Dubai can be extremely luxury and flashy. I mean, you will see the beautiful, tall buildings, the luxury sports cars, the fancy smalls but you also do have parts of the city that have culture, mom and pop shops, food stalls, and cheap food. You just have to know where to look and most times, travelers don’t come looking for this. I equally love both sides and wanted to explore the other parts of Dubai that you may not see on social media. You can get food for under 15 dirhams, whether it’s shawarma, pizza, hummus, or a salad. Here are some of my favorite spots that are no frills but have decent food for affordable prices.

Shawarma Al Farooj

This Lebanese joint is located in Downtown Dubai and is the perfect place for a late night shawarma. You can pull into the parking lot and they’ll come take your order. They have two types of shawarma: classic Lebanese or the spicy Mexican. They also have other options on the menu as well. They’ll even bring you free tea while you wait. It’s a great spot to eat in the car and there’s usually a bunch of cars doing the same thing. 

Al Ustadi

This is basically an institution in Dubai. One of the oldest joints that serves Iranian food that even celebrities go to. It’s the best place to go to when visiting Old Dubai as it is located near Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood

Bu Qtair Restaurant

This popular restaurant offers freshly prepared seafood in a relaxed setting, situated directly on the charming Umm Suqeim Fishing Harbour. If you’re undecided about your selection, you can’t go wrong with dishes like the daily fried fish, BBQ shrimp, and a flavorful fish curry. It’s a cash-only place.

Chaat Bazaar

If you have a craving for chaat like I do most times, this is probably one of the best. Here you’ll find the spicy ones just like you do on the streets of Pakistan or India. You can expect the prices to be cheaper than a latte.

Hashmi Barbeque Restaurant

This spot hails from Nairobi, Kenya and has some really decent ratings on Google. If you’re looking to have a Kenyan BBQ with Indian spices, come here for the Nyoma Choma.

Al Ain Way Cafeteria

This is THE taxi stop or equivalent to a truck stop in the US. A no-frills spot where you’ll eat out of your car and can visit 24/7. You can get a karak chai for 1 AED but also get an assortment of paratha rolls, sandwiches, shawarmas, fresh juices, burgers, and more. I ended up getting some paratha roll with chicken and chips, it was quite tasty but I did have a stomach ache the next day. I also got a fresh pomegranate juice for a couple of bucks. There karak chai was most definitely worth the 1 AED but I couldn’t sleep that night. You can also find sugar cane juice. They do stop serving shawarma after 1am though.

Koukh Al Shay

You can get some karak chai and a samosa box for under 2 USD which is honestly a steal.