Food diary · Dubai

Dubai, But Make It Delicious

Gold-leaf coffees, dessert trolleys, clifftop dinners and the most extra room service of my life. Dubai does food the way it does everything: all the way.

Dubai is glamorous, excessive and completely delicious, and the food scene leans all the way into it. From edible gold on your morning coffee to desserts that look too good to eat, this is a city that turns every meal into an event. Come hungry and come dressed up.

The Dubai Mall

The famous gold-leaf coffee

You cannot come to Dubai and skip the gold-leaf cappuccino. A whole sheet of edible gold on your coffee, equal parts delicious and the most photogenic thing you will ever order. We may also have worked our way through the dessert trolley. No regrets.

Bestie tip · Go mid-morning before the mall fills up for the prettiest light and a table without the wait.

Around the city

The prettiest cafes

Dubai's cafe scene is a whole aesthetic. We slowed right down for long, chatty lunches in spots that are as much a photo op as a meal, all marble, greenery and very good coffee.

Good to know · Half of these cafes are tucked inside the malls, so build them into your shopping day to escape the heat.

Fine dining

Desserts worth every calorie

The desserts here are next level. Delicate, sculptural and almost too pretty to ruin. Almost. If a tasting menu offers a dessert course, always say yes.

Tia's tip · Book a table at sunset and mention you are celebrating, even if the celebration is simply being there.

Atlantis, The Palm

Room service, Dubai-style

Our big-splurge home base sent up Atlantis strawberries to the room more than once, and we happily ordered comfort food in our robes between pool sessions. Sometimes the best meal is the one you do not have to leave the room for.

Worth the splurge · Order in at least once. Eating something indulgent in a fluffy robe is a five-star moment all on its own.