Arabian Tea House

Machboos in the Courtyard

3.5 of 5

Walk the lanes of Al Fahidi, the old Bastakiya quarter, and you will find a courtyard and a menu that says it has served authentic Emirati cooking since 1997. Tourists come, and that is fine. Plenty of locals do too. The place is good enough to survive both crowds, which is a harder test than any guide gives it credit for.

Order machboos, the spiced rice with meat, chicken or shrimp. Add harees, wheat cooked slow with meat until it turns soft and comforting, and a plate of luqaimat, the Emirati dumplings in date syrup. Drink karak, the spiced milk tea, or Arabic coffee. Prices are modest by Dubai standards: machboos runs about 62 to 73 dirhams and the tea 30. A growing city should be able to feed its own food to visitors, and this room does.

They open at 7 and close at 11, so you can come for breakfast or a late supper. The setting is the old town, so go in the cooler hours and take your time. Do not expect surprises. Expect the dishes your host would cook for you, made by people who have done it for decades. It is an honest introduction. Share the plates, over-order, and pass everything around, family style.

Order this: Machboos, Harees, Luqaimat with date syrup, Karak tea
The damage: $$
Go: Late morning, before the tour groups, or after sunset
Find it: Bastakiya, opposite Musalla Post Office, Al Fahidi St, Bur Dubai, Dubai