When you venture into old Dubai you realise that it isn’t all skyscrapers, fancy cars and high end restaurants. You slowly start to see the more humble side of Dubai and quite notably that a large percentage of the population is made up of Indian nationals. And this is reflected on the food. The Indian food scene in Dubai is supposedly the best in the world outside of India. And the transition point between new Dubai and old Dubai is arguably the Al Karama area. And quite notably too, some of that best Indian food that is found in the Emirate is right here in Al Karama. As soon as you land in the area, you’ll start to see the Indian restaurants, street food, cafes and all sorts ranging from North Indian to South Indian to Pakistani. And there are a few other cuisines being represented here. Not only will you see it with your eyes, but you will also smell it in the air with your nose and undoubtedly you’ll need to taste it too! This post will cover 12 must try spots in the area.
Biryaniwala
What better place to start this list than Biryani! And I’ve got two legendary spots for you to try. The first one is Biryaniwala. They are straight from Hyderabad India and were born in 1980. It started off as a modest cafe and now they have full on fancy restaurants around the country and beyond. They specialise in Hyderabadi style dum biryanis. I’ll be honest here and I do feel bad to start this list off on a negative note, but we felt a little underwhelmed by the flavours of the biryani. The service was top tier and it did feel like an elite level biryani experience, but the taste just didn’t match up. Not to worry though, the next restaurant on the list not only matches up, but is quite possibly the best biryani we’ve had ever!
Jaffer Bhai
The Jaffer Bhai eatery was born in 1973 and they are known as the “Biryani King of Mumbai”. And boy are we glad they’ve landed in Dubai. We can now sample some truly top tier biryani. Their biryani seriously did not disappoint. It was spicy, flavourful and felt like something you’d expect a mother to make. Had a real warm welcoming feel to it.
Filipino street food market
You’ll see this on the main road just as you enter the area. They open at night and you’ll find fake clothes stores, random pool tables and loads of street food stalls. Including grilled meats, Filipino sweets and fresh fruit juice stalls. A lovely way to spend an evening for sure. It feels like you’re in East Asia.
J J Jalebi
This is why I love Dubai. Legendary local spots you only find in certain parts of the world manage to open up shop in Dubai too! So, now you no longer have to travel to Mumbai India for example to try these legendary jalebi. J J Jalebi is a legendary jalebi spot from Mumbai (they have numerous shops in India) and they opened up a few months ago in Dubai and the locals are rightfully so excited! Humble in its aesthetics, but do not be deceived. They are true legends of the game. They specialise in Mawa Jalebi, which is jalebi made from mawa (dried whole milk), and that is why they look different. Thick and very dark (almost seem like they are burnt). They taste caramely and very sweet. While you’re here you also must try their gulab jamun, a very unique take on the classic – you’ll be able to taste a hint of cardamom flavour.
Al Hara Cafeteria
This one is a “if you know, you know” kind of spot. If you ask locals as to where is the best tea in the city, many locals and foodies will claim the interestingly named biryani tea from Al Hara Cafeteria. It is an absolute must try. Don’t worry though, it is not a tea made up of biryani or from it, it is actually just black tea with a lot of ginger, mint and honey. If you’re a lover of any of those things, you’d love this hot drink!
Mari Mari Juice
Mari Mari juice is, as the name suggests, a fresh juice spot. They’ve got a wide variety of options and is perfect for a post meal drink/dessert spot. They’ve also got a simple food menu, from which we got the famous Mumbai sandwich. Delicious!
Aaraamam Restaurant
This is arguably one of the best restaurants in Dubai and with one of the highest scores on Google Maps. I’ve done a dedicated separate post on them (check it out here). They specialise in South Indian food. All I will say here is that you MUST try the Beef Fry dish here, life changing.
Pakistani Sweets
Halwa Poori is one of the best breakfasts there is. And one of the most authentic places to try this at is here at Pakistani Sweets. Much like many authentic Pakistani breakfast spots, they do Pakistani sweets, buns and snacks. And amongst all that they also do the famous Halwa Poori.
Naanstop
If you’re after a little more than just the Halwa Poori for your Pakistani breakfast meal, then a few doors away from the above spot is Naanstop. They’ve got more options and an absolute must try is the Sarson ka Saag. Seriously good!
T & C Grill
Karak has taken over the food and drink scene in The UK, thanks to Chaiwala and those that followed them. Of course Karak is originally from India, but do you know who actually popularised it and made it into such a boujee drink? None other than Dubai! It has become so popular here that it is almost synonymous with the cuisine. So, the next question is who does the best karak in the city? Some may claim the fancier restaurants where you spend up to 10-15 AED, but after experiencing different versions I can confidently say that I feel the best are the hole in the wall karak spots. Particularly in old Dubai (Al Karama, Deira etc) you’ll see hole in the wall karak spots scattered all around. Often, their karak will be 1-3 AED. Ridiculously cheap, but ridiculously delicious too! After having this, you’ll never look at Chaiwala the same again!
Mumbai Express
Pav Bhaji is the ultimate Indian comfort food. On our last night we were on the hunt for a good Pav bhaji and this is the place we stumbled upon. They also do Indo-Chinese, so we got the chow mein. Both dishes were super delicious. Honestly speaking, I’ve had better Pav bhaji as the sauce was a bit too tomato rich, but it was good nonetheless. The chow mien though, unexpectedly was seriously good! Would definitely get that again!
Chaat Masala
In our final morning in the area we opted for Indian breakfast. And Google Maps directed us towards Chaat Masala. Yes, they specialise in chaat as the name suggests, but they’ve also got an authentic Indian breakfast menu too. So, we had to give them a try. We got cholay batoray with poori, aloo paratha, egg burji with pav, chai and masala chas. All delicous, authentic and wholesome.
Getting there:
Google Maps Location link: click here
