SMCCU Review

We had a wonderful evening today at SMCCU. The hosts were genuinely welcoming, the Emirati food and dessert was cooked to perfection. The
culture was explained in a most interesting and light-hearted manner by Abdallah and all questions were answered with good humour. The breaking of the fast was followed by the prayers and then the Iftar was served. A visit to the Mosque was the highlight of the evening.
Altogether a memorable experience. Highly recommended.

It shows the culture of UAE. It has a gift shop also which has antiques, books, etc...

Very welcoming and a comfortable environment to ask questions.

Whether you're in Dubai for a day or a month, this place is a must visit. They have several programs for tourists and they take good care to ensure an immersive and wholesome experience of the Emirati culture. I went for their Sunday brunch and had a wonderful time eating earthy Emirati delicacies and talking with the host as she regaled us with funny, witty and insightful answers to our questions about this country. This was followed by an invitation to explore the home and neighborhood and so gracious were the hosts that they even packed some of the food and gave to the guests to enjoy later!

A must do if you want to learn more about the Emirati culture and the Muslim religion. We went for the iftar dinner and the mosque visit and it was incredible. Our two presenters Mira and Humna (sorry if I spelt that wrong) was really welcoming. They answered all our questions and made the evening very enjoyable. We are grateful for the centres open door open minds policy because we learned a lot there that we wouldn't have learned anywhere else.

Very interesting this lunch. At the Cultural Center, after being welcomed by the family who owned the house, a local girl stayed who, over lunch, talked to us about local issues.
And besides, the food was great!

Very nice experience, The breakfast is nice but the real added value is the exchange that we have with people on the spot. All answers are spontaneous and sincere and no subject is discarded.

Hosts are very friendly and patient for all the introduction and questions from participants. Through food and talking, we knew more about Emirati life and tradition.

If you want to embrace culture, this is one place you do not want to miss. Food was within my meal plan.

This is a place which is definitely a good idea to visit when you come to Dubai. The staff are knowledgeable and local and are happy to answer all sorts of questions about Dubai and Emirates culture. It's a very valuable insight into the foundations of modern Dubai but also in terms of showing visitors just how the culture has evolved. Book ahead or sign up to a tour group. This is something that you will not regret participating in and visiting.

One of the amazing view from this road and must saw if you coming in Dubai.

You will learn everything to learn about Dubai, Emirati culture, food, history, friendliness, tourism, construction, and Expo 2020. The cuisine is really great. Moeen will walk you through the topics listed above.

Tour and brunch

Tour was very educational I learned a lot about the culture, the tour guide was very friendly and we could ask anything

Brunch
Great food, thought everything would be spicy but it is not.

Wonderful opportunity for discussion and cultural understanding plus local food

A Unique experience in Ramadan.
As a Muslim I fast full month of Ramadan and in the evening I break fast after the sun Sets. I had a Iftaar ( Breaking Fast ) with our full company and It was outstanding experience.
Food was delicious. As a dessert Lover I like cream caramel and Fresh dates that were imported from Oman.
During the visit the local guide give a full history of Arab islam and their culture and food,
Must be visited and recommended

Amazing activity for tourists and residents to do. I have been alone and on the walking tour. a Dubai must.

Lovely experience. We went along for the traditional breakfast which was my first experience of traditional Gulf food despite being in the region for almost 13 years. Our hostess answered all the questions in a down to earth and witty manner and made everyone feel welcome. The centre is lovely building in a historical part of Dubai so I think the walking tour would be well worth it too but we didn't have time for that experience unfortunately.

Fun experience for newbies and visitors to learn about Dubai and ask any questions they have to the local hosting family.

A must visit place to understand the Emirati Culture. One must include a visit to SMCCU when visiting Dubai. Lovely people Lovely culture.

Open doors, Open minds
Thank you for this oasis

Must visit to understand and discuss about Emirates culture.

An excellent center that provide out standing information to visitor to understanding the culture of Dubai and the UAE

It is incredible how much you can learn in such a short period of time! Never been to the Emirates? Then it's a must do!

Emirati breakfast, lunch and dinners! With local people talking about their culture! You ask they answer about their life's. It is a must if you are in Dubai.

Open doors open minds, if you want to know more about UAE culture in Emirati hospitality way, just visit the centre and enjoy.

Excellent place to meet and live with part of the culture and traditions of the Arab Emirates, besides receiving a nice and delicious breakfast! Totally recommended.

The tour was really fun, I feel like I learned a lot from Emirates culture, first we got our chance to feed dates to a baby camel, then a local took us to see how a normal house looks if you were in the dessert, and he was holding his falcon and singing, it was amazing, then we walk through all this really old buildings to have a typical breakfast inside a house which is over 200 yrs wearing the typical outfit, and then we got the chance to see how a mosque looks inside without being muslims, which was a wonderful experience. I'm sure you should get this tour, it teaches you a lot and you can understand more about their culture.

The speaker was able to not only explain but also inform us all of how the culture in Dubai is not as different as we may have seen portrayed on TV. The Q&A session was really great since we were allowed to ask anything in relation to Dubai as a country.

Great concept and the people there are so kind. Brunch was delicious.

For improvement: I wish the wonderful host would have had prepared talking points or notes about culture, Dubai, life etc. and talked to us first. Instead (besides the demo of traditional attire) the format was all Q&A, with random questions from dumb tourists like are there slums here and how many wives can a man have ?

