Where to eat in Dubai
Whether you are traveling on a shoestring budget or enjoy exclusive restaurants, Dubai has restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets.
Just like shops, restaurants never seem to close. If you want to have dinner with the locals, then around 8:30 pm is a good time.
Local Cuisine
Although Dubai's cuisine is quite international, many restaurants also serve a variety of Arab dishes from the Middle East. Lebanese, Iranian, and Syrian meals can be found in the city.
The most notable traditional dishes include varieties of grilled fish and meat, excluding pork.
These are some of the typical dishes that can be found in Dubai:
- Mezze: Assortment of small dishes served as starters.
- Hummus: Cream of chickpeas, sesame, and olive oil.
- Tabbouleh: Cold dish composed of parsley, tomato, lettuce, olive oil, and aromatic herbs.
- Shawarma: Pita bread with fine slices of lamb, chicken, or veal, served with vegetables and sauce.
- Falafel: Chickpea or bean croquette.
- Koussa mahshi: Stewed courgettes stuffed with rice and meat.
- Chai Zanjabeel: Ginger tea.
- Le-ge-matt: Ball of milk, salt, and fried yoghurt, all covered with honey.
- Umm Ali: Puff pastry and almonds, usually served hot.
- Esh Asaraya: Cheesecake with cream.
Best areas to eat
If you're looking for the best value food, in the old town of Deira you'll find traditional cafés where you can eat traditional dishes for less than 5 AED (US$ 1.40).
If you want to eat in a restaurant where the local people eat, surprisingly, these are generally found inside shopping malls.
Exclusive eateries are usually located in hotels.
Recommended restaurants
If you're not on a limited budget, then these restaurants are some of the most recommended options in Dubai. Any of these is an excellent place to spend a wonderful evening:
- Buddha Bar (Hotel Grosvenor House): No matter how good the food in the restaurant is, everything is eclipsed by the spectacular Asian-style décor. The price rarely falls below € 50 (US$ 52.70) per person.
- Al Mahara and Al Muntaha (Hotel Burj Al Arab): The first is located under the sea and the second is more than 650 feet high up, and both these restaurants have a very special atmosphere. The price of a business lunch in a 7-star hotel is about € 150 (US$ 158.10) per person.
An absolute must!
One thing you can't miss during your visit to Dubai is having dinner in the desert. This tour below also includes an incredible 4x4 trip through the dunes.
And if you still want more after that, then why not take a wonderful dinner cruise with a show?
