Chebab are soft, holey Emirati pancakes scented with saffron and cardamom, served at breakfast with date syrup, honey and cheese. Several Abu Dhabi kitchens make them.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 2 cities.
Chebab, also spelled chabab, is an Emirati breakfast pancake made from a flowing batter of yeast, sugar, eggs, saffron and cardamom, cooked on a hot plate until its surface is covered in holes. The Michelin Guide, in September 2025, said it is believed to be more than 500 years old and that it was a staple for pearl divers and sailors. Accounts of Emirati cuisine list it among the breakfast breads with ragag and khameer, served with cheese, date syrup or eggs. Families also make it for Eid and for suhoor in Ramadan.
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Milk, Eggs
Tip from the editors. Cook only one side: the holes on the surface are what hold the syrup, and flipping the pancake ruins them.
Meylas is a Michelin Selected Emirati restaurant at Al Muneera, Abu Dhabi, begun as a food truck by Shaikha Al Kaabi and grown into an all-day eatery.
OrderThe machboos at AED 56 and the saffron balaleet at AED 35, both priced in tbreak's 2026 guide.
TipMichelin lists Meylas among Abu Dhabi's best breakfast spots; it opens at 08:30, and the chefs cook in an on-view kitchen.
Al Mrzab is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Emirati and Kuwaiti restaurant on Airport Road in Abu Dhabi, with majlis seating and photos of old Abu Dhabi on the walls.
OrderThe chicken machboos at about AED 61, then cooked-to-order khanfaroush drizzled with local honey.
TipIt runs on walk-ins and queues, and Michelin advises expecting a wait; seating splits between private cabins, majlis and regular tables.
Tazal is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant at Al Qana in Abu Dhabi, mixing European influences with Arabic touches, plus Gulf and Levant breakfasts.
OrderThe Iranian kabab, bang bang shrimps and kaak Al Quds that the Michelin Guide names as originals.
TipDining service starts at noon; before that the kitchen serves Gulf, Egyptian and Levant breakfast menus, and Michelin praises its weekend breakfast.
Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe rebuilds 1960s Dubai in its Al Seef dining room, serving machboos and harees the way the UAE ate before towers rose.
OrderLamb machboos with a plate of luqaimat and date syrup to finish.
TipAsk for the terrace, which looks across the creek at the boats and old Dubai.
Arabian Tea House has poured karak chai and served Emirati breakfasts since 1997 in a courtyard house built in the early 1920s in Al Fahidi, Dubai.
DrinkKarak chai
TipAsk for a courtyard table under the big tree; the Emirati breakfast tray comes with khameer and chebab baked in the house tanoor.
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