40 editor picks in Dubai.
40 cheap eats places in Dubai, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Dubai: the places editors actually return to. All Dubai food.
Al Ustad Special Kabab has grilled Persian skewers in Bur Dubai, Dubai, since 1978, a family run kebab house a short walk from Al Fahidi metro station.
OrderChicken boti, Shish tawook, Chicken saffron
TipLook down as well as up: glass topped tables hold foreign banknotes and the walls carry photos of famous patrons with the late founder.
Ravi Restaurant has served Pakistani karahi and kebabs in Al Satwa, Dubai, since 1978, a plain, busy room open from 05:00 until the small hours.
OrderSeekh kebab, Mutton karahi, Chicken biryani
TipExpect a queue at dinner. Communal seating and a fast turnover are part of the Ravi routine.
Bu Qtair has fried whatever the boats brought in behind Jumeirah's fishing harbour in Umm Suqeim, Dubai, since the 1980s, queue and all, no bookings.
OrderFried spiced fish, Fried prawns
TipPick your marinated fish and prawns at the counter, pay by weight, give your first name and wait for it to be called.
Al Ustad Special Kabab has grilled seekh kebab on Al Mussallah Road since 1978, its walls lined with photos of famous patrons with the late founder.
OrderSeekh kebab
TipThe minced lamb seekh roll wrapped in fresh bread is the order locals repeat visit after visit.
Bu Qtair sells marinated fish and prawns by weight from a shack by the Umm Suqeim fishing harbour, then fries them to order while diners wait.
OrderFried pomfret or sheri by weight, with rice, parathas and the tomato curry sauce.
TipPick your fish at the counter, give your first name and wait for it to be called; there is no booking.
Al Mallah has served chicken shawarma on Al Satwa's 2nd December Street since 1979, wrapped tight with garlic toum and pickles, and now runs 24 hours.
OrderChicken shawarma
TipOrder the chicken shawarma with extra toum and eat it standing at the counter, the way regulars do.
Ravi Restaurant has fed Satwa since 1978, a plastic chair institution for cheap curry and naan that opens at 05:00 and runs until 02:00 each night.
OrderChicken curry with naan
TipIt opens at 05:00 and serves until 02:00, so a late curry here is as normal to regulars as lunch.
Aroos Damascus plates Syrian kebbeh, grills and manakish on Al Jaziera Street in Deira, serving all day and late into the evening, inside or on the patio.
OrderMixed grill platter with kebbeh, shish tawook and a bowl of fattoush to share.
TipService runs from breakfast until well past midnight, and the patio tables are the pick once evenings cool.
Mama'esh bakes Palestinian manakish and pies on Marasi Drive in Business Bay, Dubai, alongside musakhan rolls, hummus and all-day breakfast.
TipTry the musakhan chicken rolls alongside the za'atar manoushe.
Chaat Bazaar fills small crispy puris with spiced water and potato at outdoor tables on 6A Street, Al Karama's busiest chaat counter in Dubai.
OrderPani puri
TipA palate cleansing puri with potato and crunchy topping, but no spiced water, comes at the end of a pani puri round.
Al Ustad Special Kabab near Al Fahidi in Bur Dubai has grilled skewers since 1978 in a family run room hung with photos of its famous patrons.
OrderMixed kebab platter with tandoori naan
TipMeals start with a complimentary plate of fresh vegetables; order a mixed platter of chicken and lamb kebabs to share.
Al Mallah has grilled shawarma on 2nd December Street since 1979, a Satwa corner for cheap eating that now runs 24 hours, seven days a week.
OrderChicken shawarma and falafel
TipTakeaway is faster than the roadside seats; most regulars eat the wrap standing at the counter.
Al Ustad Special Kabab has skewered koobideh near the Al Fahidi metro since 1978, a family run Bur Dubai canteen that locals return to again and again.
OrderKebab koobideh with rice
TipLook under the glass tabletops, where regulars' foreign banknotes are kept, and at the walls of photos of famous guests.
Al Mallah has served shawarma and Lebanese street food from a corner of Al Dhiyafa Road, Al Satwa, Dubai, since 1979, and its counter now runs 24 hours.
OrderShawarma, Manakish, Falafel
TipGrab a pavement table and order at the counter. It is a stand-and-eat street corner, not a sit-down room.
Sind Punjab Restaurant has served Mughlai and Punjabi cooking from Meena Bazaar since 1977, one of the oldest South Asian kitchens in Bur Dubai, Dubai.
OrderButter chicken with a garlic roomali roti, finished with a plate of pani puri.
TipOrder from the chaat side too: pani puri, sev puri and falooda sit on the same menu as the butter chicken and dal makhani.
Karachi Darbar in Al Karama belongs to the Pakistani group that traces its roots to 1973 and serves karahi and nihari to drivers and families alike.
OrderChicken karahi with tandoori roti and a plate of seekh kebab on the side.
TipFriday mornings bring halwa puri and chickpeas before the karahi menu switches on at lunch.
Ashwaq Cafeteria slices chicken shawarma off the spit near the Gold Souk, a Deira counter in the Al Hillu Building opposite the Deira Palace Hotel.
OrderChicken shawarma
TipIt is a quick counter stop, best combined with a walk through the souks.
Raju Omlet has cracked eggs onto a hot tawa on 4B Street since 2013, an old school Karama classic that Mumbai style regulars still queue for in Dubai.
OrderMasala omelette
TipThe masala omelette with pav bread and a side of karak chai is the standard order here.
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.
OrderKarak chai
TipStay in the car: waiters take orders at the window, and the karak was long famous for costing a single dirham.
