We need to think multi-dimensionally when dealing with food and beverage issues and choosing a venue in Dubai: If you want to taste exquisite flavors from different geographies; Is your aim just to experience Emirati cuisine; Are you wondering about the famous chains that we are familiar with seeing in American movies; Do you want to act like living expats (I think the saying “traveling like a native” in Europe is giving way to “traveling like an expat” here); Or are you looking for completely budget-friendly alternatives? You can do all of these! If we compile detailed venue suggestions for all of them, we cannot finish reading them until the morning.. Even if we finished, we wouldn’t be able to try them all in a week’s vacation.. But I will try to convey the research I did before I go, what your alternatives are, the places we tried and liked and the average prices as much as I can.
Where to Eat Traditional Dubai Food?
“Before You Go In the article “What You Need to Know About Dubai” , I talked about Emirati cuisine in general terms.. To be frank, in addition to the countless options offered in Dubai, the places where you can try traditional tastes are a bit behind and their number is quite low.. There are great tours organized for those who want to learn about Emirati culture from the locals and see the cuisine on site.. Food tours organized by Frying Pan Adventures are the most popular. Whether you are exploring the places in the back streets of Dubai, or you can go into the kitchen and cook together.. Although I really like the concept, I couldn’t attend because the tour prices starting at 250 AED / $68 were beyond my budget, but I couldn’t help but share it in case you have the opportunity.
Eating breakfast with an Emirati sounds good too, doesn’t it? Then, I recommend checking out the tours organized by the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding, which offers more economical options.. At the time I went, there were no walks due to the temperature, but luckily, I was able to try some local flavors by participating in the morning tour at Jumeriah Mosque, one of the activities I enjoyed most in Dubai.. Except on Fridays, you can join this tour by paying 25 AED/$6.8 at the Jumeriah Mosque at 09.30 or 14.00 in the morning; You will not only visit the mosque with a guide and learn about Emirati culture, but also have the opportunity to taste local foods such as Arabic coffee, labneh cheese, luqaimat dessert.
Al Fanar
Start: 45- 55 AED
Main course: 55-65 AED
Breakfast: 35-45 AED
Soup: 20-25 AED
Blue Barjeel
Starter : AED 12-25
Salad: AED 12-20
Main course: AED 30-55
Seven Sands
Starter: AED 27-50
Main course: AED 55-120
Dessert: AED 27-37
Breakfast: AED 40-60
Majlis Cafe
Tea 6 AED
Coffee 10-12 AED
Street Food in Dubai New Name: Food Truck
Even while preparing this article, another pompous truck may have been ready to sell food in Dubai because a shining star in the popular food culture of recent years is the “food truck”.. So what is this new generation hip trend? Food sold on trucks that attract customers with its eye-catching graphics and eaten on the go… The street food is decorated and puréed, and fast food is made healthy and delicious.. Delicious sliders, pizzas, seafood, tacos are waiting for you in these trucks.
We went to Last Exit, which is located on Sharjah road and is one of the first places that come to mind when “food truck” is mentioned in Dubai, and we went to the middle of the desert. We chose Urban Seafood in a gourmet paradise reminiscent of a colorful fairground.. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get here without a car, as there is no public transport.. Those without a car can try one of the food trucks in Kite Beach instead.. Some of the food trucks in the city start selling in the afternoon or evening.. Therefore, I recommend you to check the hours of the place you plan to go.
Burger Pit
-Hamburger-
30 – 50 AED
Salt
-hamburger-
AED 30-60
Urban Seafood
-seafood-
AED 40-75
Pineapple Express
-healthy snack & fruit-
AED 30-55
Calle Tacos
-Mexico-
AED 25-50
Loca Lito
-Mexico-
35-55 AED
American Chains
I think the city where Dubai is most compared and compared is New York. With such a reality at hand, it is impossible not to mention the well-established American food chains that have found their place here.. Since our experience in Istanbul could not go beyond the Shake Shack, it is natural for you to want to choose the famous American alternatives during your Dubai trip.. Now that we are familiar with seeing these restaurants in most of the Gulf countries, we only ate at PF Chang’s, which brought dynamit shrimps to the literature, but I am listing some of the options for you.
