Times Square Center Dubai: What to Expect at the Al Quoz Community Mall

Let’s clear one thing up first. Times Square Center is small. It’s a community mall on Sheikh Zayed Road, over on the Al Quoz side of Dubai, and it’s open from 10am to 10pm every day of the week. If the word “mall” has you picturing something on the scale of Dubai Mall, park that idea. You’ve got two floors here, a short list of shops that are actually hard to find elsewhere, a couple of activity spots for the kids, and markets on the weekend. If you’re looking for more indoor activities in Dubai, this is one of those places that’s easy to overlook but works well when the weather keeps everyone inside.

So what’s the draw? A few specific things, mostly. There’s an ice lounge that’s kept below freezing. Sharaf DG has one of its bigger UAE electronics branches under this roof. Adventure HQ runs an indoor climbing course that keeps getting mentioned in reviews. Come the weekend, the ground floor fills up with market stalls. Turn up for one of those and you’ll have a good time. They also make Times Square Center a solid choice if you’re putting together a list of weekend activities in the UAE, especially for families who prefer something quieter than Dubai’s biggest malls.

It’s part of the Sharaf Group, sitting at the Al Quoz end of Sheikh Zayed Road. And parking’s free for the first three hours, which is the sort of thing worth knowing before you get comfortable.

Where it is and Getting There

Al Quoz is a funny part of Dubai. Mostly warehouses and workshops, stuck between the older neighbourhoods and the shiny new ones, and yet it’s slowly turned into a spot people go to for art and design. Alserkal Avenue, with all its galleries and studios, is only a short hop away. So if you want to make a half-day of it, a mall run and a gallery wander go together nicely.

You’ll want to drive. It’s right on the highway, so a car or a taxi is the sensible way in. There’s parking underground, though don’t be surprised if the bays are packed on a market weekend. That’s the one time I’d tell you to show up early rather than roll in at lunchtime.

Quick reality check, because a few reviewers raise it: this isn’t a mall you walk to from a metro station. It’s on Sheikh Zayed Road, not tucked into the middle of town, and public transport is more hassle than it’s worth for getting here.

The Shops Worth your Time

Forget the standard mall brands. What’s here is more specialist, more outlet-flavoured.

Sharaf DG is the big anchor for anything electronic. Phones, TVs, kitchen appliances, all of it, and this branch is one of the larger ones the chain runs in the country. If you’re the type who wants to hold a gadget before buying it, that’s your stop.

Then there’s Adventure HQ, and this is the one families plan around. Camping equipment, bikes, outdoor gear, and that indoor adventure course reviewers keep bringing up. Older kids love it.

The rest is a bit of a mixed bag, in a good way. Brands4u sells watches, jewellery and cosmetics at outlet prices. Threads is a uniform shop, and a serious one, supplying schools and companies across Dubai. There are little specialists tucked in too, my favourite oddity being Blossom Honey, which deals in raw honey brought over from Yemen and Kyrgyzstan.

Board game people, take note of Back to Games on the ground floor. Chess sets, backgammon, and a proper wall of tabletop games from the US and Europe. The prices aren’t gentle, but good luck finding that kind of selection somewhere else in the city.

Things to Do with the Kids

Here’s where a mall this small surprises you. Upstairs you’ve got Kidz Palooza, a town-themed play centre with different zones for little ones to run around in. Along from it, StuDIYo Lab runs workshops where kids, and adults if they fancy it, actually make things instead of just buying them.

Fancy getting your hands messy? Picasso Artists sets you up to paint your own canvas, acrylics and pouring and all that. Works well for a birthday, or when it’s too hot to be outside. For the grown-ups there’s an OrangeTheory gym, Naya Yoga and Pilates, and Melodica if you or the kids want music or dance lessons.

But the one everybody talks about is the Chillout Ice Lounge. Whole room, sub-zero, ice sculptures and all. It claims to be the first ice lounge in the Middle East. They give you a coat on the way in and you have a hot drink while you sit there in the cold. When it’s 45 degrees outside, needing a jacket indoors is genuinely the point of it.

The Weekend Markets

This is the mall wearing a different hat. On weekends the ground floor gets handed over to pop-up markets, and they’ve built up a loyal following.

The Ripe Market is the big one. Independent traders, fresh fruit and veg, some fashion and homeware, a bit of art, and usually a few workshops going on to keep children busy. ArtE, the maker’s market, is smaller and craftier, all local artisans and handmade pieces, so it’s where you go for a gift that isn’t off a shelf. And Baby Bazaar is the pre-loved one, where parents come to grab second-hand clothes, toys, strollers, cots, whatever the little ones outgrow too fast.

One catch: the dates jump around month to month, and they change with the seasons. Check the mall’s events page before you build a Saturday around one. When I last looked in mid-2026, the Ripe Market and ArtE were on rotating weekends, with Baby Bazaar landing on the odd selected day.

Eating There

Keep it casual. This is Baskin-Robbins, Caribou Coffee, a Krispy Kreme, a Subway, and a few coffee spots like Attibassi for when you just need to sit down for ten minutes. Noon-o-Kabab up on the first floor does Persian food and has been feeding people in the UAE for years. None of it will empty your wallet.

Reviewers are polite but honest about the food court. It’s fine. It does the job. If you’re after an actual meal, the streets around Al Quoz and Sheikh Zayed Road have better options within a few minutes’ drive. Some visitors even pair their trip with one of the best breakfast spots in Dubai before heading over for a relaxed morning at the mall or its weekend markets.

So, is it Worth Going?

Tripadvisor has it at 3.6 out of 5 across 46 reviews, and honestly, that sounds about fair. People who rock up wanting a grand shopping trip tend to come away flat. People who came for one thing, the ice lounge, the games shop, Adventure HQ, a market stall, tend to leave content.

The regulars keep using two words: easy and quiet. Easy to get in and out of, quieter than the giants, and handy if you happen to live or work nearby. One longtime visitor summed it up better than I can: it hasn’t got every shop under the sun, and that’s the whole reason they like it. No Carrefour, no hypermarket, so treat it as a place you go for something particular rather than a stock-up-on-everything run.

Tourist with three days in Dubai? This wouldn’t crack your list ahead of the headline stuff, and that’s fine. Resident after a low-key weekend, or a parent hunting down cheap baby gear? Different story. It earns its spot.

A Few Tips Before you Go

• Free parking runs out at three hours, so keep half an eye on the time.
• Market weekends get busy, both inside and in the car park. Earlier is better.
• The ice lounge is an indoor thing, which makes it a smart move in the summer heat.
• You’ve got free Wi-Fi, ATMs, prayer rooms, baby changing rooms, first aid, and security around the clock.
• Got a spare hour? Alserkal Avenue is close enough to pair with your visit.

Wrapping Up

Times Square Center makes a lot more sense once you stop measuring it against the big boys. It’s a compact, community-feeling mall on Sheikh Zayed Road with a handful of shops worth the drive, some good fun for the kids, and a weekend market habit that regulars won’t give up. It was never trying to be Dubai Mall. Take it for what it is, check the events page, mind the parking clock, and go for whatever pulled you there in the first place.

FAQ

What time does Times Square Center Dubai open and close?
Every day, 10am until 10pm.

Where exactly is it?
On Sheikh Zayed Road, at the Al Quoz end of Dubai. If you need to call ahead, the number is +971 4 341 8020.

Do you have to pay for parking?
Not for the first three hours. There’s underground parking, and it does get tight on busy market weekends.

What’s the Chillout Ice Lounge about?
It’s a room kept below freezing, said to be the first ice lounge in the Middle East. They lend you a warm coat, and you have hot drinks and snacks surrounded by ice sculptures.

Which markets run on weekends?
The Ripe Market, ArtE the maker’s market, and Baby Bazaar, all on rotating weekend dates. Because those dates move, check the mall’s events page first.

Is it a good spot for families?
It is. Kidz Palooza, StuDIYo Lab, Picasso Artists and Adventure HQ all cater to kids and families, and there are fitness and dance studios on top.

Is there a supermarket inside?
No hypermarket like Carrefour, no. It’s more of a specialist shopping and activity mall than somewhere you do the weekly grocery shop.