Pepperoni Comedy Club is where pizza meets punchlines smack bang in the centre of 25 Jump Street
The spot
Images: Provided
Rikas Hospitality has been rapidly expanding its Dubai empire, but Pepperoni Comedy Club feels like a left turn, in a good way. This is a casual, clever pivot into Americana, done in collaboration with radio heavyweight Kris Fade. The result is a refreshing diner-comedy club hybrid. They’ve chosen their address wisely, too. 25 Jump Street is already earning its stripes as the city’s first licensed street. On launch night, the strip was buzzing, and Pepperoni felt like the epicentre. Weekends currently bring regional comedy talent into the back room, a purpose-built club that channels the intimate, basement-style venues of New York. Rows of chairs face a compact stage, with booth seating hugging the sides – prime real estate if you like to heckle quietly. Out front, the diner is a riot of design details: mismatched vintage paraphernalia, a candy-wrapped glass bar, bowling pins, model planes, oversized pink frilly lampshades, and a pinball machine for good measure. It’s chaotic and fun.
The food and drinks
Images: Provided
The kitchen is alarmingly small for a menu this ambitious. Peer through the pass and you’ll spot a small army of chefs moving at speed, turning out American-Italian comfort food. Starters cover familiar ground. There’s arancini with Bolognese sauce, spicy potato croquettes, generous corn and avocado salads. The rigatoni arrabbiata is the sleeper hit, giving Carbone’s signature dish a run for its money. Still, the pizza is the point. Thin, crisp pepperoni pies dominate tables, and rightly so. They’re not trying to reinvent anything here, and that’s kind of the charm. This is crowd-pleasing food, executed well. Drinks follow the same dual-track logic. You can keep it classic, sipping beers or cocktails from diner-style red cups, or lean into the left-field menu with concoctions like ketchup-and-mustard martinis or a palo-mingo blending sherry, port, grapefruit and yuzu. Low-brow, high-brow, it’s your call.
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The service
With a packed house and a comedy show looming, things could have unraveled. Instead, service held steady. Francisco, our server, was switched on, enthusiastic with recommendations, and even offered to box up pizzas pre-show. Small gesture, big impression.
What’s on the bill
Starters range from around Dhs65 (Mama’s bruschetta) to Dhs105 (beef carpaccio). Salads hover around Dhs80, while pizzas sit at Dhs105 for the classic pepperoni.
What’s On verdict
A win. Dubai gets its first permanent comedy club, wrapped in a diner. Add fun food, smart drinks, and a genuinely good atmosphere, and Pepperoni Comedy Club earns its place on the Street, and in the city.
Location: 25 Jump Street, One Central, World Trade Centre
Times: Sun to Thur noon to midnight, Fri and Sat noon to 2am
Contact: (0)4 572 7040; @pepperoni_comedyclub
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