Indian in Dubai

Bikanervala ★ 3.9

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

Calicut Paragon ★ 4.0

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 ★ 4.0

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

Sind Punjab Restaurant ★ 4.1

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.

Calicut Paragon ★ 4.0

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.

Bikanervala ★ 3.9

Bikanervala serves pure vegetarian thalis, chaats and sweets behind Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel, a reliable Al Karama room for Dubai's vegetarians.

OrderChole bhature with a side of jalebi and a glass of sweet lassi.

TipThe sweets counter at the front sells by the kilo; buy dessert on the way out rather than at the table.

Delhi Darbar ★ 3.9

Delhi Darbar is the Al Karama branch of the Mumbai founded chain, a busy North Indian room on Za'abeel Road serving mutton biryani and butter chicken.

OrderMutton biryani with a side of butter chicken and garlic naan.

TipThe menu runs from rumali roti and tandoori chicken to biryani, so a table can cover the tandoor and the rice pot in one order.

Malabar Paris Restaurant ★ 3.9

Malabar Paris Restaurant has cooked coconut fish curry and appam in Sheikh Hamdan Colony since 2010, a trusted Kerala kitchen in Al Karama, Dubai.

OrderFish curry with appam and a side of prawn roast.

TipThe fish pollichathu, marinated and cooked in a banana leaf, is the dish reviewers single out.

Kalpaka A Malabar Restaurant ★ 4.1

Kalpaka A Malabar Restaurant cooks Kerala coastal seafood inside the Regent Palace Hotel in Al Karama, Dubai, with a lunch and a late dinner service.

OrderKarimeen pearl spot fry with kappa tapioca and a Malabar prawn curry.

TipLunch and dinner are separate services, with a break in the afternoon.

Trèsind Studio ★ 4.9

Trèsind Studio holds three Michelin stars on Palm Jumeirah, a 20 seat room in the St. Regis Gardens serving one tasting menu across the regions of India.

avatāra ★ 4.6

avatāra in Dubai Hills is the world's first vegetarian Indian restaurant to hold a Michelin star, plating produce led tasting courses each night.

Jamavar Dubai ★ 4.4

Jamavar Dubai in the Opera District, Downtown Dubai, holds one Michelin star for regional Indian cooking, with a weekday lunch and all day menu.

Bikanervala Al Karama ★ 4.0

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.

Chaat Bazaar ★ 4.2

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 Hara Cafeteria ★ 3.8

Al Hara Cafeteria pours strong karak chai around the clock from a corner counter in the Al Shamook Building on 9A Street in Al Karama, Dubai.

OrderKarak chai

TipPavement tables fill in the evenings; the counter runs around the clock.

Raju Omlet ★ 4.1

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.

Just Vada Pav ★ 4.0

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.

Joshi Restaurant ★ 3.8

Joshi has fried samosas and served thali beside the Al Munna Bookshop in Meena Bazaar since 1968, the oldest Indian kitchen in Dubai by What's On's count.

OrderSamosas and vegetarian thali

TipThe kitchen shuts between 14:30 and 17:30, so plan a samosa stop for the morning or the evening rush.

Al Farwania Restaurant ★ 4.1

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.

Mr. Chaat Cafeteria ★ 3.9

Mr. Chaat Cafeteria fries its samosas fresh and piles them into chaat opposite the BurJuman metro exit, a Khalid Bin Al Walid Road fixture in Dubai.

OrderSamosa chaat

TipThe samosa chaat, crushed samosa under yoghurt and tamarind, is the dish to order here.

Chai King ★ 3.6

Chai King pours karak chai from a small Al Wasl building counter on 18A Street, one of Al Karama's many small chai stops scattered across Dubai.

OrderKarak chai

TipIt stays open until 04:00 on Friday and Saturday nights.

Bhavna Vegetarian Delux Restaurant ★ 3.9

Bhavna Vegetarian Delux Restaurant has served Gujarati and Rajasthani thalis inside Meena Bazaar for years, a Bur Dubai, Dubai room locals treat as a canteen.

TipGo for a thali, and try the dabeli and the South Indian snacks too.

Pind Da Dhaba ★ 4.0

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.

Raju Omlet ★ 3.9

Raju Omlet has scrambled eggs and poured karak from an Al Karama corner since 2013, a Dubai stop built around breakfast and tea from 08:00 to 23:30.

OrderKarak omelette with paratha

TipIt opens at 08:00 and runs to 23:30, so it works as an early breakfast or a late supper.

Hyderabadi Biryani House ★ 4.0

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.