Guides
Masgouf for a Group: How Much to Order and When to Call
Kabab Erbil · September 26, 2026
Kabab Erbil · September 26, 2026
A whole masgouf (4.5kg, AED 396) feeds four to eight people; a half fish (2.5kg, AED 220) feeds two to four. Masgouf is grilled to order, upright beside wood coals, and takes about an hour — so call the branch before you set off, and the fish will be ready when you sit down.
Masgouf is sold by the fish, not by the plate, so the real question is which size fits your table.
| Your table | What to order | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 people | Half fish | AED 220 |
| 4 people | Half fish with other dishes, or a whole fish if masgouf is the meal | AED 220 / AED 396 |
| 5–8 people | Whole fish | AED 396 |
| 9–12 people | One whole and one half | AED 616 |
| 13–16 people | Two whole fish | AED 792 |
The ranges are wide because appetite and the rest of the order change the sum. A table that also orders kubba, dolma and grills needs less fish than one eating masgouf alone.
The fish is split open, fixed upright and cooked by the heat radiating from a wood fire beside it — not over it. That gentle, indirect heat sets the flesh without drying it and gives it smoke, and it cannot be hurried by turning up a flame, because there is no flame to turn up. Each fish is cooked for the table that ordered it.
The method is the whole point, and it is also how you recognise the real dish — there is more in what separates masgouf from ordinary grilled fish.
Call when you leave home, not when you arrive. Tell the branch three things: how many people, whole or half, and the time you expect to sit down. For a larger group needing more than one fish, calling earlier in the day is sensible.
Both branches are open daily, 09:00–03:00.
Ours comes with rice, amba — a tangy mango pickle — and bread, and is broken apart by hand at the table, as it is in Iraq. For the rest of the table, order dishes that can be shared while the fish cooks: dolma, a mixed kubba platter, salads and a plate of grills.
Masgouf is at its best straight off the fire, served whole on the table. We do deliver it — you can order the half fish online, or the whole — but the hour of cooking comes before the drive. For a sense of which Iraqi dishes survive a journey and which do not, see our guide to what travels well.
Yes. A half fish (2.5kg) serves two to four; a whole fish (4.5kg) is generous for four when masgouf is the whole meal.
Yes, through online ordering for delivery. The fish goes on the fire once the order reaches the kitchen, so allow about an hour plus the delivery time.
Yes — at Al Muraqqabat in Deira and at Al Taawun in Sharjah.
It is Iraq's national dish, a river fish cooked beside an open fire; Khaleej Times traces it to ancient Mesopotamia, and TasteAtlas describes the traditional method. For how we cook it, see our masgouf in Deira and Sharjah.