Where to find the best Dubai street food?

Dubai has countless restaurants, with distinctive cuisines, catering to varying budgets. From top-notch fine dining restaurants to delectable finger food spots, Dubai has something for everyone. Thankfully, the metropolis is home to delicious street food options as well. The Dubai street food culture is as diverse as the people residing in the mega-city.

Whether you are craving for Indian vada pav, chaats or are in search of authentic shawarmas and delicacies from Filipino cuisine, we have listed some of the best spots for Dubai street food. Read on to find out more!

ASIAN STREET FOOD IN DUBAI

Asian street food is a delicious amalgamation of unique flavours making it a popular choice for a quick meal. Several Pan Asian street food spots in Dubai serve authentic dishes. Let’s take a look at some no-frill Dubai street food places from Indonesia, Korea, China, Thailand and the Philippines.

WOK’S DEN

The first on our list is Wok’s Den, a popular Thai street food restaurant located in Jumeirah 1 community. Wok’s Den takes a different approach to traditional Thai street food.

The Wok Den’s Jumeirah menu has several lip-smacking dishes such as the pad thai, tom yum soup, dragon shrimp and much more. Wok Den also serves popular Indonesian street food such as satay, nasi goreng and much more.

• Opening hours: Sunday to Wednesday: 11:00 am – 01:30 am | Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 11:00 am – 04:00 am
• Average cost for two: AED 125
• Location: Jumeirah Street, Jumeirah Beach Road, Near La Mer, Jumeirah 1, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-526-0530

VIETNAMESE FOODIES

The next eatery on our list is a pure Vietnamese street food place aptly named Vietnamese Foodies. The eatery is counted amongst the best Asian street food spots in Dubai. It’s one of the few spots in Dubai where you get to try authentic Vietnamese street food dishes.

Try the chef’s signature pho ga xe, pho chay, ca tim om dau phu, ca hoi nuong and tom cang ne-sizzling king prawns and a variety of bun noodles options from the expansive menu.

• Opening hours: Everyday: 11:00 am – 10:30 pm
• Average cost for two: AED 135
• Location: Shop 4, Basement Level, Cluster D, Lake Level, Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-526-0510

WOKYO

Craving for Japanese style street food in Dubai? Your best option is to head to Wokyo, a well-reviewed noodle bar in JLT. Wokyo delivers unique flavours from traditional Japanese snacks, noodles and popular Japanese street foods.

The Wokyo menu offers a wide-ranging selection of popular street foods and main course dishes from Japan including delicious stir fry, sumptuous ramen bowls and perfectly seasoned edamame.  

• Opening hours: Everyday: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
• Average cost for two: AED 150
• Location: Mohammed Ibrahim Tower – JLT, ClusterJ, J2Tower, Shop 27, Lake level – Dubai
• Contact: 800 96596

SEOUL GARDEN

Seoul Garden is where you can get a taste of popular Korean street food in Dubai. The restaurant is included in the list of best Korean restaurants in Dubai for its authentic menu and mouth-watering Korean dishes. You can find kimchi pancake, smoked duck, spicy soft tofu stew, noodles and meat hot pots at Seoul Garden located in the vibrant Al Karama district, making it one of the top spots for Dubai street food. 

• Opening hours: Everyday 11:00 am – 03:30 pm and 05:30 pm – 11:30 pm
• Average Cost for two: AED 170
• Location: Ground Level, Zomorrodah Building, Al Karama, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-337-7876

MAX’S RESTAURANT

Max’s Restaurant is one of the few places where you can find Filipino street food in Dubai. A popular Filipino restaurant in Dubai, famous for serving authentic cuisine. The menu includes some of the most popular street foods and main courses.

If you want to eat something unique, try their chicken sisig, pancit bihon, sinigang and crispy chicken. 

• Opening hours: Everyday 11:00 am – 03:30 pm and 05:30 pm – 11:30 pm
• Average Cost for two: AED 170
• Location: Ground Level, Zomorrodah Building, Al Karama, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-337-7876

Other popular spots for Asian street food in Dubai include: 

• Miyabi Sushi & Bento
• Little Bangkok
• Asia Tang
• Miss Tess
• Yalla Momos
• Prax’s 
• Wok Boys

BEST INDIAN AND PAKISTANI STREET FOOD IN DUBAI

Dubai has a large number of Indian and Pakistani expats and it’s not surprising to find an Indian or a Pakistani restaurant in the city in every neighbourhood. Most of these eateries serve cheap street food in Dubai. In this section, we will list down some of the best Indian and Pakistani street food places for spicy, savoury fare.

SPICEKLUB

The SpiceKlub in Dubai is a food lovers’ heaven! It is one of the most popular chaat restaurants in Dubai. Serving traditional Indian street food delights with a twist is what makes the SpiceKlub stand out from the crowd with it comes to the Dubai street food culture. 

They present the regular pani puris and chaats in a distinctive style, making old school food all the more attractive. 

Nothing can be more exciting than combining the theatrics of molecular gastronomy to the spicy, tangy and savoury chaat. Where else in Dubai can you expect to see Jal jeera in a syringe and a papdi crisped to perfection using liquid nitrogen? This is what makes this eatery one of the most popular street food restaurants in Dubai. 

If you’re in Bur Dubai area, don’t forget to try Palak Chaat served “SpiceKlub” style, The Papdi Chaat, Dahi Vada, Pav bhaji fondue and the Nitro Bhel chaat served “SpiceKlub” style at this unique Indian street food restaurant in Dubai.

• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 12:00 noon to 3:30 pm, and 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm
• Average cost for two: AED 210 for two
• Location: Ground Floor, Al Raffa 3 Building, Kuwait Street, Mankhool, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-526-0676

O’PAO

The next street food spot on our list is O’Pao. The eatery serves some of the best pav’s Dubai. Locals frequent O’Pao for their signature Mumbai style pavs in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Qeema pav, Schezwan pav, paneer bhurji pav, seekh kabab pav and butter chicken pav are their most popular street foods from their extensive menu.

• Opening hours: Saturday to Wednesday 11:00 am – 12:00 midnight | Thursday 11:00 am – 02:00 am | Friday 01:00 pm – 02:00 pm
• Average cost for two: AED 210
• Location: Shop 14, Ground Floor, Abdul Salaam Building, Behind Park Regis Hotel, Street 2 B, Al Karama, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-526-0578

DESI ADDA

Located in Al Qusais district, Desi Adda is a Pakistani restaurant serving a range of popular Dubai street foods. Dahi baray, channa chaat, aloo tikki, fruit chaat, samosa chaat are some of the must-try chaats at Desi Adda. For more street foods, try their samosas, chapli kabab, bbq dishes, bun kabab and much more.

• Opening hours:  12:00 pm – 12:00 midnight| Friday 09:00 am – 11:30 am and 01:00 pm – 01:00 am
• Average cost for two: AED 50
• Location: Shop 3, Ground Floor, Building 6, Damascus Street, Qusais, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-261-2399

BILLO

Spicy chaats and samosas got your tongue on fire? Time to try something sweet from Billo, a popular Pakistani street food spot in Dubai known for their desserts. Billo menu has a delicious range of irresistible desserts such as different types of kulfis, rabri, mango shakes and rose faluda in Dubai. 

• Opening hours: 08:00 am – 02:00 am
• Average cost for two: AED 100
• Location: Maktoum Building, Street 4, Oud Metha, Dubai
• Contact: +971-55-941-3658

BIKANERVALA

Bikanervala is a local favourite in Dubai when it comes to street foods from India. One of the most iconic Indian restaurants in Dubai, the eatery is known for its street food options as well as other dishes. Their Samosa chaat is one of the best in Dubai, other menu items like the kachori chaat, papdi chaat, pani puri and sev puri chaat are also equally popular.

• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 08:00 am to 12:00 midnight
• Average cost for two: AED 80 for two
• Location: Ground Floor, Mattar Al Saleem Building, Street 4 B, Al Karama, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-396-8813

Other popular spots for Indian and Pakistani street food in Dubai include:

• Puranmal
• Urban Tadka
• Mumbai Hafta
• Karachi Darbar
• Once Upon a Bite
• Project Chailwala
• Rajdhani Street
• Sadak Chaap
• Roti Rollers
• Karachi Grill and more.

ARABIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN STREET FOOD IN DUBAI

Let’s take a look at the different Arabic and Middle Eastern street food places in Dubai.

MAMA’ESH

Mama’esh is counted amongst the most popular spots for Middle Eastern and Arabic street food in Dubai. The eatery has both indoor and outdoor seating options with free Wi-Fi. One of the best features of Mama’esh is serving water without any additional charges to all patrons!

If you wish to indulge in an array of delicious Dubai street food, try their cheese fatayer, zataar infused freshly baked breads, cheese manakeesh, oven-baked chicken shawarma fatayer, different types of authentic shawarmas, fresh juices and other beverages.

• Opening hours: 07:00 am – 12:45 am
• Average cost for two: AED 90
• Location: Villa 1081, Opposite Al Safa Union Coop, Al Wasl Road, Al Safa, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-329-6299

AL FANAR RESTAURANT & CAFÉ

To get a taste of traditional Emirati cuisine including popular street foods from UAE, head to Al Fanar Restaurant and Café in Dubai Festival City. Al Fanar has the best local cuisine from the region and its ambience replicates the 1960s vibe of Dubai. The Al Fanar restaurant and café menu have a range of hot pots, all-day breakfast, appetizers and main courses.

• Opening hours: 08:30 am – 11:30 am
• Average cost for two: AED 255
• Location: Ground Level, Dubai Festival City Mall, Festival Boulevard Road, Dubai Festival City, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-232-9966

MAN’OUSHE STREET

Man’oushe Street is a local hotspot for Levantine and Middle Eastern cuisine. The eatery is known for their street food dishes such as might wrap shawarmas, qawarmas, baked halloumi, spicy sujuk and Lebanese kaaks to name a few. The restaurant also has some amazing vegan options as well for those who are on a diet or prefer a healthier lifestyle.

• Opening hours: 07:00 am – 12:00 midnight
• Average cost for two: AED 90
• Location: Food Court, Level 1, Al Barsha Mall, Al Barsha, Dubai
• Contact: +971-4-526-9117

If you are craving more delicious Middle Eastern fare, don’t forget to check out the places with the best shawarma in Dubai. 

Other popular options include: 

• Operation Falafel 
• Kris Kros Lebanon
• Filful
• Allo Beirut
• Beirut Bites
• Saj&Co

That’s all for our list of the best places to find authentic Dubai street food from around the world. Now you know where to have street food in Dubai. From Middle Eastern to Korean eateries we have included a range of affordable street food options for you to enjoy on your Dubai street food tour. If you enjoy the outdoor vibes while savouring street food, check out the top food trucks in Dubai. 

For more options, check out the ultimate list of the top restaurants in Dubai to find a perfect place to dine. Dubai has a wide range of eateries from all over the world. For other culinary delights, try Turkish restaurants in Dubai. Winters in Dubai are moderate, which calls for dinner outdoors. Visit the best outdoor restaurants in Dubai to make the most of the pleasant weather.