Oldest restaurants in Dubai: 11 iconic eateries

Oldest restaurants in Dubai still shape the city’s food culture more than two decades after opening, serving loyal locals and curious visitors.

Dubai’s dining scene has exploded, but a small group of venues many operating for 20+ years set the early standards for flavour, value, and late-night culture. These restaurants are not museum pieces; they are working kitchens that shaped neighbourhood routines, from Sharjah commuters stopping for a shawarma to Marina residents ordering classic grills.

This list covers the themes the original What's On feature highlighted: the original handful of OGs, community staples that survived changing neighbourhoods, enduring icons that outlast trends, and five named institutions every long-time diner recognises, such as Ravi Restaurant, Al Mallah, Bu Qtair, Al Ustad Special Kabab, and Aappa Kadai.

The original dining scene in Dubai began with a handful of simple, affordable eateries that drew workers and residents more than 20 years ago and became local meeting points.

Those early venues shared three traits: generous portions, consistent recipes, and low prices that made them daily stops for people across incomes. They established routes and rituals late-night shawarmas, weekday canteen lunches, and weekend family gatherings that newer fine-dining openings could not replicate. Many have operated for 20+ years and are still known primarily for one signature dish.

The risk for these venues has been changing neighbourhood economics and rising rents that pressure margins and force small operators to adapt. Several survived by keeping menus tight, focusing on high turnover, and leaning on repeat local customers rather than tourist-driven marketing. Their continuity matters because it preserves an authentic layer of Dubai’s food history.

The original handful refers to a small group of restaurants that dominated Dubai’s casual dining landscape two decades ago and became household names for local diners.

These community staples typically included simple grills, canteens and street-food counters that offered reliable menus at low prices and attracted repeat customers. Their influence is cultural as well as culinary: they defined meal times and local meeting habits. Many of the venues mentioned later in this guide fall into that category and have been described in local coverage as the OGs of Dubai’s dining boom.

The main challenge for that original handful has been keeping pace with new developments and changing neighbourhoods. Some preserved authenticity and customer loyalty; others adapted by expanding seating, refining hygiene standards, or accepting digital orders. The survival of several of these original places shows how strong neighbourhood loyalty can offset rising costs.

A small handful of modest eateries became community staples by offering reliable food, low prices, and predictable hours that matched local routines.

These community staples often occupy the same corner or strip for decades and attract repeat customers who value speed and familiarity. They became places where families order the same dish across generations and where workers congregate for consistent, well-priced meals. Local media and long-form features commonly note that several of these staples have operated for 20+ years, making them interwoven with neighbourhood identity.

The downside for staples is vulnerability to rising rents and changing footfall patterns. Some adapted by diversifying menus, introducing delivery, or modestly upgrading interiors. Others retained the original model and relied on fiercely loyal regulars. For diners, these places offer dependable value; for urban historians, they provide continuity amid rapid development.

Enduring icons stayed consistent by focusing on a few signature dishes and refusing to be distracted by short-term trends, keeping the same core recipes for decades.

Consistency is the defining feature for these icons: they maintained menu focus, cooking methods, and price points that built customer trust. Journalists and reviewers frequently point to them as examples of durability amid trend-chasing openings. Many have existed for 20+ years and have become reference points when people describe classic Dubai dining experiences.

That consistency has limits: some icons risk appearing dated to younger diners used to Instagram-led concepts. To survive, successful icons balance tradition with small, pragmatic upgrades improving hygiene, refining seating, or adding limited modern options without losing the core dishes that made them icons in the first place.

Legacy restaurants preserve memories by keeping recipes, service rituals, and the same atmosphere that regulars associate with family moments and daily routines.

These places act as living time capsules: the same plates, the same way food is served, and the same staff in some cases. That continuity creates emotional value that goes beyond the food itself and explains why customers travel across the city to revisit them. Local coverage often highlights that many legacy restaurants have been open for multiple decades, a fact that cements their status in the city’s social history.

However, memory alone cannot guarantee future viability. Legacy restaurants must still meet modern expectations around cleanliness and convenience. The most successful balance history with modest, unobtrusive improvements that respect tradition while addressing new customer needs.

Survivors still going strong are restaurants that operated through neighbourhood shifts and market upheavals while maintaining loyal customer bases for decades.

