Where to sit, sip and slow down in Dubai.
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Dubai lingers in over a cortado.
BRIX Café is a harbourside dessert bar at Jumeirah Fishing Harbour in Dubai, pairing specialty coffee with a rotating plated dessert menu daily.
DrinkSpecialty coffee alongside the dessert menu
TipGrab an outdoor table facing the water for the best view of the moored fishing boats.
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.
DrinkSpecialty coffee
TipBook ahead for the weekend, when the all day menu draws a brunch crowd.
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.
DrinkCold-pressed juice and specialty coffee
TipIt is the brand's original site, open 08:00 to 23:00 on weekdays.
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.
DrinkFresh mint lemonade
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.
DrinkSpecialty coffee
TipLook round the gallery room and shop while you wait for a table.
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.
DrinkFlat white
TipThe back room has the quietest tables for a laptop session away from the espresso machine noise.
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.
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.
DrinkSpecialty coffee
TipBrowse the concept store before or after eating.
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.
Common Grounds serves salad bowls and fresh-ground coffee to the busy DIFC lunch crowd in Dubai on weekdays, from its own Gate District branch.
DrinkCold brew
TipIt is a weekday only branch, 08:00 to 19:00, built around salad bowls, wraps and all-day breakfast for the DIFC offices.
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.
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.
DrinkMint lemonade
TipTake a table in one of the three shaded courtyards rather than the small indoor room.
Splendour Fields fills the whole ground floor at The Park in JLT, Dubai, with an Australian style cafe menu, a gourmet grocer and a park-facing terrace.
DrinkSpecialty coffee bar pour-over
TipThe terrace overlooks the park and its tables are shaded by parasols, the better seat in cooler months.
tashas overlooks the marina from Dubai Marina Mall, a South African-founded cafe in Dubai known for its glass cake counter and terrace tables.
DrinkRooibos iced tea
TipBook ahead for a window table; the marina view is the reason regulars keep coming back here.
Circle Cafe serves an all-day breakfast and brunch menu to the busy DIFC office crowd from its Gate 5 branch in Dubai, open right into the evening.
DrinkGreen juice
TipThe all day breakfast runs past noon, handy for a late weekday start among the DIFC offices.
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.
DrinkCold-pressed green juice
TipThe all-day plant-based breakfast bowls are the strongest order; dinner leans heavier and richer.
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.
Apricot bakes European deli plates and cakes at Souk Al Manzil in Downtown Dubai, just off the Boulevard, with a cosy covered terrace outside.
DrinkFilter coffee
TipThe terrace tables have a partial Burj Khalifa view, worth requesting if you're there for sunset.
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.
Lulu and the Beanstalk pairs a bookshop of over 1,000 rare books with a cafe and bar inside ICD Brookfield Place in DIFC, Dubai, closed on Sundays.
DrinkSignature cocktails that twist the classics
TipIt shifts from cafe to bar after dark; come in the afternoon to browse the rare books.
Creme Cafe pours coffee and serves pastries, bagels and cake slices from the ground floor of Dar Al Wasl Mall on Al Wasl Road in Dubai, a small counter.
DrinkCappuccino
TipThe menu is short: espresso drinks, bagels, pastries and cake by the slice.
Brew on Jumeirah Road in Umm Suqeim opened in 2015 and was among the first Dubai cafes to bring Berlin's The Barn beans to the UAE's specialty scene.
DrinkCortado
TipIt sits opposite the Emarat petrol station on Jumeirah Road.
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.
Delizie Caffe Gourmet serves Italian breakfast and lunch at Dubai Harbour Yacht Club, Dubai, with views of the Dubai Marina skyline and Ain Dubai.
DrinkEspresso
TipTake the outdoor terrace, which looks over the yachts in the harbour.
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Experience the magic of the Arabian desert on a private dinner safari to Mleiha.