Dubai Food Tours — Street Food, Market Walks & Tastings

Street food & culinary walks

Food Tours: Tickets & Experiences in Dubai

3 experiences

Dubai

4.7/5 440 votes

PRIVATE Food Tour: The 10 Tastings of Dubai With Locals

Withlocals

Get Tickets AED 630

Dubai

4.4/5 714 votes

Private Dubai Street Food Tour .

Travtur Tourism L.L.C

Get Tickets AED 675

Dubai

4.7/5 1,281 votes

Dubai Aladdin Tour: Souks, Creek, Old Dubai and Tastings

Mohamed Mawla Tourism LLC

Get Tickets AED 92

Highlights

Guided walks through Deira, Al Karama & old Dubai food stalls
6-10 tasting stops covering Arab, Indian, Iranian & Emirati cuisines
Visit 40-year-old family restaurants tourists never find alone
Options from street food walks to upscale Marina dinner crawls

Tips for Visitors

Come hungry — food tours include 6-10 generous tasting portions that add up to a full meal. Skip breakfast if your tour starts before noon.

Evening food tours (starting 7-8 PM) access the night food scene when the best stalls open and temperatures cool. The 10 PM "after-dark" tours are the most authentic.

Wear comfortable walking shoes — old Dubai food tours cover 3-4 km on foot through narrow souk alleys and unpaved lanes.

Inform your guide about allergies before the tour starts. Most operators can substitute stops for dietary restrictions including halal, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

About Food Tours in Dubai

Dubai's food scene is one of the world's most diverse — with over 200 nationalities living in the city, you can eat authentic Emirati, Lebanese, Iranian, Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Ethiopian, and Japanese food within a single neighbourhood. Dubai food tours navigate this culinary labyrinth with local guides who know which stalls have been serving the same recipes for 40 years and which hidden doorways lead to underground dining rooms. The most popular food tours focus on the old Dubai neighbourhoods of Deira, Al Karama, and Bur Dubai, where the density of family-run restaurants and street food stalls is highest. A typical 3-4 hour walking tour visits 6-10 food stops, sampling everything from Iranian saffron ice cream and Yemeni mandi to Pakistani seekh kebabs and Emirati luqaimat (sweet dumplings). The spice and gold souks provide aromatic interludes between tasting stops. Beyond walking tours, specialized options include a Dubai Marina dinner crawl (upscale restaurants), a street food after-dark tour (the best stalls open at 10 PM when kitchen workers eat), and Emirati home-dining experiences where a local family hosts you for a traditional machboos and harees meal. For the adventurous, camel milk chocolate tastings and date-pairing workshops offer uniquely Emirati flavours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Dubai food tour cost?

Walking food tours in old Dubai cost AED 200-350 per person for 3-4 hours including all tastings (6-10 stops). Marina/upscale dinner crawls are AED 400-600 per person with restaurant meals. Private tours for groups start at AED 800 for 2 people. All prices include food — you won't need to pay at any stop.

What type of food will I try on a Dubai food tour?

A typical old Dubai tour includes: Iranian saffron ice cream, Emirati luqaimat (honey dumplings), Pakistani seekh kebabs from a charcoal grill, Indian samosas and chai, Yemeni mandi rice, Lebanese shawarma, and Arabic sweets like kunafa. Guides adapt to preferences — if you dislike something, they substitute another stop.

Are Dubai food tours suitable for vegetarians?

Yes, guides can modify the route for vegetarians. Old Dubai has excellent vegetarian Indian restaurants, falafel shops, hummus bars, and Iranian dairy stalls. A vegetarian-modified tour still offers 6-8 stops with full variety. Inform the operator when booking so the guide can plan the adjusted route.