These survivors combined reliable food, efficient operations, and strong word-of-mouth to remain viable. Many survived economic cycles and changes in local demographics by sticking to a focused menu and ensuring consistent quality. The phrase "20+ years and still going strong" appears in coverage about this group, emphasising endurance rather than novelty.

Survival strategies included modest menu pruning, tweaks to pricing, and embracing simple operational efficiencies. The main risk remains rising overheads and shifting real-estate dynamics; surviving venues that lack a broad customer base still face pressure if neighbourhood footfall declines.

Yes, Ravi Restaurant is widely recognised as one of Dubai’s long-standing eateries and is often cited as an enduring Pakistani canteen loved by locals.

Ravi’s reputation rests on simple, consistently prepared dishes that have attracted regulars for many years. Coverage of Dubai’s oldest venues lists Ravi among the names people most associate with authentic, affordable Pakistani food in the city. Its continued popularity exemplifies how single-dish excellence and approachable pricing build decades-long loyalty.

Risks for any longstanding canteen include pressure from rent increases and supply-cost inflation. Ravi has maintained relevance by keeping menus focused and serving large portions at accessible prices, which preserves daily footfall. For diners, Ravi represents cultural continuity more than culinary experimentation.

Al Mallah is considered a Lebanese street-food institution because it popularised fast, affordable Lebanese sandwiches and juices and became a go-to for quick, flavourful meals.

Local write-ups describe Al Mallah as emblematic of Dubai’s street-food culture, noted for consistent shawarmas, mixed grills, and fresh juices served in a no-frills setting. Its role as a late-night and daytime staple established it as a cultural touchpoint, frequently cited alongside other long-running venues in features about the city’s oldest restaurants.

Street-food institutions like Al Mallah must balance growth with authenticity; too much change risks alienating regulars while stagnation can limit new customers. Al Mallah’s endurance shows how a strong core menu and steady service can create a multi-decade presence in a competitive market.

Bu Qtair is special because it offers a raw, seaside seafood experience where freshly landed fish is grilled simply and served in a casual, open-air setting.

Long-time coverage highlights Bu Qtair’s straightforward approach: small menu, ultra-fresh seafood, and a setting close to the harbour that reinforces its fisherman’s-grill identity. Its informal service model and focus on ingredient quality rather than elaborate preparation have kept customers coming back for decades. Bu Qtair is repeatedly mentioned in lists of Dubai’s oldest eateries for that reason.

The main limitations of this model are scale and seasonality; simple operations and seafood supply affect capacity and pricing. Bu Qtair’s continued appeal shows that authenticity and freshness often trump formality, particularly for diners seeking honest, unpretentious seafood.

Al Ustad Special Kabab is regarded as a Persian grill classic for its charcoal-grilled kebabs, simple rice dishes, and an emphasis on time-tested marinades and techniques.

Reviewers and long-term diners often single out Al Ustad for its concentrated menu and reliable execution of Persian staples. The restaurant’s persistence through shifting trends highlights the appeal of regional authenticity: diners return for a familiar marinade, a dependable rice, and consistent charcoal flavours. It is named regularly in pieces about Dubai’s older, essential restaurants.

As with other classics, maintaining supply lines and managing costs while keeping prices accessible is a practical challenge. Al Ustad’s endurance suggests that a signature preparation done well can secure a loyal following that sustains a business across decades.

Aappa Kadai is known as a South Indian spice house because it specialises in regional South Indian dishes that showcase bold spices, dosas, and curries prepared in traditional styles.

Local food features list Aappa Kadai among the city’s long-standing ethnic eateries, praising its adherence to regional spice profiles and classic preparations. Its popularity among diasporic communities and curious food lovers alike underscores how specialist restaurants can thrive in Dubai by meeting a clear culinary need. Aappa Kadai represents part of the city’s tapestry of long-running immigrant-run restaurants.

Specialist kitchens face the challenge of sourcing region-specific ingredients consistently and pricing dishes affordably for a broad customer base. Aappa Kadai’s sustained presence demonstrates that focused menus and authentic flavours create durable demand in Dubai’s diverse dining market.

Dubai’s oldest restaurants are a mix of modest canteens, street-food counters and specialist grills that together represent 11 distinct strands of the city’s dining history. Many have operated for 20+ years with continuity based on focused menus and local loyalty, showing that dependable food and community ties can outlast fads and neighbourhood change.