Diverse culinary options are available in Dubai - a city home to individuals from various ethnic backgrounds. However, to truly experience Dubai's local cuisine, you must sample a wide range of well-known Emirati dishes. Discover the different dishes that combine Arabic, Lebanese, and Iranian cuisine, and you will be left wanting more!

Explore Dubai's streets or dining establishments and you will undoubtedly be astounded by the wide variety of scrumptious dishes that the nation has to offer. Rice, fish and meat are the staple food here while ghuzi or khuzi is considered UAE’s national dish. Chicken, mutton and lamb are preferred over beef. Camel meat too is used for some dishes to mark special events. The main spices used in Emirati cooking are saffron, cardamom, turmeric, and thyme.

Dining in Dubai is a wholesome experience because the top restaurants there are as diverse as the city itself. This metropolis expanded at an incredibly rapid pace during the past few years, offering a wide variety of dining options from upscale restaurants to street food outlets which dish out local delicacies as well as international dishes for various prices. Dubai citizens love bonding over a hearty meal. Therefore, the local dishes are usually quite rich and filling. One of the most popular and well-loved dishes in Emirati cuisine is machboos, a rice dish that is fused with spices and meat. Harees is a porridge-like dish consisting of minced meat and crushed wheat, mixed with ground cumin and onions. This is a more conventional dish that is typically served at festivals and weddings, as well as on special occasions like Ramadan. For those who are looking for something close to home, try Chebab, a classic Emirati pancake which is a popular breakfast dish in Dubai. This mouthwatering dish is prepared with saffron, flour, milk, and yeast. It is usually cooked on a hot griddle and served with date syrup and sour cheese. If you have a business lunch in mind, it is better to go to a place which has a selection of local and international food that will suit any kind of palate. Check out a place like La Sirene restaurant at the Avani + Palm View Dubai which offers a myriad of Lebanese street food and Arabic specialities like chicken shawarma wraps and halawet el jibn (sweet cheese rolls).

Shawarma is one of the signature dishes from the Middle East which has gained immense global popularity. Meat is slowly roasted on a spit until slices need to be removed delicately for the dish. Lamb is frequently used though chicken, turkey and veal are popular as well. Samosas are another hot favourite among locals and foreigners alike. These triangle-shaped pastry appetizers are stuffed with a mixture of boiled potatoes, onions, green peas, and green chillies. The popular local version of this recipe includes three different varieties of cheese.

Those possessing a sweet tooth will not be disappointed during their culinary ventures in Dubai. The most popular sweet dish here is probably luqaimat which resembles golden balls dipped in date syrup. Kunafa is a dish which frequents many tables in Dubai households. Sweetened cheese or cream is layered between thin, noodle-like pastry layers, baked to golden perfection, and then covered in rich sugar syrup. Fresh dates are readily available at any diner in the city and make the perfect treat for those who are health-conscious but are still craving something sweet. They also have a special place in the Dubai dessert culture as you get a variety of different dishes with dates as the main ingredient. Whether they are stuffed with nuts like almonds, covered in chocolate, or mixed into other sweet treats, dates highlight the city's passion for its abundant local produce.