Cafeterias in Dubai are small humble eateries that do a variety of different dishes that are affordable and quick. These are the go to spots for the Dubai locals. These are the nostalgic spots that Dubai born individuals who have traveled abroad long for. Yes, Dubai is full of international names (see here) and yes, it is full of amazing home grown names that I always love to promote (see here), but this post is about that the local, go to, nostalgic cafeteria food. Think of them as the alternative to the British local chippy or chicken and chip shop, but multiply the menu by 10. What’s on the menu? The real question is what’s not on the menu. There’s the paratha wraps, shawarma, burgers, chicken, karak tea, sandwiches and I mean the list goes on. Depending on the area there’ll be Indian snacks or Filipino snacks. We visited one near our hotel in Al Barsha in our recent stay and I’ll talk about what we tried.
Omani chips paratha
This is the OG Dubai cafeteria food. If there’s one item you have to try from a Dubai cafeteria, it is the omani chips paratha. It is a flaky paratha that is filled with omani chips, egg and cheese. Tell me that doesn’t sound good. This is the stuff of dream. Super cheap, super delicious and it just epitomises what Dubai cafeteria food is all about. While in the UK we debate whether crisps belong in a sandwich or not, Dubai takes it, owns it and totally smashes it! Omani chips are popular crisps in the Arab world in particular the Gulf. So, in these Gulf countries they take these omani chips and put them in sandwiches, wraps and parathas! Slightly spicy and salty coupled with the creamy egg and cheese, this is such a comforting wrap.
Spicy zinger paratha
This is the current trend. It is where the best of both worlds meet. Spicy zinger chicken of the West with flaky paratha of the East. The result is as delicious as it sounds. You’ll be wondering why you hadn’t tried this ever before. This along with the first one above are staple items at cafeterias and I’d say are absolutely must try items.
Burgers, sandwiches and pastries
These items will depend on the particular cafeteria and area. Both in terms of variety and in terms of taste. We got a cheese burger, some club sandwiches and a chicken pastry. The chicken pastry was nice, the club sandwiches were fairly decent, but the burger we probably wouldn’t get again. As mentioned, the quality and the options of items such as these will depend on the particular cafeteria. You’ll also find shawarma, Indian rice dishes and Chinese noodles dishes at this particular one we visited (Tasty Baba), but we didn’t try any of that this time round.
Karak and bubble tea
Karak is another staple item and all I’m going to say is that you will be flabbergasted at how a 2 AED karak can taste so good, while you’re paying 5 times more in the UK for something far less in quality. We also got bubble tea drinks and by bubble here I don’t mean the traditional tapioca ones, but the more popping bubbles. This particular cafeteria does some amazing bubble tea drinks. Go for the fruit ones (e.g. passionfruit) for a refreshing drink to enjoy in the Dubai heat.
So, I hope this post has encouraged you to visit a Dubai cafeteria the next time you’re in the city. I’d strongly urge you to seek one out and most likely you’ll come across one especially if you visit the more local areas. Must try items are without a doubt the classic Omani chips paratha and the more modern spicy zinger paratha!
Getting there:
Google Maps Location link: click here
