The word “cafeteria” in Dubai usually refers to a hole in the wall, and Dream City Cafeteria lives up to its name. Located in the heart of Sheikh Zayed Road (a highway that connects the UAE’s coastal cities), the restaurant serves an array of Dubai’s best street food, including shawarma, paratha, and desi burgers — American-style hamburgers with such South Asian toppings as homemade green chile tamarind sauce. A lot of the food is pretty spicy and best paired with fresh fruit juices, which are key for cooling down on hot summer days. Many of the cooks come from India and Bangladesh, as do many of their customers, who crowd in from nearby offices on weekdays during lunch and just after work. [$]

Founded by the self-proclaimed first Arab pitmaster Hattem Mattar, the Mattar Farm smokes the best meat in Dubai. After growing up in the city, Mattar took a job in oil and gas in Texas, where he encountered brisket and eventually apprenticed with pitmasters there. He’s since developed fan-favorite recipes for smoked brisket, beef ribs, turkey, chicken, lamb legs, duck, and sausages in flavors like lamb and za’atar — all using ingredients sourced locally, if not grown on Mattar’s own farm. The meats are available at pop-ups, the Local Fire stand in Time Out Market, and restaurants like BB Social Dining, as well as for delivery by the kilogram. [$$$]

A funky, colorful roadside restaurant, Allo Beirut serves energetic Levantine cuisine, including juicy, perfectly grilled shawarma that’s hard to match elsewhere in Dubai. Customers also come for the crackly manakish — topped with basil and rosemary, akkawi or kashkaval cheese, honey, labneh, soujok, or some combination — as well as other baked items like stuffed saj, kaak, pizza, and sandwiches on bread spiced with sumac and za’atar. Hungrier diners should dig into the stuffed lamb, steak, and rotisserie chicken served with toum and cheese sauce. [$]

Part of a restaurant group established in the 1980s to bring Asian cuisines to Dubai (including Chinese Palace Restaurant, Mongolian Barbecue Restaurant, and Koryo Korean Restaurant), Umami serves Japanese cuisine that’s a far cry from the overdone omakases at nearby resorts. The menu covers simple yet flavorful renditions of ramen, sushi, donburi, curry, and omurice. [$$ - $$$]

Like many cities, Dubai has seen a shift toward plant-based eating, which is clear at Wild and the Moon, one of the first local vegan restaurants. All the ingredients are local, organic, seasonal, and ethically sourced. The menu is designed around healthy eating options and includes a wide selection of salads, soups, bowls, cold-pressed juices, nut milks, and smoothies. Desserts and snacks without refined sugar, processed enzymes, gluten, or dairy are also available. [$$$]

Just as the name suggests, Raju Omlet is about all things egg with a Bollywood twist. The restaurant is decorated with a mix of vintage photographs, cheeky egg-themed pieces, and Bollywood fan art, while the extensive menu focuses on different Indian street snacks all with one obvious must-have ingredient. There are parathas rolled with various omelets, eggs Kejriwal, fried eggs on egg noodles, and a variety of other dishes where eggs make surprise appearances. [$$]

Turkish homemaker Munira Hijazi runs one of the finest food delivery services in Dubai. The pandemic-era home business started in 2021 with a limited menu of popular Turkish snacks and desserts including simit, baklava, and knafeh, but the operation has expanded to include a wide variety of sweet and savory Turkish dishes that rotate throughout the day. You can order hearty su borek (sheets of dough stuffed with cheese and parsley) for breakfast, gozleme (flatbreads) stuffed with lamb and beef for lunch, and late-night islak (wet) burgers slathered in tomato sauce just like they eat in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. [$$]

Nour Ashraf is a self-taught baker who delivers fresh delights to homes across Dubai. Her experimental venture, Nour in the Kitchen, rocketed to success after her Nutella lava cupcakes went viral on a local food blog. Ashraf’s menu ranges from healthy breakfast oatmeal cookies to vegan cakes and gluten-free desserts for all occasions. The sweet yet healthy keto-baked doughnuts are especially popular. [$$ - $$$]

In 2021, locals excitedly awaited the arrival of arguably the most popular fast-food chain in the Arabian Gulf: Al-Baik. After five decades of operations, the Saudi Arabian chain marked its first foreign expansion with two new locations in Dubai, including one in the Dubai Mall. The place is known for its roasted and fried chicken, marinated in secret spices only known to the founders (a la KFC). You won’t find too much else on the menu — or need much else. [$$]

