Living in the UAE can be an adventure of sights, sounds, smells and tastes.
They're attributes that converge in the nation's countless street food outlets, with many other traditional ingredients also making their way into high-end establishments.
Here are 11 dishes to try.
1. Shawarma
Arguably the most popular street food dish in the UAE, the sandwich is often a conversation starter, with spirited debates ranging from which outlet makes the best to whether the chicken version trumps the beef.
Each protein of choice comes with its own accompaniments, too.
Chicken shawarma typically has pickled cucumber and turnip, garlic paste (toum) and chips, while the lamb and beef versions are paired with tahini (ground sesame) paste, onions and tomatoes.
Pro tip: ask nicely and the chef might oblige and add extra meat or sauce to your sandwich.
2. Koshari
An Egyptian staple, this dish is a riot of textures and flavours.
The traditional koshari is a bowl of macaroni pasta, spaghetti, lentils and rice, topped with a generous amount of fried onions and hot tomato sauce.
For an extra kick, ask for a drizzle of vinegar and chilli sauce.
Where once it was only available in Egyptian fast-food venues, plenty of restaurants across the UAE – such as Abu Dhabi’s Koshari Factory and Dubai’s Koshari Abutarek – now specialise in the popular dish.
3. Hummus
There is fresh hummus and then there is the canned variety available in supermarkets. It is a distinction exposed when moving to the UAE.
The dip – a blend of chickpeas with tahini, garlic and citrus – is ubiquitous and can be served with anything from meat and chicken platters to falafel sandwiches. Flavoured versions – from beetroot to honey jalapeno – are also widely available.
When made from scratch, it exudes a silky texture and tangy taste. In comparison, the canned version can be alarmingly grainy and flavourless.
4. Chips Oman sandwich
Named after the popular crisps from Oman, a crunchy and mildly spiced Chips Oman sandwich has become a treat of its own thanks to UAE street food vendors.
Placing cheese spread, hot sauce and crushed pieces of Chips Oman within a fluffy parotta is something of a UAE classic, found in cafeterias across the country.
A Chips Oman sandwich can also include an omelette or a salad for extra crunch.
The crisps are also used in maki rolls, regag and popcorn.
5. Karak chai
A good karak cafeteria can be identified by the long lines of cars outside it.
Ideal for all seasons and any time of day, the hot chai follows a simple formula: loose tea leaves brewed with spices, before being brought to a boil and simmered with evaporated milk.
Karak chai vendors differentiate themselves by the “secret spices” they use (often including cardamom, ginger, fennel and cloves) and the length of brewing time.
Some cafeterias now serve karak with fresh milk, but it’s best to stick to the original recipe if you want that authentic sweet taste.
6. Fruit mocktails
Fancy a fresh glass of the Terminator or the Anti-Virus Juice?
These are but two of the many quirky names assigned to the medley of fresh fruit mocktails served at independent juice bars across the Emirates. Flavour combinations include: strawberry, mango and avocado; banana, cinnamon and hazelnut; and pears with cucumber.
While many drinks are made fresh on site, menus often also include standard items such as orange, pomegranate and avocado juices.
7. Indian chaat
An umbrella term for a rich Indian culinary tradition, chaat is a range of street dishes of fried dough, puffed rice, boiled potatoes, and sweet and tangy chutneys.
Popular chaat items available in Indian UAE restaurants and cafeterias include pani puri – a small and hollow puff of bread filled with chickpeas, potato chunks and sweet or spicy chutney; dahi vada – fried lentil balls soaked with thick yoghurt and topped with spices such as cumin and coriander; and bhel – puffed rice and sev with potato, peanuts and crunchy puri.
8. Camel products
From coffee and chocolates to burgers, camel products have come into their own in recent years, going from a local curiosity to a cuisine of its own.
Drinks and dishes featuring camel products can now be found in glamorous hotels – such as the camelccino at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi; and camel burgers, steaks and biryanis at Dubai’s Local House. It's not exactly traditional street food, but it champions local recipes in the same way, only with an elevated twist.
While they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, these dishes are part of the fabric of the UAE’s own culinary culture and merit a taste if you live or visit here.
9. Dampa
As the name suggests, the Filipino street food staple dumps a kilo or half-kilo of freshly caught prawn, crab, mussels and clams on a sharing table with rice and sauces of your choosing.
Dampa is an experience best shared with family and friends, and don’t be afraid to dig in using your hands.
10. Lamb ouzi
The lavish Levant dish comprises a whole roast lamb served on a bed of aromatic rice. Aside from cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom, the dish benefits from the Emirati allspice blend.
It is often the centrepiece of hotel buffets, especially during Ramadan, and is also served during weekends in many Syrian and Lebanese restaurants.
11. Umm Ali
The finish line of many hotel buffets, Umm Ali is one of the region’s most popular desserts.
Meaning “mother of Ali", and originating in Egypt, Umm Ali can be viewed as the Arab world's twist on the creamy bread and butter pudding with a history dating back to the Mamluk sultans of the 13th century.
SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Persuasion
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Naga
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The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
MATCH INFO:
Second Test
Pakistan v Australia, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am daily at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Entrance is free
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule
12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)
2pm Formula One final practice
5pm Formula One qualifying
6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Concrete and Gold
Foo Fighters
RCA records
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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