Must-Try Delicacies on During Your Visit to Dubai

Dubai’s food scene is as diverse as its population. But if you want to experience this city through its food, you should explore Dubai’s best delicacies.

From the humble rigag to the festive ghuzi, prepare to be treated to an explosion of flavors, aromas and colors that’s distinctly Dubai.

Ready to fill your tummy and make your heart happy? Let’s explore the most delightful delicacies in Dubai.

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Rigag

Emiratis love a good breakfast. In fact, you won’t just see bread and eggs on the table, but an entire spread of good food that will surely make you hungry.

And if there’s one staple in every Emirati breakfast table, it has to be rigag.

This traditional Emirati flatbread is made with only three ingredients: flour, salt and water. Because it’s unleavened, rigag is as thin as a wafer making it easy to eat.

The flatbread, which is also a staple during Ramadan, is usually topped with honey, cheese and eggs.

It can also be served with yogurt or as a side to meat stews and soups. The cost of a serving of rigag depends on where you’re buying it from.

The Best Places to Buy Rigag in Dubai

Here are some of the best spots in the city where you can buy authentic Emirati rigag:

Kabab and Rigag	Address: Al Khawaneej – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 50 200 3003 Operating hours: 11:00 AM to 12:30 AM
Karak and Rigag	Address: Al Khaleej Road – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 328 8067 Operating hours: 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Sikka Cafe	Address: City Walk – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 284 9521 Operating hours: 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM
Tent Jumeirah	Address: Jumeirah Beach – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 55 275 6091 Operating hours: 24 hours

Pro tip:
If you want to see how rigag is made traditionally, be on the lookout for local sellers in the flea markets of Dubai. Some even allow tourists to try making this famous delicacy for the experience.

Harees

Harees is a delicacy that requires a lot of labor and love to make. But for Emiratis, this traditional dish is worth all the effort because it’s light, nutritious and of course, delicious.

Harees is a type of porridge that’s made using wheat and chicken or lamb meat. The wheat has to be soaked overnight or at least five hours to soften it before cooking.

Some shorten this process by using a pressure cooker, but locals still prefer soaking the wheat longer to give it time to soften naturally.

Once ready, the wheat is cooked with water, onion, garlic, spices and the meat of choice.

But the cooking doesn’t end there because the porridge is also mashed until it’s smooth and silky before being cooked in a pan with coconut milk and meat.

Cooking harees takes hours since you need to stir it constantly to achieve the right consistency.

But the result is a hearty porridge that’s especially perfect during Ramadan. Of course, you can also enjoy harees any time of the year, especially since a serving would only cost you AED 1.

The Best Places to Buy Harees in Dubai

Do you want to experience the hearty comfort that Harees brings? Here are the best spots in the city to enjoy it: *

Al Hamar Kitchen

Address: Qusais – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Contact details: +971 50 555 651971
Operating hours: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Pro tip:
If you want to make harees at home, start by choosing the right wheat to work with. Luckily, you can shop for good wheat in supermarkets around Dubai.

Ghuzi

Ghuzi is a popular meat and rice dish that contends with machboos as the national dish of the UAE.

It takes almost a day to prepare and cook this dish. But what you get is beautifully cooked meat that’s filled with all the Middle Eastern flavors that you’ll surely love.

Restaurants have their own versions of ghuzi, but the traditional way to prepare this dish starts with good quality lamb or goat.

The meat is marinated in saffron, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, bay leaves and cardamom for at least 8 hours, after which it’s cooked in the oven for 4 hours over low heat.

But it doesn’t end there because you also need to prepare rice, which is soaked in water and slow cooked using the meat’s braising liquid to encapsulate it with flavors.

To assemble the dish, the rice is laid on the bottom of the serving dish first followed by some roasted potatoes. Then, the meat is carefully placed on top of each other.

A garnish of raisins, pistachios and currants completes the ghuzi before it’s served on your table.

You can expect to pay on average of AED 32 for a medium-sized plate of ghuzi in Dubai.

The Best Places to Buy Ghuzi in Dubai

Ready to feast on the delicious ghuzi? Here are the best spots in the city to book a reservation:

Samad Al Iraqi Restaurant	Address: Dubai Festival City – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 232 9966 Operating hours: 11:00 AM to 12:30 AM
Al Fanar Restaurant and Cafe	Address: Al Khaleej Road – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 328 8067 Operating hours: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Bu Qtair Restaurant	Address: Old 32B Street – Fishing Harbor 2 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 55 705 2130 Operating hours: 11:30 AM to 11:30 PM
Aseelah Middle Eastern and Emirati Restaurant	Address: Radisson Blu Hotel – Dubai Deira Creek – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 205 7033 Operating hours: 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Pro tip:
The secret to delicious ghuzi is using the right spices. So, if you want to recreate this dish back home, shop for authentic spices at the Spice Souk.

Luqaimat

You can’t talk about Dubai delicacies without including the city’s most popular traditional snack.

Luqaimat is the Emirati version of doughnuts. These little sweet balls of dough are some of the most popular snacks in Dubai that you can find almost everywhere.

But what separates luqaimat from your typical doughnut is the flavor. These balls are flavored with authentic Middle Eastern spices like saffron and cardamom.

After being deep fried until golden brown, these balls are drizzled with date syrup and finished off with sesame seeds for some crunch.

You can find small cups of luqaimat being made fresh and sold daily in many parts of Dubai.

The Best Places to Buy Luqaimat in Dubai

If you get hungry while exploring Dubai, make sure to stop by these places to grab your fill of luqaimat:

Logma	Address: Financial Center Road – Downtown Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 241 5557 Operating hours: 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM
Al Fanar Restaurant and Cafe	Address: Dubai Festival City Mall – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 232 9966 Operating hours: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Humyum Restaurant	Address: Umm Suqeim 2 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 388 3332 Operating hours: 24 hours
Arabian Tea House Restaurant and Cafe	Address: Al Fahidi Street – Bur Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 353 5071 Operating hours: 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Pro tip:
Before you think of grabbing those little doughnuts, make sure to use a toothpick because luqaimat is very sticky due to the date syrup.

Machboos

Machboos is regarded as the national dish of the Arabian Peninsula! It’s a rice and meat dish just like ghuzi but the meat and its sides are cooked separately before being cooked together in a pot.

The dish starts with the meat being marinated in a signature Emirati spice blend consisting of cumin, garlic, bzar, cloves and chili powder.

The meat is then browned in oil before braising it in stock with chopped tomatoes, dried lime, onions, turmeric powder, garlic, dried lime and coriander powder.

After a few hours of braising, soaked basmati rice is added and slowly cooked under very low heat.

Once done, the machboos are transferred to a serving dish and topped with green chilies and coriander leaves.

The Best Places to Buy Machboos in Dubai

Are you ready to indulge in this hearty meal? Here are our highly recommended places that offer the best machboos in Dubai:

Arabian Tea House Restaurant and Cafe	Address: Al Fahidi Street – Bur Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 353 5071 Operating hours: 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Logma	Address: Financial Center Road – Downtown Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 4 241 5557 Operating hours: 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM
Local House Restaurant	Address: Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood – Bur Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 55 757 7023 Operating hours: 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant	Address: Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood – Bur Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates Contact details: +971 55 180 2080 Operating hours: 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Pro tip:
If you want to try cooking machboos at home, remember to taste and adjust your spices through every stage of the cooking process.