An industrial district turned arts quarter. Alserkal Avenue's warehouses hold galleries, roasteries and bakeries, and the surrounding sheds hold labour canteens worth knowing.
Afghan Khorasan Kabab grills chapli kebab and cooks Afghan rice dishes on Al Meydan Street in Al Quoz, Dubai, a room built around shared plates.
OrderChapli kebab with a plate of Kabuli palaw studded with raisins and carrot.
TipOrder a grill platter with a rice dish for the table; the menu is built around sharing.
The Lime Tree Cafe and Kitchen serves organic food and gluten free bakes at its Al Quoz branch, part of a Dubai brand whose first cafe opened in 2001.
DrinkCoffee
TipIt sits in The Courtyard on 4B Street in Al Quoz and keeps the same 07:30 to 18:00 hours every day.
Boston Lane is an Australian style cafe at The Courtyard in Al Quoz, Dubai, sharing its home with homegrown retail concepts in The Collective.
DrinkIced long black
TipWeekend mornings get a genuine queue, so aim for a weekday breakfast if you want a table straight away.
Cassette is a bistro-style cafe in The Courtyard complex in Al Quoz, Dubai, known for its relaxed all-day breakfast and lunch menu each day.
DrinkFilter coffee
TipThe courtyard tables outside get shade by late morning, the better option once the sun is up.
Tom and Serg has served genuine Aussie-style coffee and fusion breakfasts from its own Al Quoz warehouse in Dubai since it first opened in 2013.
DrinkAussie-style flat white
TipIt takes no reservations, and weekend mornings bring a wait of 20 to 45 minutes.
Harvest and Co sits inside Dubai Garden Centre in Al Quoz, Dubai, a farm-to-table cafe surrounded by rows of green plant nursery stock daily.
DrinkCold brew
TipThe open kitchen displays the morning's produce, and the cafe sits inside the garden centre, so a browse of the plants fits in easily.
Nala runs a bright neighbourhood cafe out of Warehouse 47 on Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, Dubai, serving all day from 08:00 until 22:00 each day.
DrinkFlat white
TipWeekends are busiest, so come early for a table.
Lazy Cat is a small, sought-after park-side cafe in Al Quoz, Dubai, known for its Japanese souffle pancakes and its bright blue matcha drink.
DrinkBlue matcha
TipExpect a wait on weekends for the pancakes.
Subko roasts coffee, bakes sourdough and makes chocolate at its two level Alserkal Avenue bakehouse, the Mumbai brand's first site outside India.
Worth the queueSourdough and laminated croissants
TipUpstairs, the Quoz Quarters cafe is a run of themed rooms; downstairs is the bakery counter and roastery.
BKRY bakes its own butter and pastries entirely from scratch at Warehouse 76 on Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, alongside its own specialty coffee.
Worth the queueLaminated pastry with house-made jam
TipThe jam and spread counter is worth a browse; most of what's on the pastries is also sold in jars.
Rise Bakehouse makes custom cakes, cupcakes and cookies to order from a warehouse on Street 28A in Al Quoz, Dubai, and closes on Mondays each week.
Worth the queueCustom celebration cake
TipCakes are made to order, so message ahead rather than expecting a walk-in counter of finished cakes.
Laughing Bread Bakery ferments its own sourdough for 72 hours at a calm, design-led, gallery-style counter in Al Quoz, Dubai, open every day.
Worth the queueTruffle parmesan danish
TipThe savoury danish fillings change with the season, so ask what's new rather than ordering by memory.
Birch Bakery in Al Quoz 3 makes sourdough from single origin wheat grown on family farms in Washington's Skagit Valley, fermented for over 20 hours.
Worth the queueSea salt focaccia
TipPastries run from cheese and jalapeño croissants to kouign-amann; order special loaves ahead.
piehaus bakes traditional sweet and savoury phyllo pies from Warehouse 22A on Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, run under the 21grams bistro family.
Worth the queueSpinach and cheese pie
TipThe savoury pies go fastest at lunch; come mid-morning if you want the widest choice of fillings.
Nightjar Coffee Roasters roasts direct trade single origin beans from Colombia, Burundi and Rwanda at its Alserkal Avenue site in Al Quoz, Dubai.
BeansColombia, Burundi, Rwanda
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipCold brew is a house speciality; Nightjar supplies it on tap to other Dubai venues, so order it here at source.
