Asia,  Traveling

Where to eat in Dubai (light meal or a feast)

A couple of months ago, I travelled to Dubai together with my friend Jini. We visited our friends Jigna and Ed, who moved to the UAE a couple of years ago. Although my recently published post ‘top 7 tips for a trip to Dubai’ included recommendations on where to eat in Dubai, I think that a separate post is warranted.

The Dubai Fountain
The Dubai Fountain and the Burj Khalifa

Where to eat in Dubai (light meal)

Cafe Bateel

Our friends live at the Dubai Marina, a very pleasant place to walk around, full of cafes and restaurants. I was a regular at Cafe Bateel, which happened to be right next to their apartment. I would usually have a coffee and breakfast.

A traditional Arabic coffee at Cafe Bateel
A traditional Arabic coffee at Cafe Bateel

HVA Art Hotel

Several times, however, I went to Bur Dubai, a historic district located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. I particularly enjoyed walking around the Al Fahidi Historical District (also known as Al Bastakiya). One of my favourite places there was the XVA Art Hotel, home to a courtyard cafe-restaurant, perfect for breakfast or lunch.

The courtyard of the XVA Art Hotel
The courtyard of the XVA Art Hotel

Nightjar

Another favourite place of mine was Alserkal Avenue. Originally an industrial area, Alserkal Avenue is now a creative hub home to leading art galleries, housed in the former warehouses. Among the galleries, there are many cafes. Of those, Nightjar is ideal for a light lunch.

Nightjar
Nightjar

Casette and Tom & Serg

Opposite Alserkal Avenue, there’s the Courtyard, another creative hub well worth a visit. Casette (in the Courtyard) and Tom & Serg (a couple of minutes away) are two lovely cafes, also perfect for breakfast or a light lunch.

Tom & Serg
Tom & Serg

Where to eat in Dubai (feast)

Pier 7

Not far from where I stayed there was Pier 7, home to 6 restaurants and a rooftop bar, each located on a different floor overlooking the Dubai Marina. I had dinner at Asia Asia, followed by cocktails at Atelier M.

Cocktails at Atelier M in Pier 7
Cocktails at Atelier M in Pier 7

Time Out Market Dubai

Right next to the Dubai Mall, the second-largest mall in the world, there’s Souk Al Bahar, home to Time Out Market Dubai, a food court where you can try food from around the world. I had my first taste of Emirati cuisine, from the renowned Al Fanar, overlooking the Dubai Fountain and the iconic Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

Emirati food at Time Out Market Dubai
Emirati food at Time Out Market Dubai

Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe

When I first visited Bur Dubai and the Al Fahidi Historical District, I had my second taste of Emirati cuisine, at the Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe. Jini and I shared raqaq (traditional bread), chicken majboos or machboos (spicy casserole with rice) and saloona chicken (in a tomato-based stew).

Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe.
Emirati dishes at the Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe

Sampoorna

A few days later, we went back to Bur Dubai and headed to Meena Bazar, home to many Indian shops and restaurants. We had an excellent meal (a thali, a cup of chai and dessert) at Sampoorna, which cost about £5 per person (by far the cheapest meal I had in UAE).

A thali at Sampoorna
A thali at Sampoorna

The Folly

Madinat Jumeirah is home to hotels, restaurants, bars and shops. I had brunch at the Folly, overlooking the sand-coloured wind towers of the Madinat Jumeirah, as well as coffee overlooking another Dubai landmark, the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab (at Street Diversions).

View of wind towers from the Folly
View of wind towers from the Folly

Perhaps it’s now time to explain what Dubai expats mean when they say ‘brunch’. Certainly not a light/healthy meal to be consumed late morning/early afternoon. Brunch in Dubai is more of a feast that usually comes at a fixed price and includes an unlimited amount of alcoholic drinks and food. Brunch takes place on a Friday or Saturday afternoon (the weekend used to be Friday and Saturday up until this year). As Friday is now only half a workday, I don’t think that much will change when it comes to brunch.

Further reading

To prepare for my trip to UAE, I used the Lonely Planet Pocket Dubai.

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)