Note for visitors: out of consideration for other guests, if you have children, make sure you know they will have to sit for two hours while adults talk. This is not your home - it is a public shared space. What passes for parenting now is unbelievable. A family from Spain let their kids run around screaming during this talk taking little notice, while an Asian couple looked at their phones the whole time and ignored their children who were close to knocking down the whole brunch setup. Please be considerate to others, especially the kind hosts trying to expand cultural awareness. If your kids can t behave, go to one of the other thousand things for kids to do in Dubai.

We have participated to the cultural breakfast hosted by Dahlia. Dahlia was very open minded and told us everything we wanted to know about the Emirati culture. Besides tasting the delicious breakfast there was as well the opportunity to try on a burqa.

Me and my friend had a cultural breakfast at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre. It was a great experience with good food and we could ask the hostess anything we wanted about the culture of Dubai and the UAE in general. We've learned a lot and we would certainly recommend it to tourists who are looking for an educative cultural excursion with typical Emirati food.

A very special experience in the SMCCU during the cultural breakfast. Highlight of our visit to Dubai!

Wonderful people.. Great Hosting.. Lot of Emirati Local cuisine. You also a learn a lot about the culture.

Fantastic experience! Answered all my questions on life in the UAE and the intricacies of it's culture.

A must experience for all who may have any questions about Dubai and/or its culture, politics, beliefs etc. So welcoming and eye opening

A great way to get closer and understanding the contemporary Emirati culture and customs. Useful for tourists and expats alike. Well worth a visit.

Mostly the stores were closed.
The place however was delightful and perfect for a photo shoot. Arabian nights themed.

Definitely worth a visit to see Dubai's historical culture. A nice relaxing place.

Experience the history, culture and dining of Dubai in the cozy atmosphere of old Dubai. It is especially recommended for those who want to learn about the history and culture by not only eating Arabica food but also enjoying the traditional home atmosphere. The guide will explain in English, so if you have any questions, ask a question.

The food provided was hummus-free, which is unusual for Arabic cuisine, but was delicious overall. I especially liked dates and donuts with dates sauce. The arabic coffee we had here was unique and very interesting. They will also teach you the etiquette when drinking coffee.

#localguides #mydubai

We thoroughly enjoyed the cultural breakfast and cannot recommend it highly enough. If you're new to the UAE, just visiting, or simply want to learn more about the culture, this is the place to visit. No question is "off limits," and the answers are direct and honest. This wonderful organization truly embraces their motto: Open doors, open minds.

The single best experience I've had in Dubai since I began visiting here 2 years ago. I learned so much, laughed and had a great lunch. Book ahead for the meal options.

What's the procedures to visit and understand the culture diversity.

We learned a lot about the culture and history of UAE. Our guide was excellent and a nice host.
Loved the dates served during lunch. :)

Certainly an interesting place, where you thoughts about other cultures will meet its match. Good food, interesting conversations.

Delicious lunch and enlightening cultural experience

Is there really no Arab food?
It's pretty and it's okay to take pictures
The food is very ...

I tell all my visitors that this a required place to visit. It is a great place to eat Emirate food and learn about the UAE. Its history, religion and culture. I think it is a great place for anyone to come and learn and eat good food!

Located in Bur Dubai's historic Al Fahidi neighbourhood, the centre arranges numerous activities, including tours of heritage sites and landmarks in Dubai, educational programs for students, lectures, Arabic classes (in local Gulf dialect), as well as providing experience of traditional Emirati food. The open Questions & Answers were interesting with an incredible host: kind, open, knowledgeable and entertaining.

S alright. Just really pretty with a whole bunch of regular main stream shops.

A must for anyone interested in the culture and traditions and customs of this population!

A nice place to meet Emiratis
Attended and enjoyed very much a great lunch on 24. December and an opulent breakfast some days later after a real impressing falcon-experience. Guests were offered a lot of nice food (not hot ;-) and really delicious - from the fresh dates as a "welcome" to the sweets after the tasty main courses) plus coffee, tea and water. Three very friendly ladies and the director answered to questions of the visitors about modern daily life and old traditions. The place was created by Sheik Mohammed in 1998 - and the motto of the institution is "Open doors - open minds". It is is a nice place for visitors to get in touch with "real Emiratis" - outside you mostly find people from Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Philippines etc. living and working in this amazing "miracle of steel and glass" between desert and sea that started with some small houses on the banks of the Creek in ancient times. An "intercultural lunch" (or breakfast) is a very nice experience in the picturesque Al Fahidi neighbourhood near the Creek which is for me "the real attraction" in Dubai. Important: Please make a reservation at least some days before if you want to attend such a meeting.

This cultural center is really if not absolutely to do. You have to book for your view, on their website, with either breakfast or lunch typically from Dubai. The explanations are in English but we manage to find our way around. The breakfast we made is well explained, dish by dish, dish by dish and almost everything is good. In a word, go there it is worth the detour;)

Delicious and abundant dinner with an interesting talk on Emirati culture.

This was my favorite thing to do while visiting Dubai. Well worth the time and money and I'd recommend anyone so this. Sheikh Ahmed and his wife are lovely!

Nice walk but everything seemed a little bit empty. But nontheless you can spend a few minutes in here.

Very nice experience, The breakfast is nice but the real added value is the exchange that we have with people on the spot. All answers are spontaneous and sincere and no subject is discarded.

Have been there at lease 4 times and highly recommend it

Basically, I went there with my classmates and it was nice place to explore history of UAE

Highly recommend booking a meal for the chance to enjoy traditional emerati cuisine and learn about the local culture.