RAW Coffee Company has roasted small batch, organic coffee from origins including Ethiopia, Colombia and Yemen at its Al Quoz warehouse since 2007.
BeansEthiopia, Colombia, Yemen
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
TipAsk the barista to talk you through the roasts and origins on the counter before choosing a brew.
The Espresso Lab Roastery inside Al Quoz Logistics Park is where this Dubai chain roasts its beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia and Panama.
BeansBrazil, Ethiopia, Colombia, Panama
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipThis is the brand's roastery in Al Quoz Logistics Park; its cafes are elsewhere, including Dubai Design District.
Cypher Urban Roastery has run a working roastery and brew bar in Al Quoz since 2016, pouring pour over and cold brew from washed and natural lots.
BeansSingle origins and rare lots
BrewsPour over, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
TipCoffee sacks and retail shelves line the same room as the brew counter, so you can watch the roast run while you wait.
Grandmother Coffee Roastery ferments and roasts small batch microlots from Colombia, Yemen and Panama out of a warehouse cafe in Al Quoz, Dubai.
BeansColombia, Yemen, Panama
BrewsPour over, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipIt is a roastery first, so ask about the current microlots on the retail shelf before ordering.
Julith Coffee and Roastery is a roaster and brew lounge in Al Quoz, Dubai, where head roaster Serkan Sagsoz brings a Turkish Barista Championship background.
BeansPanama
BrewsEspresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
TipTell the barista what flavours you like before ordering, the pour over bar builds the cup around your answer.
Kairos Coffee Assembly roasts Ethiopian and Colombian single origin lots on the UAE's first zero emission Bellwether roaster in Al Quoz, Dubai.
BeansEthiopia, Colombia
BrewsEspresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
TipThe Bellwether roaster sits behind white glass by the bar, so you can watch a batch while you drink.
Gold Box Roastery has roasted specialty coffee in Al Quoz, Dubai, since June 2015, with national and international barista champions on its team.
BeansSingle origins
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipThere is no food, but wifi comes free with a coffee; it closes on Fridays.
Earth Roastery, a Kuwaiti coffee brand, runs a cafe and roastery on 6th Street in Al Quoz, Dubai, with beans from origins such as Yemen and Nicaragua.
BeansYemen, Nicaragua
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipBeans rotate across more than ten origins, and there is a bakery counter alongside the coffee.
Shawarma Hut Cafeteria wraps chicken shawarma from a small counter inside Al Faris Mall, a late night fixture for Al Quoz's warehouse workers in Dubai.
TryChicken shawarma
TipIt serves until 02:00, useful for anyone finishing a late shift nearby.
Alserkal Avenue's Farmers' Market gathers organic growers and home bakers along the Main Lane every Saturday morning in Al Quoz's art district in Dubai.
TipThe lineup changes weekly, so a favourite bakery one Saturday might be a honey seller the next.
Mirzam Chocolate Makers runs a ninety minute factory tour and moulding workshop in Al Quoz, Dubai, where guests mould, wrap and take home three chocolate bars.
Tom and Serg fills its converted Al Quoz warehouse in Dubai with an Australian-style weekend brunch crowd every Saturday and Sunday morning.
OrderThe Aussie Benedict with a side of halloumi and roast tomato
TipWeekend mornings bring a wait of 20 to 45 minutes and there are no reservations, so arrive at opening.
Cassette serves a bistro-style weekend brunch from The Courtyard complex in Al Quoz, Dubai, alongside its regular French-leaning all-day menu.
OrderThe all-day breakfast plate with a side of buttered brioche toast
TipThe outdoor courtyard tables are shaded and cooler than the indoor room once the morning sun is up.
Boston Lane draws a weekend brunch crowd at The Courtyard in Al Quoz, Dubai, sharing the complex with a group of homegrown retail concepts each day.
OrderThe iced long black with the weekend breakfast plate
TipWeekend mornings get a genuine queue, so aim for a weekday breakfast if you want a table straight away.
The Lime Tree Cafe and Kitchen serves breakfast, organic food and gluten free bakes from 07:30 at its Al Quoz branch, part of a Dubai brand founded in 2001.
OrderBreakfast from the organic menu with a gluten free bake
TipIt sits in The Courtyard on 4B Street in Al Quoz and keeps the same 07:30 to 18:00 hours every day.
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