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The best Karak Chai in Dubai

Also spelt karak, karak tea, chai karak and chai haleeb. A curated shortlist, shaped by your votes.

Editorial picks

Selected from published food guides and local reporting. How the list works

  1. Number 1.Al Hara Cafeteria (Al Karama)

    Al Karama Bur Dubai and Al Fahidi

    Open
    Open 24 hours
    Where
    12 8B Street, opposite Wasl Hub Block 3, Al Karama, Dubai

    Ask for the strong karak and drink it standing in the car park, since nothing indoors passes for seating. The counter runs around the clock, and the price undercuts most of Karama.

    What to orderStrong karak

    0 votes

  2. Number 2.Project Chaiwala (Alserkal Avenue)

    Al Quoz 1 Al Quoz and Al Barsha

    Open
    11am to 10pm, 9am to 9pm Friday to Sunday
    Where
    Warehouse 68, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, inside Cinema Akil

    The signature karak in a kulhad, with a chilli cheese toastie, inside Cinema Akil at Alserkal. It shuts by ten and earlier at weekends, so this is not a late night stop.

    What to orderSignature karak in a kulhad

    0 votes

  3. Number 3.Arabian Tea House (Al Fahidi)

    Al Fahidi Bur Dubai and Al Fahidi

    Open
    7am to 11pm daily
    Where
    Al Fahidi Street, Bastakiya, opposite Musalla Post Office, Bur Dubai

    Sit in the courtyard with a classic karak and a plate of chebab. You pay heritage-district prices for a drink that costs a dirham or two on the street, and lunchtime queues are long.

    What to orderClassic karak with chebab bread

    0 votes

  4. Karak House (Downtown)

    Downtown Dubai Downtown and Business Bay

    Open
    8am to midnight, to 1am Friday to Sunday
    Where
    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, beside Manzil Downtown hotel, Burj Khalifa district, Dubai

    A jar of karak on the terrace with the Burj Khalifa above you, served with glucose biscuits. You pay Downtown prices for a street drink, and evening tables go quickly.

    What to orderJar of karak with glucose biscuits

    0 votes

  5. Karak Ji (Jumeirah 3)

    Jumeirah 3 Jumeirah and Satwa

    Open
    Listings differ: 6am to 2am, or 8am to midnight
    Where
    Shop 6, ground floor, 538 Jumeirah Road, near Sunset Mall, Jumeirah 3, Dubai

    Stay in the car and ask for the ginger saffron karak, which is what the regulars come for. Closing time varies between midnight and two, so a late run is a gamble.

    What to orderGinger saffron karak

    0 votes

  6. FiLLi Café (Al Mamzar original)

    Al Mamzar Al Rigga and Muraqqabat

    Open
    7am to 2am daily
    Where
    68 Al Khaleej Street, near Union Coop, Al Hamriya Port, Al Mamzar, Dubai

    The Zafran chai is what the family built in 2004, and this Al Khaleej Road shop is the original. Late evening brings a wall of parked cars, so arrive before nine.

    What to orderZafran (saffron) chai

    0 votes

  7. Al Farwania (Umm Suqeim)

    Umm Suqeim, Jumeirah Beach Road Jumeirah and Satwa

    Open
    6am to midnight, car queue builds from 4pm
    Where
    Jumeirah Beach Road, opposite the public library, Umm Suqeim 2, Dubai

    Forty years on Jumeirah Beach Road and the one dirham karak still draws a queue of cars from four in the afternoon. Nobody honks. Park properly or you will block the street.

    What to orderThe one dirham karak, ordered from the car

    0 votes

  8. Koukh Al Shay (Al Barsha South)

    Al Barsha South Al Quoz and Al Barsha

    Open
    6am until 5.30am the next morning
    Where
    Beside Aswaaq Mall, Al Barsha South 1, Dubai

    Creamy karak with a firm cardamom edge, handed through a window beside Aswaaq Mall. The name is on outlets all over the emirate and they are not equal, so it is this one you want.

    What to orderClassic karak through the window

    0 votes

  9. Rabbash (Al Mamzar Corniche)

    Al Mamzar Al Rigga and Muraqqabat

    Open
    Open 24 hours
    Where
    74 Al Khaleej Street, near Union Coop, Al Mamzar Corniche, Dubai

    Order the Rabbash tea at the window and take it across to the corniche wall. It runs all night, but the beach car park fills on Thursday and Friday evenings.

    What to orderRabbash tea, taken to the corniche

    0 votes

  10. Raju Omlet (Al Karama)

    Al Karama Karama and Oud Metha

    Open
    8am to 11.30pm, some listings show a 2.30 to 5pm break
    Where
    Mubarak Building, behind Park Regis Kris Kin, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street, Al Karama

    Karak with a bread omelette at breakfast is the combination worth coming for. Listings show an afternoon break between half two and five, so telephone before turning up midday.

    What to orderKarak with a bread omelette

    0 votes

  11. Chai and Co (Al Warqa)

    Al Warqa Al Qusais, Al Nahda and Mirdif

    Open
    Open 24 hours daily
    Where
    Ground floor, Warqa Mall, Al Warqa, Dubai

    Go for the saffron karak and a honey paratha at the Warqa Mall branch. Hours are reported differently everywhere, so telephone before a late drive out here.

    What to orderSaffron karak with honey paratha

    0 votes

  12. Shukrulla Al Haj Cafeteria (Gold Souk)

    Al Ras, Deira Deira

    Open
    About 7am to 10pm, listings differ
    Where
    Bin Naeem Mosque building, Gold Souk lanes, Al Ras, Deira, Dubai

    The chacha at the counter pours karak all day, and you drink it standing in the mosque lane. There is nowhere to sit, and shutters can come down by mid evening, so go before dark.

    What to orderKarak chai at the mosque-side counter

    0 votes

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