Ravi has been serving Dhaba-style Pakistani food at low prices since the 1970s, but the place got a boost when Anthony Bourdain visited to film an episode of No Reservations in 2010. (It remains a point of pride that the restaurant was the only street food spot in the episode.) Dining here can sometimes feel chaotic, but the food is worth any hassle. The naan emerges hot and crispy from the clay oven, served with Peshawari mutton curry and lamb chops that are the best you’ll get in Dubai. Hang around for dessert; its kheer is the perfect way to end a meal at Ravi. [$]

2nd December Street (previously Al Diyafah Street) wasn’t originally designed as a food market, but as soon as the sun sets each day, the street fills with outdoor tables and a night market springs to life. The old block of the Al Satwa neighborhood is home to a community of immigrants who arrived from various nations in the 1990s. Over time, local food shops catering to these residents began to open. Most of the restaurants on the street are Indian, Irani, and Turkish, but the food that spills into the street each evening is a variety of Arabic, East Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines. [$]

Run by the Persian al-Ansari family who immigrated to Dubai 43 years ago, Al Ustad proudly makes classic Irani cuisine in the old area of Bur Dubai. The menu includes kebabs of mutton, chicken, and tenderloin, including some marinated in yogurt before being barbecued and others slow-cooked in mild spices and herbs like dill, mint, basil, chives, fenugreek, and tarragon. Dishes come with khubz (flatbread) or saffron rice studded with roasted dry fruits. Vegetarians should stop by at lunch for options like okra and eggplant. [$]

Billo — a tiny ice cream shop tucked away in the corner of a congested street in Bur Dubai — is a popular go-to for local South Asian residents. The self-proclaimed home of the best falooda in the world, Billo adheres to traditional Pakistani methods to make the frozen dessert. It uses clay utensils to freeze milk and yeast, then mixes in different fruit flavors before combining everything into a sweet, syrupy concoction of milk, vermicelli, and nuts. It also serves some savory Pakistani street food items. [$]

Inside one of Dubai’s busiest malls, Indoors is a buzzy food court decorated with vibrant graffiti. There are 15 food stalls to choose from, plus a huge seating area with communal tables, an arcade, and a live music stage where listeners can lounge on bean bag chairs. Among the bites, head to Smart Brat for hot dogs, Taiwanese Chicken and Pancake for a meaty meal, and Saj 2 Go bakery for huge, 18-inch Lebanese flatbreads. [$$]

Pars Iranian Restaurant is the oldest and most popular Irani restaurant in the city, combining traditional Persian dishes with Arabic flavors. All the food is centered on three basic ingredients — bread, rice, and meat — exclusively cooked by Irani chefs who deploy deft hands in blending mild herbs like thyme, parsley, and dried mint with hot Arabic spices, pepper, and red chile paste. While most of the menu caters to omnivores with meaty stews and skewers of seafood, there are some delicious vegetarian options like ash reshteh (herb-packed noodle soup) and kashk bademjan (eggplant and whey dip), as well as falafel, hummus, and other Arabic snacks. Pars is a perfect representation of the Dubai melting pot at work. [$$$]

Karak chai was commonly sold from tea carts in precolonial India, but the style of masala chai is popular in the Middle East, too. The version at Real Karak Cafe is made with locally produced tea leaves, slow-cooked with cardamom and saffron (staple ingredients in Arabic desserts), and sweetened with condensed milk. The cafe takes pride in serving the most teacups per day of any cafe in the city; for proof of its claim, just look at the long car queues outside at all times of day. [$]

Opened in 1993, Firas is one of the oldest dessert shops in Dubai, satisfying customers with sweet treats from across the Middle East. Its knafeh, which it promotes as the “queen of Arabian desserts,” is loaded with cheese and covered in a crisp layer of sugar and vermicelli; not surprisingly, it’s a best-seller across the bakery’s various branches. Other staples include the baklava and mamul, made with walnuts and baked in thick sugar syrup. [$$]

Last Exit is a local mini-chain of food truck parks vaguely themed around Route 66 (one location also looks like a Mad Max post-apocalyptic scene), ideal for travelers heading in and out of town. The one in Al Khawaneej is inspired by American rancher culture, with a dozen funky food trucks offering drive-thru service. There’s a farm-themed outdoor seating area, too, where guests can enjoy live music and games. The diverse selection of food includes cinnamon buns at Doh, sushi on the go from Sushi Station, and hearty steaks by Steakanji. [$$]