10 Food Experiences to Savour in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Steaming flatbread straight from the oven, creamy hummus, sugary pastries, spiced tea, and a chilled drink by the Dubai Fountain. Somewhere between the big sights, food quietly became one of the best parts of our family trip to the UAE.

To be honest, meals weren’t what I focused on when we were planning Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We were running around trying to cram in everything: looking up at glass towers, getting lost in the souks, and spending full days at theme parks.

Yet when I sift through my memories now, so many of the quiet highlights happened around a table.

I still think about that warm, puffed-up bread served alongside bowls of dips. Or the honeyed sweets that instantly won over Evelijn—a small miracle, considering how notoriously picky she can be. Then there was that evening watching the Dubai Fountain dance across the water, sipping a cold cocktail while the girls happily clinked their own mocktails together.

Eating across the UAE wasn’t about hunting down famous dishes just to cross them off. It became about passing plates across the table, nudging each other to try a bite of something unfamiliar, and that rare, wonderful relief of finding meals the entire family happily devoured.

If you’re packing your bags for Dubai and Abu Dhabi with kids in tow, here are ten food moments I wouldn’t skip.

Still figuring out your schedule? Take a peek at our [UAE Family Travel Guide and 10-Day Itinerary]. It pulls together everything we learned on the road to make planning your own trip a whole lot easier.

1. Tear into warm bread and share the dips

If you asked me to pick my favorite bite from the UAE, I’d skip the fancy feasts and tell you about the bread.

You know that chaos when the food lands and hands immediately start flying across the table? That was us the second the steaming flatbread arrived beside those little clay bowls of creamy hummus and garlic dip. Nobody had to fuss over ordering their own massive entrée. We just passed the baskets around, scooped up a bit of this and a swipe of that, and figured out our favorites together.

Traveling with kids, this kind of meal is a lifesaver. No one has to gamble on an entire mystery plate. You just rip off a warm piece of dough, drag it through something unfamiliar, and take a chance. Some of our best dinner table laughs started with just a basket of bread.

2. Slow down with a cup of tea

Tea might not sound like the kind of thing you write home about, but honestly, those quiet pauses became some of my favorite memories from the trip. After miles of pounding the pavement in Dubai and darting between sights, sinking into a chair with a hot drink felt like hitting an internal reset button.

The UAE takes its hot drinks seriously, but you don’t need a fancy ceremony to appreciate it. Pull up a seat, order a steaming cup alongside a sticky date or small pastry, and let the rush fade away for twenty minutes. If you have kids in tow, you already know: sometimes that simple breather is the only thing keeping the wheels on the wagon.

3. Try luqaimat while they’re still warm

If you have a sweet tooth, keep an eye out for luqaimat.

These little golden dough balls are crispy on the outside and airy inside, usually drenched in sticky syrup or another sweet glaze. They’re meant for sharing, though I won’t blame you if you hoard the whole batch for yourself. We always hunt down local sweets on our trips; they tend to teach you far more about a place than any crowded museum ever could.

Besides, getting the kids to try unfamiliar street food isn’t hard when it’s warm, bite-sized, and fried.

4. Let Evelijn be the pastry tester

Speaking of sweet treats…

Evelijn easily wins the prize for our pickiest eater. Usually on trips, we hear “I don’t like it” before her fork even touches the plate.

You can imagine my surprise at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi when she suddenly turned into an enthusiastic little foodie. Apparently, buttery, sugary pastries won her over in a way the spiced local dishes we’d been pushing just couldn’t manage. Watching her happily sample her way through the bakery case, crumb by crumb, made me laugh.

The park ended up being a big highlight of our stay on Yas Island. If you’re heading to Abu Dhabi with little ones in tow, you’ll find plenty more to do around here beyond the rides, too. Over in our [Yas Island with Kids: Where Abu Dhabi Turns Up the Fun] guide, we share the rest of what made this area such a hit for our family.

As a parent, you eventually learn to pick your battles. Maybe she didn’t fall head over heels for traditional Emirati cooking this time around, but hey, if flaky tarts got her excited to try something new, I’m calling it a win. Years from now, I probably won’t remember the exact snacks we bought, but I’ll definitely remember her powdered-sugar smile.

5. Start the day with regag bread

If you want a real taste of the local morning routine, hunt down some regag bread.

It’s a traditional Emirati flatbread that cooks up paper-thin, crackling and crisp around the edges. Vendors usually roll it up around melted cheese or a freshly cracked egg, though you can get it with all sorts of fillings.

