All the Perks
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- 24 hours
- Open by 6am
Late karak, 24-hour cafés on Sheikh Zayed Road and Jumeira Street, and Business Bay tables until 04:00.
Photo: Denys Gromov, Pexels License
For much of the year the evening is the comfortable part of a Dubai day. Even in October the mean daily high is 36.5 °C, and from May to September the mean daily low stays above 25 °C.1 Many cafés open at 08:00 and keep serving past midnight, and among the late ones, midnight is the most common closing time, ahead of 22:00.
Downtown, DIFC and Business Bay have the most late cafés, nearly a quarter of them, followed by Jumeirah, then Bur Dubai and Karama and Umm Suqeim. The very latest are spread out: Cozy Cabana by Marasi Drive serves until 04:00, while Cafe & Lounge 88 in Karama and Charcoal Garden, on the ninth floor of Al Shatha Tower in Dubai Marina, close at 03:00.
Local tip: In Ramadan, check hours again before you set out: many cafés open later and close well after midnight once iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, is over.5
Where these cafés are: Downtown, DIFC & Business Bay (12), Jumeirah, Satwa & City Walk (11), Bur Dubai & Karama (9), Umm Suqeim & Al Sufouh (6), Al Barsha & Barsha Heights (4), Dubai Marina, JBR & JLT (4), Al Quoz & Alserkal Avenue (2), Deira (1), Al Fahidi, Al Seef & Meena Bazaar (1).
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Karak means strong, and the drink is a variant of Indian tea made with loose black tea, condensed milk, sugar and spices; Khaleej Times traces its arrival in the Gulf to the Indian diaspora in the 1960s.2 In November 2004 more than 6,000 UAE cafeterias and restaurants agreed to sell a cup for Dh1, up from 50 fils, and in February 2022 several raised it to Dh1.50, citing the cost of milk and sugar.2
What's On describes karak as an all-day habit, from dawn through midday to after work, with a crowd at the door of the corner tea shop.3 Cha Cha Chai, on Za'abeel Road, has sold karak and saffron chai in Dubai since 2013.4
All the Perks on Sheikh Zayed Road, BistroLounge and Indian Coffee House Restaurant in Bur Dubai never close. Toward the coast, BW Cafe on Jumeira Street, Piccolo Mondo in Satwa and the Piazza17 kiosk at City Walk 1 do the same, as does Delphi Cafe in the Azizi Riviera towers, which bakes and has tables outside.
In Deira, Amba serves from 09:00 to midnight. ROAST, whose kitchens make Cha Cha Chai's karak alongside its own specialty coffee, says its Deira café at Business Village is open 24 hours, and lists its Dubai Marina café at 07:00–01:00 daily.4
Shams Cafe, at 13 Azizi Riviera 8, opens 10:00–02:00 with outdoor tables, and Fomo Cafe keeps the same 02:00 close at both of its addresses, Marasi Drive and Umm Hurair Road. In Al Barsha, Hive Board Game Café in Onyx Tower 1 on Sheikh Zayed Road stays open until 02:00 from Friday to Sunday, and Lift Cafe & Bakery serves 07:00–01:00 every day.
Roast on Al Seba Street, Feels in Umm Suqeim, Burnout in Bur Dubai and Made Cafe & Eatery in Jumeirah all close at 01:00. The Inventing Room in Jumeirah opens at 12:00 and stays open until 01:00 from Thursday to Saturday, and both Unwind board-game cafés, in Zabeel and on Hessa Street, run until midnight or later at weekends.
During Ramadan, Muslims who fast abstain from food and drink between dawn and sunset, but Dubai places no restriction on eating or drinking in public for those who are not fasting, and restaurants and cafés keep serving through the day.5 Some shift their opening and closing times, and hours are often extended past midnight for people meeting family and friends after breaking the fast.5
Smoking also stops for those fasting. There is no formal public ban for anyone else, though Khaleej Times advises being considerate around people who are fasting.5 Cafe & Lounge 88 and Cozy Cabana are among the late cafés that allow smoking.
By area: Al Fahidi, Al Seef & Meena Bazaar Deira Bur Dubai & Karama Downtown, DIFC & Business Bay Al Quoz & Alserkal Avenue Jumeirah, Satwa & City Walk Umm Suqeim & Al Sufouh Dubai Marina, JBR & JLT
All the Perks on Sheikh Zayed Road, BistroLounge and Indian Coffee House Restaurant in Bur Dubai, BW Cafe on Jumeira Street, Piccolo Mondo in Satwa, the Piazza17 kiosk at City Walk 1 and Delphi Cafe in Azizi Riviera are open around the clock. ROAST says its café at Business Village in Deira is also open 24 hours.
Karak, meaning strong, is black tea with condensed milk, sugar and spices, which Khaleej Times traces to the Indian diaspora in the Gulf in the 1960s. In 2004 more than 6,000 UAE cafeterias and restaurants agreed to sell a cup for Dh1, and in 2022 several raised it to Dh1.50. It is drunk all day, from dawn to after work.
Yes. Restaurants and cafés keep serving during the day, and there is no restriction on eating or drinking in public for people who are not fasting. Some cafés change their hours, and many extend them past midnight for people who meet family and friends after iftar, the meal that breaks the fast at sunset.
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