Texas Roadhouse
steak: 75-180 AED
TGI Friday’s
meal: 45-80 AED
Cheesecake Factory
dessert: 35-40 AED
meal: AED 50-120
IHOP
pancakes: AED 35-50
meal: AED 40-70
Chili’s
meal: AED 40-50
Five Guys
burger: AED 25-45
Burger Joint
burger: AED 35-40
Red Lobster
seafood: AED 60-100
Brunch Culture of White Collar Expats
If you want to experience Dubai like a high-income immigrant, you must consider one of the brunch alternatives offered by distinguished restaurants on Friday at noon.. Forget the classic definition of brunch that is somewhere between breakfast and lunch! Brunch in Dubai, where various activities are exhibited, is a food event preferred among the elite of the city, where people sit for hours with open buffet food, usually drinking alcoholic drinks.. Although it is known that it is mostly organized by luxury restaurants and hotels, the brunch culture is so popular and widespread in Dubai that there are now options to appeal to people of all tastes.. (We skipped it because it was sweeter to have breakfast at the hotel we stayed in and we didn’t want to spend long hours eating.)
Alcohol Consumption in Dubai
The fact that you can easily find alcoholic places in Dubai is that does not mean there are no restrictions. First of all, it is useful to know that alcohol consumption is prohibited in public places.. Alcoholic beverages are sold only in restaurants affiliated with licensed hotels, but when you hear this, don’t immediately think of an environment where you will have to have a drink in the hotel lobby.. In essence, there are wonderful lounges that are attached to the hotel and look like a very independent restaurant-bar.
As a Muslim, it’s okay to have a drink in Dubai, but when it comes to buying from the alcohol market, the rules change a bit.. Although living Muslims have somehow found their way, it is not easy to use the market when you go as a tourist because you can shop with a special license that allows you to buy alcohol.. (Our friend who lives there mentioned that some markets started to sell without a license, but I don’t know the details.) If you are willing to buy your own drink, the most comfortable and affordable way is to use Duty Free while entering the country.
We are at Dubai Marina. We chose to sit in the Jetty Lounge within One and Only Resorts.. It came as a surprise to us that snacks cost more than alcoholic beverages, but in Dubai we had already learned not to be surprised by anything.. Since we like the peaceful environment under the palm trees by the sea, I can recommend it to you with peace of mind.
Beer types Around 50 AED
Dragon drinks 60 AED and above
Cocktails Around 75-90 AED
Luna Sky Bar
Treehouse
Noir
Miss Lily’s
40 Kong
Barasti
Siddharta by Buddha Bar
Cheap Food Alternatives
If you’ve read and reviewed the prices I’ve shared so far, you must have noticed that Dubai is a very expensive city in terms of food and beverage.. Unfortunately, it is not possible to fill one’s stomach in a decent restaurant in the city center for less than AED 50-60 per person.. If you are worried that it will exceed your budget, let me put you at ease: There are also affordable restaurants in different parts of the city.. I never go to fast food chains that you can find in every shopping mall; they are the first to come to mind. In addition, there are buffets that cost 5-7 AED per meal, especially in the Old Dubai area.. Pakistani restaurants are a blessing. Even 2 people can be satisfied with a portion of rice-meat for which you will pay 10-15 AED.. Since these types of restaurants provide services for the workers in Dubai, one should not keep the expectations too high for their quality.. It may not suit everyone as a concept, especially for women traveling alone.. However, I can recommend those who are worried about price to look around Dubai Creek.
Other Suggestions
I should remind you again that you can find great restaurants from world cuisines in every corner of Dubai, apart from all the alternatives I have mentioned.. At this point, my favorite is always Lebanese restaurants; I have the chance to taste a different Eastern Mediterranean flavor every time I go.. It is also possible to find other Middle Eastern and Indian influences in many places.. Other restaurants and cafes with which we are satisfied with their products and services are as follows:
- Lebanese restaurant in Dubai Mall Zaytoni – Cherry kebab is the star of the place for us
- Al Lebanese restaurant in Barsha Al Safadi –The star of the place for us is Jallab
- Sushi restaurant near City Beach Origami
- Without comfortable seating but it makes very successful coffees % ARABICA
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