Eat See Do: Dubai

This transformation is also reflected in Dubai’s modern cuisine, which is shaped by international influences that blend with regional dishes. Fish and seafood, as well as lamb and veal, play a prominent role. You can experience this in a particularly exclusive setting at the world’s highest restaurant: At.mosphere, on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, gives the expression “you eat with your eyes first” a whole new meaning. Here, at a height of 442 meters (1,450 feet), fine dining comes with one of the most impressive views of Dubai. With British-style afternoon tea, contemporary gourmet cuisine, and a view stretching far beyond the city, it becomes clear how Dubai combines authentic experiences with spectacular settings. 

More culinary delights: 

• Machboos: This is the essence of soul food. In Dubai, they love to serve up generous meals, especially machboos. This aromatic meat and rice dish is served on large platters from which everyone at the table helps themselves. It’s typically prepared with chicken or lamb and basmati rice. Sounds dry? It's quite the opposite: machboos is packed with ingredients and spices. This Arab classic promises an explosion of flavor and is true comfort food. 
• Luqaimat: Luqaimat are arguably Dubai’s most popular dessert. These small, golden-brown fried dough balls are wonderfully crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. They are traditionally flavored with cardamom and saffron and drizzled with date syrup. A must at festive occasions, these sweet bites are also often served during Ramadan. 
• Chebab: Along with tea and coffee, pancakes are among the dishes you’ll find in almost every country. The Arab version, chebab, is a classic breakfast dish in Dubai and shows just how much warmth and flavor can be served first thing in the morning. The fluffy pancake is made with yeast, flour, sugar, and eggs, and gets its characteristic aroma and golden-yellow color from cardamom, turmeric, and saffron. The recipe varies slightly depending on the restaurant or café, but chebab is often served with white cheese, date syrup, honey, butter, or jam – a combination that harmoniously blends sweet, spicy, and slightly salty notes. 

In the historic Al Fahidi district, Dubai reveals a different, quieter side: narrow alleyways, low-rise mud-brick buildings, and the characteristic wind towers that provided natural cooling long before the era of air conditioning. Especially in contrast to the vertical cityscape of today, it becomes clear what life in Dubai was like before the oil boom. Small museums, galleries, and cafés make Al Fahidi not only historically fascinating but also one of the city’s most charming neighborhoods. 

Also worth seeing: 

• Museum of the Future: The Museum of the Future looks ahead to Dubai’s future and, since its opening in February 2022, has been one of the city’s most striking landmarks. Even from the outside, the oval building on Sheikh Zayed Road draws attention with its stainless steel “eye” façade and flowing Arabic calligraphy. Inside, it sees itself less as a traditional museum and more as a laboratory of tomorrow: across seven floors, future scenarios are explored in relation to topics such as space exploration, climate change, health, and technological innovation. The combination of spectacular architecture and immersive visions of possible future lifestyles makes this place incredibly compelling. 
• Dubai Frame: The world’s largest picture frame, the Dubai Frame in Zabeel Park, is one of those landmarks whose very architecture embodies its concept. At a height of around 150 meters (490 feet), it offers views of two sides of the city at once: to the north, historic Dubai around Dubai Creek, the natural inlet that runs through the city for 14 kilometers (8.7 miles); to the south, the skyline of the new districts. The location was deliberately chosen to symbolize the fusion of tradition and modernity in the metropolis. Inside the Dubai Frame, a multimedia journey through Dubai’s past, present, and future awaits. 
• Burj Khalifa: At 828 meters (2,716 feet) tall, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building and remains Dubai’s most iconic landmark. What makes it so fascinating is not only its height but also its impact on the city: from the observation decks, the view stretches across Downtown, the coastline, and far into the desert. Like almost no other place, the tower embodies Dubai’s ambition to make growth, change, and architectural vision visible. 

About an hour’s drive outside the city, the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve offers a landscape that makes you momentarily forget Dubai’s rapid development. As the first light sweeps across the dunes at sunrise and the contours of the desert emerge almost silently, a side of Dubai appears that has little in common with the ultra-modern city. The reserve is home to more than 70 plant species, 140 bird species, and 18 mammal and 26 reptile species. If you leave Dubai early enough, you can experience a spectacular sunrise here. 

Further experiences:

• Boat ride across the creek: A ride on an abra across Dubai Creek is one of the most authentic experiences in the city. To this day, these traditional wooden boats sail the waters between Bur Dubai and Deira on a waterway that has shaped Dubai’s economic and daily life for generations. From the water, you’ll enjoy striking views of old Dubai and landmarks such as the Deira Twin Towers. 
• An afternoon on Alserkal Avenue: In former warehouses in the Al Quoz industrial area, Alserkal Avenue has grown into one of Dubai’s most exciting cultural districts. Art galleries, concept stores, and cozy cafés invite you to stroll and browse, while hip chill-out spots with colorful beanbags provide the perfect place to take a break. 
• In a hot air balloon over the desert: A balloon ride at dawn radically shifts your perspective on Dubai, because suddenly it’s not the skyline that dominates, but sand, light, and vastness. Even inflating the balloon is a highlight, before the basket slowly lifts off and rises into the morning sky.