Al Mallah on 2nd of December Street in Al Satwa, Dubai, has been a benchmark chicken shawarma counter since 1979 and now runs 24 hours a day.
OrderChicken shawarma
TipOrder the shawarma saj rather than the regular wrap, the flatbread version holds up better to go.
Ceylonian Restaurant chops kottu roti to order at Wasl Hub on 39 Street in Al Karama, a Sri Lankan counter serving from 11:00 to 23:00 daily.
OrderKottu roti
TipThe kottu is made fresh on a hot plate to order, so expect a short wait during the lunch rush.
Aroos Damascus is a Syrian grill house in Al Muraqqabat, Deira, Dubai, serving kebbeh, grills and manakish from breakfast until well past midnight.
OrderKibbeh, Mixed grill, Knafeh
Koshary Abu Tarek in Al Barsha, Dubai, plates Egypt's lentil, rice and pasta street dish alongside classic Egyptian sweets and Arabic sandwiches.
OrderKoshary, Egyptian rice pudding
TipThe shop is also a sweets counter, so finish with the rice pudding or om ali listed beside the koshary.
Calicut Paragon in Al Karama, Dubai, cooks Malabari dishes from Kerala's Calicut coast, heavy on coconut, fresh seafood and slow-cooked biryani.
OrderChicken biryani, Chicken stew, Paragon pepper chicken
Saravanaa Bhavan in Al Karama, Dubai, is the local branch of the global vegetarian South Indian chain, serving dosas and idli on steel plates.
OrderMasala dosa, Idli, Filter coffee
Calicut Paragon, a Kozhikode name dating to 1939, cooks Malabar biryani, fish moilee and beef fry in a plain Al Karama dining room in Dubai.
OrderChicken biryani with a side of fried Kerala prawns and a bowl of chicken curry.
TipMost dishes come in full and half portions, priced to match, so a table can try more of the Malabar menu.
Saravanaa Bhavan pours filter coffee and folds masala dosa at its Al Karama branch in Dubai, part of the long running Chennai vegetarian chain.
OrderMasala dosa with coconut chutney and a tumbler of filter coffee.
TipIt opens at 07:00 every day, so it works for an early dosa breakfast.
Nayaab Haandi has cooked Pakistani and Mughlai dishes since 2006, and its Al Wasl Road room near Al Bada serves chicken handi, karahi and seekh kebab.
OrderChicken handi with tandoori roti and a plate of seekh kebab rolls.
TipHandi dishes are cooked to order and take longer than the karahi list, so put that order in first.
Al Yemen Mandi smokes lamb and chicken mandi over coals in Hor Al Anz East, a Yemeni dining room that Deira, Dubai regulars fill through the night.
OrderLamb mandi over smoked rice, ordered with a side of chilli sahawiq sauce.
TipMandi comes on one tray for the table with rice underneath, so order by the group rather than per person.
Bikanervala has served Indian sweets and rich vegetarian savouries from its very first Al Karama branch in Dubai since 2005, its original UAE location.
TipThe Raj kachori and channa bhatura are the dishes regulars order first; sweets are best bought to go.
Just Vada Pav fries thirty variations of the Mumbai potato bun on Sheikh Hamdan Colony's 12B Street, a dedicated counter for one snack in Dubai.
OrderVada pav
TipWith some thirty kinds of vada pav on the board, ask for a spicy one and a cheese one to compare.
Yalla Momos steams momos and jhol momo behind Park Regis Hotel on 4B Street in Al Karama, Dubai, with an Indo-Chinese menu of noodles alongside.
OrderSteamed momos
TipOrder the jhol momos, served in a spiced broth, or the cheese chilli oil dim sum.
Ravi Restaurant on Al Diyafah Street in Al Satwa, Dubai, has served affordable Pakistani karahi and curries into the small hours since 1978.
OrderPeshawari mutton karahi and chicken curry
TipGo for the chicken karahi and dal fry; the dining room is basic and the kitchen runs until 02:00.
Al Shami Restaurant in Al Muraqqabat, Deira, Dubai, keeps its grills and Syrian style shawarma running from breakfast until 02:00, known for its garlic sauce.
OrderShawarma and mixed grill
TipThe garlic sauce is the reason regulars come back, ask for extra on the side.
Zaroob SZR at Jumeirah Tower on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, cooks Levantine street food around the clock, from shawarma and falafel to manakeesh.
OrderShawarma, falafel and manakeesh
TipManakeesh, falafel and shawarma run all night at this branch.
Betawi Restaurant cooks nasi padang, beef rendang and gado gado on the lower ground floor of Lake Terrace in JLT, after years in a Karama shop unit.
TipAsk which curries are on the counter that day for the nasi padang.
Pind Da Dhaba fills its first floor Al Karama room with rustic Punjabi colour, ladling dhaba dal for diners across Dubai who miss a village kitchen.
OrderDhaba dal with roti
TipSaleem's of Delhi runs on the ground floor below; take the stairs up for the dhaba room specifically.
Hyderabadi Biryani House layers dum biryani near Karama Park, a small Karama Shopping Complex counter known across Al Karama, Dubai for its dum pot.
OrderChicken dum biryani
TipThe chicken dum biryani is the order; it is in Block L of the Karama Shopping Complex near Karama Park.
Karachi Darbar in Al Karama, Dubai, serves affordable Pakistani, Indian and Chinese cooking from 05:00 until the small hours, a busy neighbourhood canteen.
OrderMutton kabab kadai, Karachi tikka kadai, Kebab biryani
Bikanervala in Al Karama, Dubai, is the local branch of the vegetarian Indian sweets and snacks chain, serving everything from burfi to full thalis.
OrderMasala dosa, Chole bhature, Assorted namkeen
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