30 editor picks across United Arab Emirates.
30 cafes worth the trip across United Arab Emirates, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Arab Emirates guides.
Coffee Architecture is an Emirati-owned specialty cafe on Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, brewing espresso, V60 and Chemex; its founder has run it since 2018.
TipFounder Nooran Albannay serves gahwa to anyone who walks in, as a symbol of welcome, and recommends the manual iced Chemex.
Mysk is a cafe and flower shop near NYU Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a cabinet of viennoiserie and cardamom buns.
TipThe treats cabinet holds classic viennoiserie, pains suisse and cardamom buns, and the flower counter shares the room.
Things Specialty Coffee and Concept Store in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, is run by Emirati barista Sulaiman Khamis Alalawi, with beans roasted on site.
TipThe National's reporter orders the piccolo here, and the shop doubles as a boutique with vinyl records and jazz on the speakers.
NAC brings the Mayfair cafe of the same name to Al Safa in Dubai, serving an all-day French bistro menu at H Residence on Al Wasl Road every day.
TipBook ahead for the weekend, when the all day menu draws a brunch crowd.
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.
TipAsk for a courtyard table under the big tree; the Emirati breakfast tray comes with khameer and chebab baked in the house tanoor.
Joud Coffee runs a cafe at Al Raha Gardens Plaza in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, serving specialty coffee with breakfast, sandwiches and light meals daily.
TipJoud roasts its beans in small batches at its own facility in Abu Dhabi, and the Gardens Plaza menu runs from breakfast to light meals.
Blacksmith Coffee Company serves espresso and filter coffee from its in-house roasting at its NYU Abu Dhabi shop on Saadiyat Island, open 07:00 to 22:00.
TipThe company began at NYU Abu Dhabi and set up its first roastery at Mina Zayed; its Souq Al Mina shop is the other Abu Dhabi site.
One Life Kitchen and Café runs its flagship 7,000 sq ft all-day cafe in Dubai Design District, where the brand began in 2016, with a healthy menu.
TipIt is the brand's original site, open 08:00 to 23:00 on weekdays.
XVA Cafe serves a mostly vegetarian menu in the shaded stone courtyard of a small boutique art hotel in the Al Fahidi district of old Dubai.
TipTake a table in one of the three shaded courtyards rather than the small indoor room.
DRVN Coffee on Saif Ghubash Street in Abu Dhabi serves in-house roasted coffee and Neapolitan pizza beside a display of rare classic cars every day.
TipDRVN roasts its own beans, and each branch keeps an exhibition of classic cars on view.
Society serves pan-European comfort food with a focus on breakfast and brunch at Soul Beach on Mamsha Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, open every day of the week.
TipBreakfast runs from sweet to savoury, with pancakes, French toast and acai bowls on one side and eggs benedict and Turkish eggs on the other.
BRIX Café is a harbourside dessert bar at Jumeirah Fishing Harbour in Dubai, pairing specialty coffee with a rotating plated dessert menu daily.
TipGrab an outdoor table facing the water for the best view of the moored fishing boats.
The Grey is a minimalist coffee lounge on Al Wasl Road in Al Safa, Dubai, built around a gallery-white interior and rows of quiet work tables.
TipThe back room has the quietest tables for a laptop session away from the espresso machine noise.
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.
TipIt takes no reservations, and weekend mornings bring a wait of 20 to 45 minutes.
tashas overlooks the marina from Dubai Marina Mall, a South African-founded cafe in Dubai known for its glass cake counter and terrace tables.
TipBook ahead for a window table; the marina view is the reason regulars keep coming back here.
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.
TipExpect a wait on weekends for the pancakes.
Parallel Cafe on Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street in Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, serves specialty coffee, brunch plates and an ice-cream bun from 07:00 every day.
TipThe ice-cream bun, a warm bun stuffed with melting ice cream, is the dish What's On singles out, with a Spanish cortado alongside.
La Petite Coffee at Al Maqta Fort in Sas Al Nakhl, Abu Dhabi, serves espresso, flat whites and Spanish lattes, with doors open from 07:00 every day.
TipThe cafe stays open until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday, an hour later than the rest of the week.
No. FiftySeven Boutique Cafe at Al Marasy in Al Bateen Harbour, Abu Dhabi, grew from a supper club into a breakfast, brunch and coffee cafe open daily.
TipWhat's On names the hash-brown eggs benedict and the warm vanilla French toast with creme anglaise as the standout breakfasts.
Aptitude Cafe sits in the park at Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, serving breakfast, salads, sandwiches and mains daily from 09:00 to 22:00.
TipWhat's On says the cafe hosts Picnic in the Park, workshops, dinner events and themed nights alongside its daily menu.
% Arabica Marina Mall is a concept store on the ground floor of Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi, serving coffee and pastries beside % merchandise and gear.
TipWhat's On describes an expandable pod for brewing pots of coffee and a retail wall of % backpacks, beans and brewing gadgets.
Tashas Al Bateen is the South African cafe concept at Marsa Al Bateen in Abu Dhabi, serving breakfast, long lunches and coffee until midnight most days.
TipYalla says outdoor tables at Tashas come with views; the cafe stays open to midnight Monday to Saturday and to 23:00 on Sundays.
TEN11 Beach on Mamsha Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi serves acai bowls, breakfast dishes, pizzas and sandwiches with a focus on coffee, open to 01:00 from Friday.
TipVisit Abu Dhabi lists beans from Ethiopia to Brazil and pre-packed rose or saffron latte blends to take away from this promenade cafe.
Cafe des Artistes sits inside the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, serving V60 coffee, matcha and cakes every day.
TipThe cafe is open to foundation visitors and walk-ins alike; Yalla points to the mango matcha and the pistachio latte.
Comptoir 102 pairs a vegan friendly organic cafe with a lifestyle concept store on Beach Road in Jumeirah, Dubai, all under one roof and one entrance.
TipBrowse the homeware and clothing racks while you wait for a table; the store and cafe share one entrance.
Kulture House mixes an art gallery, a lifestyle shop and a cafe in a villa on Jumeirah Beach Road in Dubai, a three in one stop for coffee and art.
TipLook round the gallery room and shop while you wait for a table.
Boston Lane is an Australian style cafe at The Courtyard in Al Quoz, Dubai, sharing its home with homegrown retail concepts in The Collective.
TipWeekend mornings get a genuine queue, so aim for a weekday breakfast if you want a table straight away.
Amongst Few pairs a concept store with a cafe in the Bahwan Complex on Al Wasl Road in Umm Suqeim, Dubai, open from 09:00 to 21:00 every day.
TipBrowse the concept store before or after eating.
Seva Table has served a fully plant based, gluten free menu from a villa garden on Jumeirah Beach Road in Dubai since it first opened its doors in 2014.
TipThe all-day plant-based breakfast bowls are the strongest order; dinner leans heavier and richer.
Apricot bakes European deli plates and cakes at Souk Al Manzil in Downtown Dubai, just off the Boulevard, with a cosy covered terrace outside.
TipThe terrace tables have a partial Burj Khalifa view, worth requesting if you're there for sunset.
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