Dukem Restaurant is an ethiopian restaurant in Deira, Dubai.
Editorially verified September 26, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: Set on the ground floor of the Paloma Blanca Hotel Apartments, it is easy to mistake for hotel lobby seating rather than a full Ethiopian kitchen open all day and night.
Tip: Order the kitfo raw if you want it traditional, or ask the kitchen to sear it lightly.
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Address: 122 Omar Bin Al Khattab Road, Al Murar, Deira, Dubai
Bait Al Mandi serves Yemeni mandi and madfoon from a large Al Muraqqabat branch of the UAE chain in Deira, Dubai, open from 10:00 until 02:00 daily.
Why locals goFrom the street it reads as a plain Deira restaurant, but inside are private floor-seating cabins where families eat mandi the traditional way.
TipAsk for a floor-seating cabin; mandi comes with soup, salad and a spicy tomato sauce.
Kabab Erbil Iraqi Restaurant grills Kurdish kebab and masgouf fish on Al Muraqqabat Street in Deira, Dubai, a room busiest on Thursday nights.
Why locals goA plain storefront on Al Rigga's old strip, where a Thursday night crowd and a grill behind glass are the only signals of its Iraqi and Kurdish kebab.
TipWatch the masgouf grilling on slow flames behind the glass panel; meals start with salads and lentil soup, and Iraqi tea is refilled free.
Afghan Kebab House grills chapli kebab near the Montreal Naif Hotel in Naif, a Deira kitchen most visitors walk straight past on their way to the souks.
Why locals goIt sits on a Naif side street near the Montreal Naif Hotel, a workers' lunch room rather than a tourist stop.
TipOrder the bolani as a starter while the chapli kebab finishes on the grill.
Africana Home Restaurant serves Nigerian jollof rice and grills from a mezzanine room near Al Sabkha Street in Deira, Dubai, open until 02:00.
Why locals goIt trades from a mezzanine near the Al Sabkha Hotel, a floor that most people walking past on the street never notice.
TipOrder the jollof rice with grilled tilapia.
Bait Al Mandi serves Yemeni mandi and madfoon from a large Al Muraqqabat branch of the UAE chain in Deira, Dubai, open from 10:00 until 02:00 daily.
Why locals goFrom the street it reads as a plain Deira restaurant, but inside are private floor-seating cabins where families eat mandi the traditional way.
TipAsk for a floor-seating cabin; mandi comes with soup, salad and a spicy tomato sauce.
Kabab Erbil Iraqi Restaurant grills Kurdish kebab and masgouf fish on Al Muraqqabat Street in Deira, Dubai, a room busiest on Thursday nights.
Why locals goA plain storefront on Al Rigga's old strip, where a Thursday night crowd and a grill behind glass are the only signals of its Iraqi and Kurdish kebab.
TipWatch the masgouf grilling on slow flames behind the glass panel; meals start with salads and lentil soup, and Iraqi tea is refilled free.
Afghan Kebab House grills chapli kebab near the Montreal Naif Hotel in Naif, a Deira kitchen most visitors walk straight past on their way to the souks.
Why locals goIt sits on a Naif side street near the Montreal Naif Hotel, a workers' lunch room rather than a tourist stop.
TipOrder the bolani as a starter while the chapli kebab finishes on the grill.
Africana Home Restaurant serves Nigerian jollof rice and grills from a mezzanine room near Al Sabkha Street in Deira, Dubai, open until 02:00.
Why locals goIt trades from a mezzanine near the Al Sabkha Hotel, a floor that most people walking past on the street never notice.
TipOrder the jollof rice with grilled tilapia.
Zagol Restaurant ladles doro wat onto injera in a ground floor room in Al Karama, Dubai, opposite BurJuman, one of the city's Ethiopian kitchens.
Why locals goA small ground floor Ethiopian room among the Karama blocks opposite BurJuman, easy to walk past among bigger restaurants.
TipOrder injera with doro wat to share.
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.
Why locals goIt trades from the lower ground floor of Lake Terrace in Cluster D, a level most people crossing JLT never think to visit.
TipAsk which curries are on the counter that day for the nasi padang.