Is Eating Out in Dubai Expensive? A 2025 Guide to Dubai Dining Costs

The price of eating out in Dubai can slap you in the face if you walk in blind—or surprise you in the best way when you know where to look. Gold-plated burgers, robot waiters, sushi that arrives by private car: these stories are real, but so are $1 shawarmas on the street. Dubai swings hard between luxury and bargain. If you want steak flown in from Japan, you can have it. If you want chicken biryani at 2am for next to nothing, that’s on the cards too.

How Much Does It Actually Cost to Eat Out in Dubai?

Let’s start with the numbers—because facts tell the real story. In 2025, Dubai is home to over 13,000 restaurants. There’s no fixed average, but you can expect to pay between AED 40 and AED 80 (about $11 to $22) for a meal at a basic café or mid-level restaurant. Want something fancier? Brunches at five-star hotels can set you back AED 250 to AED 800 ($68 to $218) per head—yes, for one person. Street food, on the other hand, can come in at less than AED 10 ($2.70), especially if you hunt down Pakistani, Indian, or local Emirati canteens packed with workers.

One of the reasons you can get a $1 samosa and a $300 caviar in the same city boils down to Dubai’s international population: you’ll find all kinds of eateries, from third-generation South Indian cafeterias to pop-up concept restaurants run by Michelin-starred chefs. It’s not just about what you eat, but where and when. Lunch at the same restaurant can be half the price of dinner. Weekday specials make a big difference, especially if you stick to happy hours. Want a cold drink with your meal? Alcohol is mostly reserved for licensed spots inside hotels or nightlife venues—and you’ll pay dearly for it. Diet Coke is cheaper than wine every time.

Dubai's Food Scene: Cheap Eats vs. Opulent Indulgence

Dubai thrives on contrast, and nowhere is that clearer than in its restaurant budgets. If you only follow Instagram, you’ll see gold-leaf desserts, lobster towers and champagne at brunch. Don’t be fooled. Around the city, immigrant-run cafeterias offer gigantic portions at prices that haven’t budged in years. A steaming plate of mutton mandi (Yemeni-style rice and meat), with tea and flatbread, often costs less than the parking fee at a shopping mall. Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, and Indian neighborhoods like Al Karama, Deira, or Satwa are home to genuine cheap eats. Try a dirt-cheap shawarma joint at 3am: chances are, you’ll be eating side-by-side with cab drivers, construction workers and, yes, billionaires sneaking out of nightclubs.

But the high-end side is what gets the most attention. Dubai’s fine-dining scene is ridiculous in its ambition. Want to eat sushi flown in from Tsukiji market that morning? There’s a place for that. Wagyu beef burger with truffle fries for AED 500? Not hard to find. Michelin stars have only fueled this trend further. Special occasions—anniversaries, date nights, business deals—often land in places where the menu lists "market price" instead of actual numbers (always a warning).

Coffee, by the way, is another wildcard. At a regular café, you’ll spend AED 15-25 on a cappuccino, but in the financial district you can drop AED 100 on a signature brew smothered in gold flakes. (I tried it. Tastes like every other coffee.) And don’t get me started on brunch: weekends turn into all-you-can-eat-and-drink feasts, with prices to match. Dubai’s Friday brunch is almost a sport, and the fancier you go, the higher the stakes—or the bills.

Smart Ways to Save Money When Dining Out

There’s no need to burn a hole in your wallet every time you eat out. Even the big spenders here love a good deal. Here are secrets the locals use:

• Food apps rule. The Entertainer app is legendary—pay for one meal, get one free at dozens of restaurants across the city. Zomato Gold and UrbanPiper also give crazy discounts, not just on food but on drinks, too.
• Set lunch menus or business lunches at high-end restaurants can save you up to 70% off the dinner bill. Instead of dropping AED 400 at dinner, try the same menu for AED 120 at lunch.
• Happy hours. They’re not just for drinks; some venues throw in discounted sharing plates or meal deals during early evening hours.
• Skip the “view premium.” Restaurants on rooftops or by the fountains will charge you more just for the location—even if the food is identical to a branch in a less scenic spot.
• Look for "combo" meals in international fast food spots and local cafeterias—massive platters, rice, bread, sides and a drink for AED 20-30.
• Supermarket food counters. Carrefours and Spinneys prepare cooked meals for under AED 20, surprisingly tasty whether it’s roast chicken, biryani, or noodles.
• Follow Dubai-based food bloggers on Instagram and TikTok for regular flash sales and pop-up bargain deals.

One more insider tip: if you love curry, the "night canteens" around Deira are open till nearly sunrise, filling up with night shift workers and insomniacs, all tucking into dinner for under AED 15. No-frills, but honest, comforting, and the kind of vibe you won’t find in a guidebook.

Why Eating Out in Dubai Feels Expensive—Even When It’s Not

This is the twist. Dubai’s flashy image, and the people chasing that image, set certain expectations. Yes, some places are absurdly expensive, but you’re almost always paying for the view, the brand, or the bragging rights. There’s a psychological trick at play: because you see supercars outside the restaurant, you expect every bill to be astronomical. In reality, hundreds of quietly brilliant spots serve authentic cuisine at fair prices.

The surge in delivery apps like Talabat and Deliveroo since the pandemic means you can now get restaurant-grade meals delivered for a fraction of the dine-in price—sometimes with exclusive discounts. Plus, Dubai’s blend of cultures makes things interesting: in the same street you’ll pass Iranian bakeries, Turkish kebab shops, Levantine falafels, North African couscous, Thai curries and plant-based vegan places. Competition keeps prices down, especially away from the tourist hotspots.

Still, service charges are common (often 10-15%), and tipping is usually left to you, rounding up or leaving AED 10-20 on top. Don't be surprised by VAT—an extra 5%—on your bill. And if you dine on special occasions (think New Year’s Eve), pretty much every leading restaurant charges "minimum spends." This is code for “you’re paying for the party, not just for the food."

Another weird Dubai quirk: splitting bills isn’t automatic. Some venues can’t or won’t separate group payments, so work out your finances before dessert arrives. Don’t get stuck in a WhatsApp payment standoff with eight other people staring you down.

Making the Most of Dubai’s Dazzling (and Delicious) Food Scene

Ready to feast? The trick is using Dubai’s extremes to your advantage. Fancy a travel adventure without leaving the city? Hit up cafeterias run by families from the Philippines, Ethiopia, Afghanistan or Iran. For a splurge, go for late breakfast at a five-star spot; the city’s obsession with all-day dining means you can dawdle in luxury without paying dinner prices. Experience Emirati cuisine—like camel sliders, luqaimat (sweet fried dumplings), or machboos (spiced rice)—at heritage-style restaurants around Al Fahidi, where you get a taste of history for less than you’d spend on a single cocktail downtown.

If you’ve got dietary restrictions, you won’t have issues—Dubai has vegan, halal, keto, gluten-free, and just about every other option, both in humble cafés and gleaming skyscrapers. Food festivals happen throughout the year, with Dubai Food Festival in March and Ramadan iftars opening up traditional foods to everyone, often in elaborate pop-up tents at modest rates. Don't miss the night markets during Eid, where local favorites go for much less than you’d expect in a city with diamond-encrusted everything.

The reality is, eating out in Dubai is only as expensive as you make it. Ignore the hype if you want to, or join it when the mood strikes. You can feast like royalty or eat like a clued-in local—sometimes in the same day. Either way, your taste buds will thank you, and so will your bank balance if you play it smart.