Dubai has a reputation for being expensive, and if you eat where the marketing points you, it is. But the city is built by people from more than 200 countries, and most of them are not eating AED 400 tasting menus. They are eating extremely well for AED 15 to 30.
Here is where that food is, what it costs, and what to order.
The rule that explains everything
Food gets cheaper the further you get from the beach. Deira, Bur Dubai, Satwa, Karama and Al Quoz are where the value is. Marina, JBR, Downtown and the Palm are where the markups are. The Metro connects almost all of the cheap areas, so distance is not really a problem.
Shawarma — AED 8 to 15
The default Dubai street food. A chicken shawarma should cost AED 8–12; if you are paying more than AED 18, you are in a tourist area.
Satwa is the traditional home of the good ones — the strip around Al Diyafah Street has been feeding the city for decades. Order it with garlic sauce and pickles, and get a fresh juice alongside for around AED 10.
Pakistani and Indian — AED 15 to 30
The best value in the whole city. A full biryani or a karahi with bread lands between AED 15 and 30, and portions are large.
Look in Karama, Bur Dubai and Satwa. Two long-standing institutions worth knowing: Ravi Restaurant in Satwa, open since the 1970s and still packed at midnight, and the dosa places around Karama where a masala dosa runs AED 12–18.
What to order if you are new to it
- Chicken karahi — cooked to order, meant for sharing
- Mutton biryani — the benchmark dish; if a place gets this right it gets everything right
- Masala dosa — South Indian, huge, and usually under AED 20
Filipino, Sri Lankan and Nepali — AED 15 to 25
Under-explored by visitors and very cheap. Al Rigga and the streets behind Deira City Centre have clusters of small Filipino canteens. Sri Lankan rice and curry — a plate with five or six curries — is usually AED 15–20.
Seafood — AED 30 to 50
The famous version of this is the fish-shack model: you pick from what came in that morning, they fry it, you eat it at a plastic table. Bu Qtair near Umm Suqeim beach is the best-known example and still one of the most enjoyable meals in Dubai. Expect a queue and expect to pay around AED 40–60 for a full plate.
Emirati food — AED 25 to 45
Harder to find than you would expect, because it is mostly home cooking. Look for machboos (spiced rice with meat), harees and luqaimat (sweet dumplings in date syrup). The Al Fahidi area has a few places aimed at visitors; they are decent and cost AED 25–45.
Karak and breakfast — AED 1 to 15
Karak chai is the local fuel: strong, sweet, milky tea, and it costs AED 1–2 at a cafeteria window. Pair it with a paratha or a cheese-and-egg sandwich for AED 5–10 and you have breakfast for under AED 12.
Where NOT to eat cheap
Food courts inside the big malls look convenient and are not good value — expect AED 35–50 for a mediocre plate. Beachfront cafés in JBR and Marina charge a location premium of roughly 50 to 100 percent for the same food you can get two Metro stops inland.
Practical notes
- Cash still helps. Many small cafeterias take cards now, but not all.
- Service charge: tipping is not obligatory. Rounding up is normal.
- Ramadan: during daylight hours in Ramadan, most of these places close or serve takeaway only.
- Hygiene: Dubai Municipality inspects aggressively and posts grades. Busy places turn over stock fast — a queue is a good sign.
A day of eating for AED 50
- Breakfast: karak and a paratha — AED 8
- Lunch: chicken biryani in Karama — AED 20
- Afternoon: fresh juice — AED 10
- Dinner: shawarma and hummus in Satwa — AED 18
That is AED 56 and you will have eaten better than most people paying five times as much.
Prices verified August 2026. Restaurants change — confirm before you travel. See our editorial policy.
