists rarely reach, and its Indian offer has grown with it.
We opened our café on the first floor in 2022, so this is a guide to the mall from the inside, with our neighbours described by format as fairly as we can manage, using their published information and the area's public category listings as of October 2026. Google's own question box for the mall asks "What are some good places to eat in Silicon Central Mall?", which is the question this page answers.
Key takeaways
- Four Indian options trade inside the mall: two sit-down restaurants, one a dum-pukht biryani chain and one a newer regional-Indian room, a quick-service North Indian counter, and The Bhukkad Café as a street-food café, all on the first floor within a few minutes' walk.
- Dubai Silicon Oasis beyond the mall adds a Delhi sweets-and-snacks house, a Chettinad specialist, a pure-vegetarian sweets chain, two Punjabi restaurants and two South Indian canteens, mostly within a five-minute drive.
- Two people spend AED 60 to 100 at the counter and the café and AED 100 to 200 at the sit-down restaurants.
- Weekday evenings belong to residents and Dtec staff; weekends bring families from across the Dubailand side of the city. Book the biryani restaurant on a Friday; the rest take walk-ins.
Inside the mall: the two sit-down restaurants
The first-floor restaurant row holds two Indian sit-down options. One is a branch of a Dubai-founded dum-pukht biryani chain with several dozen UAE locations; reviewers name the biryani and the value, two people spend AED 100 to 200, and it is the family dinner in the mall. The other, on Level 01, is a newer restaurant that describes itself as a tour of India's regional cuisines and tops Tripadvisor's Indian list for Dubai Silicon Oasis from a small review base. It is the one to try if the biryani restaurant is full.
Inside the mall: the quick-service counter
A Dubai-created North Indian and Indo-Chinese chain runs a quick-service counter in the mall, at about AED 90 for two on the chain's listings elsewhere. It is the fast full-plate option: dal, a curry, noodles, a breakfast. It shares two malls with us, here and at City Centre Deira, and does the full-plate job better than we do.
| Venue type | Format | Where | Two people, approx. | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dum-pukht biryani restaurant | Sit-down restaurant | Silicon Central, first floor | AED 100 to 200 | Dum biryani, kebabs |
| Regional-Indian restaurant | Sit-down restaurant | Silicon Central, Level 01 | AED 100 to 200 | Regional plates |
| North Indian plate counter | Quick-service counter | Silicon Central | AED 90 | North Indian plates, Indo-Chinese |
| The Bhukkad Café | Sit-down café | Silicon Central, Shop C-120, first floor | AED 60 to 100 | Vada pav, pav bhaji, chaat platter, bun maska and chai |
| Delhi sweets-and-snacks house | Sweets and snacks | Main-road tower, Dubai Silicon Oasis | AED 50 to 100 | Chole bhature, dal makhani, sweets |
| Chettinad restaurant | Sit-down restaurant | Residential tower, Dubai Silicon Oasis | AED 50 to 100 | Chettinad chicken, biryani |
| Pure-vegetarian sweets chain | Sweets and chaat | Dubai Silicon Oasis | AED 70 to 100 | Chaat, sweets |
Inside the mall: The Bhukkad Café
Our café is at Shop C-120 on the first floor: a sit-down room built like an Indian street corner, with a sepia wall, framed street signs and a chai corner, and a menu of Mumbai street food: vada pav, Chowpatty pav bhaji, Rangeela pani puri, chaat platters, bun maska and chai kettle combos, Merawala Maggi, Bombay bhurji, a short thali and biryani list and shakes, about 60% vegetarian and all halal. Two people spend AED 60 to 100. The honest comparison: the two restaurants for a biryani dinner, the counter for a bigger plate, us for chaat, chai and a room to sit in.
Beyond the mall: Dubai Silicon Oasis
The oasis has grown its own Indian row outside the mall. A Delhi sweets-and-snacks house in one of the main-road towers draws the highest ratings in the area, with chole bhature and dal makhani the dishes reviewers mention. A Chettinad specialist in a residential tower does South Indian meat curries and biryani at AED 50 to 100 for two. Zomato's Indian list for the oasis adds two Punjabi restaurants, two South Indian canteens, a chai café and a pure-vegetarian sweets chain, and Property Finder's 2025 ranking of the area's Indian restaurants put the mall's biryani restaurant first and one of the Punjabi restaurants second. Time Out's recent review of an Italian restaurant in the oasis is a sign the area is starting to appear in the lists at all.
Practical notes
Parking is free and plentiful, which is part of why residents eat here rather than driving into town. The mall's restaurants keep mall hours. The Dubai to-do list has a half day for the oasis built around residents showing visitors their part of the city, and the Indian café guide explains the formats, from Karama counter to mall café, across the whole city.
Frequently asked questions
What are some good places to eat in Silicon Central Mall?
For Indian food: two sit-down restaurants, a dum-pukht biryani chain and a regional-Indian room, a quick-service North Indian counter and The Bhukkad Café for Mumbai street food and chai in a café room, all on the first floor. The mall also has the usual international chains and a food court.
What is the best Indian restaurant in Dubai Silicon Oasis?
By public ratings in October 2026, the Delhi sweets house and the Chettinad specialist outside the mall rate highest, and the biryani restaurant leads inside it; Property Finder's 2025 ranking put the biryani restaurant first. For a café rather than a restaurant, ours is the street-food option in the mall.
Is there a chai café in Silicon Central?
Yes. The Bhukkad Café on the first floor serves karak, masala and kadak chai with bun maska, Parle-G and bhajiya kettle combos, alongside a Mumbai street-food menu. A dedicated chai café in the wider oasis is the other chai name in Zomato's list.
Does Silicon Central have vegetarian Indian food?
The sweets chain in the oasis is fully vegetarian, and about 60% of The Bhukkad Café's menu is vegetarian with vegan options. The two sit-down restaurants and the plate counter all carry vegetarian sections on mixed menus.
Is parking free at Silicon Central Mall?
Yes, in our experience, and plentiful, which is one reason Dubai Silicon Oasis residents eat at the mall rather than driving into central Dubai.
Sources
- Design International, Silicon Central Mall opening and size (April 2021)
- Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, free zone established 2004
- Google Maps, Indian restaurants in Dubai Silicon Oasis (category listing, October 2026)
- Zomato, Indian restaurants in Dubai Silicon Oasis (category listing, October 2026)
- Tripadvisor, Indian restaurants in Dubai Silicon Oasis (category listing)
- Property Finder, best Indian restaurants in Silicon Oasis (August 2025)