The Best Cafes in Dubai to Try Right Now (Take 2)
The original Best Cafes in Dubai post needed a sequel, because this city keeps delivering and my notes app keeps filling up. This round is all about outdoor seating, because the weather is perfect right now and your group chat needs a plan. All five are outdoor-friendly, with one slight exception: Subko is mostly indoors, but it sits in the Alserkal Avenue neighbourhood, so you'll end up wandering outside anyway. Here are the five that made the cut.
ORTO
Tucked into Al Athar Street in Jumeirah, Orto sits right along the Dubai Water Canal, and the view alone would be enough to keep me coming back. But then they had to go and make excellent coffee too. The space has a green, garden-like feel to it, which lets the canal and that Burj Khalifa backdrop do the talking. The outdoor terrace is pet-friendly. Pro tip: carry sunglasses. The morning sun hits that terrace directly.
Their V60 is solid, and the truffle egg sandwich (brioche, scrambled eggs, rice truffle sauce, chives, avocado) is rich enough that I'd split it with someone. My tip: go early. The pilates squads settle in by mid-morning and suddenly every table is taken.
Nada's Pick
The truffle egg sandwich, a V60, and arriving before 9 AM. You'll have the canal view practically to yourself.
Open daily, 7 AM to midnight. @ortodubai
BRIX CAFE
Brix sits right on the Jumeirah Fishing Harbour, boats bobbing, fishermen doing their thing, and you're right by the water with a coffee and a pastry that has no business being this good. They have a bakery on site, and the second you walk in, the buttery croissant scent hits you. Every flavour imaginable.
Nada's Pick
The Tribbiani beef pastrami sandwich, tender beef pastrami in a homemade flat croissant with Emmental cheese and mustard mayo. Come early and expect a wait, especially on weekends. It's worth the patience.
Open daily, 7 AM to 11:30 PM. @brixcafe.ae
MAISAN15
Rami Farook's Maisan15 in Al Barsha South is part cafe, part restaurant, part gallery, part library. Head chef Rita Soueidan runs the kitchen, and the outdoor courtyard is the reason you stay: shaded, quiet, and the sort of place that makes you forget you're in a city of over four million people. Bring a book.
Start with a Chemex, then switch to the hibiscus and zaatar iced tea when you need something refreshing later on. The courtyard makes it dangerously easy to lose track of time.
Nada's Pick
Rami's breakfast and the Yemeni shakshuka. Both excellent, and both pair well with that Chemex. If you suffer from decision paralysis, the trio dips (miso baba ghanoush, zammous, muhammara labneh) take the guesswork out of it.
Open daily, 8 AM to 11 PM. @maisan15
SUBKO
Mumbai's Subko is now in Alserkal Avenue, and it's doing a lot more than coffee. The whole concept is built around putting the Indian Subcontinent on the map as a serious coffee and cacao origin. But a huge part of what they do is their craft bakehouse, specializing in sourdough bread and laminated pastries of all kinds. They also have a pod-to-bar chocolate maker on site, so the chocolate is made from scratch right in front of you.
It's mostly an indoor experience, with only about three seats outside by the bar. But what's inside more than makes up for it.
Nada's Pick
The harissa grilled cheese and the Shah (Rukh) Shuka. The grilled cheese is made with sourdough or brokkaido bread, cheddar and aged provolone, served with house pickles. The Shah Shuka is their take on shakshuka, chunky and tomato-y with poached eggs, feta, garlic labneh, and Palestinian zaatar. Both delicious.
Open daily, 9 AM to 10 PM. @subkouae
LAZY CAT
Lazy Cat set up shop in Al Quoz Pond Park, and the location is perfect. You're surrounded by greenery, the Burj Khalifa is in the background, and the vibe is park-side relaxation. It's a great chill coffee date spot, the kind of place where you can sit for ages without feeling rushed.
The Japanese pancakes are the headliner, and they've earned it. These are the fluffiest, most cloud-like pancakes in the city, the kind that dissolve the second they hit your tongue. The breakfast menu is solid across the board, with the Avocado Folded Bread and the Truffle and Spicy Honey Calzone both deserving attention. Weekends get busy, so book ahead if you can. Weekdays are more manageable.
Nada's Pick
The Japanese pancakes. Obviously. Fluffy, jiggly, and gone way too quickly.
Open daily. Book ahead at eatlazycat.com. @lazycatofficial
Five new cafes, five reasons to leave the house this weekend. Whether you're after a canal-side V60, a pastrami sandwich by the harbour, or Japanese pancakes that barely survive the walk to your table, there's something here for every kind of coffee date. Send this to whoever you've been meaning to catch up with. Pick a spot. Go while the weather is still on our side.