Waking up to dishes like this is honestly one of my favorite parts of traveling. Sitting down to hot regag beats the pants off another bland hotel buffet of pale toast, scrambled eggs, and boxed cereal you could eat back home. Besides, who ever needed a better excuse to try something unfamiliar than breakfast?

6. Share a plate of machboos

If you want to get a real feel for Emirati cooking, order a plate of machboos. It’s essentially spiced rice piled high with fall-apart tender meat or fish, rich and deeply comforting.

Whenever we travel as a family, sharing dishes like this saves the day. Everyone gets a forkful without the risk of committing to a whole plate they might end up picking at. That became our whole strategy across the UAE: pick something unfamiliar, drop it right in the middle of the table, and pass the plates around. Sometimes the kids fall in love with a new flavour, and sometimes they push it away after one bite. Honestly, that’s half the fun.

7. Make room for slow-cooked lamb

Keep an eye out for lamb ghouzi. It’s a slow-cooked lamb served over mounds of fragrant spiced rice, usually scattered with toasted nuts and sweet raisins.

Trust me, this isn’t the kind of thing you grab on the run. You order ghouzi when you’re ready to pull up a chair, loosen your belt, and take your time with a proper feast. I always hunt down these hearty, traditional meals on the road because they anchor you to a place. A plate like this isn’t just fuel between sightseeing stops; it’s a direct link to the local culture, and honestly, that’s half the reason I travel.

8. Let Old Dubai lead you to lunch

Some of my favourite travel days are the ones where I don’t plan a single thing. Old Dubai was built for that kind of aimless morning.

Lose yourself in the spice and gold souks, hop on a wooden abra to cross the creek, and simply follow your nose. Sooner or later, your stomach is going to start rumbling.

Take my advice: skip the heavy hotel breakfast. The real joy here is getting pulled toward tiny hole-in-the-wall spots by the scent of fresh flatbread, spiced meats, and cardamom coffee drifting down the alleyways. Save plenty of room for lunch. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

9. Wander through Mina Market in Abu Dhabi

Mina Market showed us a completely different side of Abu Dhabi. Leaving the gleaming skyscrapers and plush hotels behind, we found the city’s working heart, built on fishing, trade, and salt water.

We make a point of tracking down local markets wherever we go because they show you how people actually live. Watching fishmongers call out over melting beds of ice feels far more grounded than ticking off another slick tourist spot. Walking past all those stalls definitely works up an appetite, too.

If you are sorting out your daily plans and trying to balance the big sights with some breathing room, take a look at our [guide to finding your pace in Abu Dhabi]. When you have kids in tow, slow mornings like this are often the ones that save the trip.

10. Have a cocktail during the Dubai Fountain show

Then came our evening by the Dubai Fountain.

Before we flew out to the UAE, we honestly weren’t sure how easy it would be to find a drink. Turns out Dubai has plenty of licensed spots where anyone over 21 can order a proper drink, so we grabbed an outdoor table to catch the water show with a cocktail in hand.

The girls didn’t miss out, either. The staff brought them fruity mocktails with fancy garnishes, which made them grin from ear to ear like mini adults.

So there we sat, glasses clinking, watching giant plumes of water blast into the warm night air while the city lights reflected off the lake. It was a simple hour, but it hit me right then: this is why we do family trips. You don’t need a frantic itinerary every minute of the day. Sometimes the whole point is just sitting together in the evening breeze, sipping something cold, and taking it all in.

My Travelicious tip

Please don’t turn eating into just another chore on your UAE checklist.

Go ahead and try the local flavors. Scoop up that fresh hummus, take a chance on a dish you can’t pronounce, and always leave space for something sweet. Just take the pressure off yourself—not every dinner needs to be an epic gastronomic quest.

Truthfully, our happiest food memories there were the quietest ones. Tearing into warm, pillowy flatbread around a shared table, sipping hot mint tea after a long day on our feet, watching Evelijn’s face light up over pastries at Warner Bros. World, or nursing bright, fruity mocktails as the Dubai Fountain shot into the night sky. When you travel with kids, those relaxed pauses between sights are the bits that truly stick.

If you’re staring at a blank page trying to map out Dubai and Abu Dhabi for your own crew, I’d love to help put together a custom family plan. We can tailor everything around your kids’ ages, your wishlist, and the actual time you have. The best trips aren’t about cramming in every single sight; they’re about finding an easy rhythm that actually lets your family enjoy the ride.