When someone asks me to give them a list of food in Dubai they have to try, these are the nine nibbles I’d go with (in no particular order). They’re not the most unusual or off-the-beaten-path-but they are the foods in Dubai that many of us who grew up here associate most strongly with the city. And they’re the things we crave most when we’re away from Dubai for too long.
It’s no coincidence that shawarma is at the top of this list of food in Dubai you’ve got to try. Everyone has an opinion on this popular street food!
Finding shawarma in the city is not rocket science, but finding ones that live up to the high standards of an old time resident is. Some of the top choices include Aroos Damascus in Deira (their beef shawarma was chosen by the jury during our #Sufrataste battle), Al Mallah in Dhiyafah (which has both its lovers and haters) and the side-by-side contenders on Baniyas road, Hatam Al Tai and Shiraz Nights (Shiraz’s spicy chicken shawarma wins out against Hatam in my books). If you want to sample chicken shawarma that comes as close as it gets to my childhood memories, with a generous helping of well-marinated chicken and a hefty splash of garlic aioli or towm, I’d suggest grabbing a spot on our Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage.
PS. If you’d like to get in on the shawarma snobbery in this town, check out my article for our national weekend magazine.
Hummus on our Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage Credits: Glen Pearson.
If you visit or live in Dubai, you should tolerate nothing less than an exceptionally good hummus laced with the right amount of tahini and olive oil. One of the biggest mistakes people make is to order hummus at any restaurant, regardless of what cuisine it specializes in. DON’T DO IT. Leave good hummus to the Lebanese, Palestinians, Jordanians and Syrians. Aroos Damascus in Deira does a worthy Hummus Beiruti with tons of parsley, as do most branches of the chain restaurants Al Hallab and Safadi. My favourite hummus (and falafel) stop is on our Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage route-this Palestinian-Jordanian gem churns out a wildly creamy hummus and drizzles it with a vibrant salsa-like concoction of lemon juice, garlic and green peppers. Delicious.