Get Kozi @ African Cafe, Dubai Mall

want to sip coffee while listening to intoxicating african chants, against the sound of waterfalls, amongst palm trees, and your feet resting on goat-skin carpet?

then head on to 'kozi' at the dubai mall, and cozy up at this african cafe!

my sisters and i came by cab from ibn battuta mall to meet with mr. khairul at the dubai mall after work, and we were still full from our lunch at ibn battuta, so we decided to just hang at this exotic cafe.

tree-like 'roof' at the center of kozi cafe

hihi - however, the waterfalls is actually man-made (the one with the bronze diving men statues), the palm trees and goat skin rugs are fake, and the african chants are just aired over the speaker. i mean, you don't see half-naked men with paints all over their body singing hakunan matata - live!

and yet, you can feel a certain african vibe as you enter the vicinity of the cafe.

it situated at the 2nd floor of dubai mall, set at the edge of a mall balcony that faces the waterfalls with the bronze diving men statues.


it's theme is obviously african - with dark brown leather chairs, animal-skin rugs, with bamboo partitions between the bar and the back seating area. to top it all (literally), a cool tree slash root-like thingy as its roof.

the chairs really invite patrons to literally 'sit back' and relax, not just because it's a comfy leather seat, but because of the nature of the design. it curves really low, so you either sit straight and not sandar, or you lie on your back, and might as well close your eyes!

it's a chair made for lying down for a siesta!

the fake palm trees in huge pots, and the man-made waterfall

* * *

i'd say this is an exotic cafe because of its theme and decor, but food-wise it's not that african-ly unique. like any other cafes, it has the usual hot drinks, but offers its own brand of 'african' tea and coffees.


the rest of the food items in the menu ranges from your basic cafe sandwiches, to sweet muffins. nothing special or really african there. it would be interesting if they were to add some popular desserts from africa, or a savory snack that is african-made.

i guess they're just presenting the setting of africa, while we eat normal cafe foodstuff.


speaking of presenting african theme - the other stuff really caught my attention. especially the most quirky looking african statues made from wood, (in above picture) used to tell the table numbers. i thought nando's chicken was quirky enough - but this takes home the award!

it's so funny, and creepy and quirky at the same time!


there are a couple of 'african' stuffs around the cafes - more statues - a couple by the waterfalls even wore t-shirt with african symbols!

mr. khairul making his order

while 99% of staff at cafes around dubai are filipinos, it's really nice to have a couple of africans manning the african cafes. ade la rasa authentic sikit!

what did mr. khairul order for us?


he got me a cup of hot choc, and a vanilla coffee for himself. the wombats didn't want any hot drinks. mr. khairul also got us a blueberry muffin, and a huge choc chip one.

if you notice, the mugs and plates are really cute - because they're a little disporportionate, as if they were formed imperfectly on purpose. it felt like we're drinking from some rural hut deep in the african jungle!


like i said, food is not to shout about here, because one muffin is just like another. tasty, of course, but nothing really special. come for the ambiance and a little african experience in the middle of the dubai mall, and you'll get some.

khaleef loved the choc muffin though - he was asleep when we came, woke up, had one spoonful, slept back, woke up again, and finished the whole thing.

sigh, my little muffin monster!