Delicatessen in Dubai

The Gulf's staple fruit, eaten with gahwa; varieties like khalas and ajwa differ in sweetness.

🛍️ Find it at: Bateel (Souk Al Bahar), Bateel (The Dubai Mall)

Chocolate made with camel milk, a Gulf novelty that tastes mild and slightly salty-sweet.

🛍️ Find it at: Al Nassma (camel-milk chocolate), Majlis Camel Milk (Dubai Mall)

Shredded pastry or semolina layered with soft cheese, baked and soaked in sugar syrup.

🛍️ Find it at: Qwaider Al Nabulsi, Al Samadi Sweets

Layers of filo with nuts and syrup, sold by weight in Arabic sweet shops.

🛍️ Find it at: Al Samadi Sweets

Lightly roasted coffee with cardamom, poured in small cups and served with dates as a welcome.

Strong tea boiled with milk, sugar and cardamom, sold at street cafeterias for about a dirham or two.

Small fried dough balls, crisp outside and soft inside, drizzled with date syrup.

Spiced rice cooked with lamb, chicken or fish, the Gulf's classic family dish.

Slow-cooked wheat and meat porridge, traditionally eaten in Ramadan.

Spit-roasted chicken or lamb in a wrap, the cheap street meal of every Dubai neighbourhood.

Sweet saffron vermicelli topped with an omelette, an Emirati breakfast.

A warm bread-and-milk pudding with nuts and raisins, a common restaurant dessert.

The luxury date house: stuffed dates, date chocolates and gift boxes, with tastings in the shop.

• 💡 Tip: Ask to taste before you buy; a small box of stuffed dates travels well in the heat.
• 📍 Address: Souk Al Bahar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd, Downtown Dubai, Dubai
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Burj Park: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk

Bateel's mall boutique for premium dates, pralines and date-based sweets.

• 💡 Tip: Handy if you are already at the Dubai Mall; it is open whenever the mall is.
• 📍 Address: The Dubai Mall, Financial Centre Rd, Downtown Dubai, Dubai
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo: 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk

The Emirati brand that makes chocolate from camel milk, a souvenir you only find in the Gulf.

• 💡 Tip: Try the plain milk bar first and ask which pieces are the signature flavours.
• 📍 Address: The Dubai Mall, Financial Centre Rd, Downtown Dubai, Dubai
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo: 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk

A Levantine sweet house known for hot, cheese-filled kunafa Nabulsiyya.

• 💡 Tip: Eat it the same minute while the cheese is stretchy.
• 📍 Address: Al Muraqqabat Rd, Al Muraqqabat, Deira, Dubai
• MapWebsite

A long-running Arabic sweet house in Deira for baklava, kunafa and pastries sold by weight.

• 💡 Tip: Ask for a mixed box by weight and add the cashew pastry.
• 📍 Address: Al Muraqqabat St, Al Muraqqabat, Deira, Dubai
• MapWebsite

A Dubai specialty roaster that sells direct-trade beans, with a cafe at its Al Quoz roastery.

• 💡 Tip: Buy a bag of beans roasted in Dubai; Al Quoz is outside the tourist areas, so combine with Alserkal Avenue.
• 📍 Address: Warehouse 10, corner 4A and 7A Street, Al Quoz 1, Dubai
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Mirzam Chocolate Makers Factory: 🚶 0.8 km · 10 min walk

A cafe-shop built around camel milk: coffee, shakes, cakes and ice cream in a mashrabiya setting.

• 💡 Tip: Order a camel-milk latte or shake to taste it, sweeter and lighter than you expect.
• 📍 Address: The Dubai Mall, Financial Centre Rd, Downtown Dubai, Dubai
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk