Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe

With an ambience that feels distinctly like 1960s’ Dubai, Al Fanat Restaurant and Café pays homage to the old city, showcasing it as it was when fishermen, pearl divers and nomadic Arabic people, the Bedouin, wandered the emirate’s winding alleyways.

This eatery features several branches, with each showcasing beautiful displays and old-world collectables that honour the city’s rich history; think vintage Land Rovers, traditional barasti huts made from palm leaves, and Bedouin figures.

The charming café boasts traditional architecture that borrows elements from a thriving old Arabian town and brings the past to life through the scent of bakhoor (aromatic resin) and oud (fragrant resinous wood). Its branches also showcase traditional mini-markets, known as souks, housing spices, fragrances, and sweets, as well as Arabic tea and coffee.

You can choose from a wide selection of delicious dishes here, from all-day breakfasts to lunch and dinner. Don’t forget to try the restaurant’s fresh raqaq, khameer and chebab (traditional breads), with its wholesome lentil soup, machboos (fragrant rice and chicken), and biryani (aromatic rice) being delicious too.