Karak chai is strong black tea boiled with milk and spices, popularised in the Gulf by South Asian communities. On Hudayriyat Island a food truck is known for its karak.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 2 cities.
Masala chai, spiced tea boiled with milk, comes from India, where tea became a mass drink after the Indian Tea Association's early 20th-century campaign, and independent vendors added spices, milk and sugar. In the Gulf it is called chai karak, and the drink was popularised by South Asian expatriate communities in the region. At Zaatar and Karak on Hudayriyat Island, Yalla Abu Dhabi says the spiced karak is what keeps people coming back, and Meylas's founder pairs her chebab with spiced milk tea.
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Common allergens: Milk
Tip from the editors. Boil it hard and long: karak is meant to be darker and stronger than a milky tea, and it tastes thin if you rush it.
Zaatar and Karak is a food truck on Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi, baking manakish and saj wraps and pouring karak tea, open 24 hours on the island's listing.
TryManakish and karak tea
TipYalla names the spiced karak as the reason people return, and the truck also sells seafood dishes such as lobster and oysters.
Al Farwania Restaurant has served karak chai on Jumeirah Road since 1981, and from about four in the afternoon cars queue outside for a cup.
TryKarak chai
TipStay in the car: waiters take orders at the window, and the karak was long famous for costing a single dirham.
Al Ijaza Cafeteria has poured karak beside Mercato Mall on Jumeirah Street for years, and What's On lists it among Dubai's oldest places to eat.
TryShawarma and karak tea
TipIt serves until 03:00, so it doubles as the neighbourhood's late night stop after Mercato closes.
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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