Vegetarians eat well in Dubai for little money: a falafel roll is about AED 4-10, a mezze plate about AED 15-30 and a South Indian dosa or thali about AED 10-30. Vegans can too, with a few questions about ghee, butter and stock. This guide covers what to order in each cuisine, the districts to eat in, the animal products that hide in vegetarian dishes, and what our tours offer vegetarians.
By SB Excursions · Published 29 October 2026 · Updated 29 October 2026
Tour on this route: Old Dubai Walking Tour — From $35 per person, 3-4 hours.
Is Dubai good for vegetarians?
Yes. A falafel roll is about AED 4-10, a mezze plate about AED 15-30 and a South Indian dosa or thali about AED 10-30. Lebanese and Indian kitchens have long vegetarian menus, and hotel restaurants mark vegetarian dishes. Emirati main dishes are meat and fish, so look at breakfast.
This guide also answers:
- What is the cheapest vegetarian meal in Dubai?
Five places that suit vegetarians
#1
Falafel and mezze counters
The reliable fallback at every Lebanese or Levantine counter: a falafel roll with tahini, salad and pickles, hummus with bread, tabbouleh, fattoush and manakish with zaatar or cheese. A falafel roll is about AED 4-10 and a mezze plate about AED 15-30. Most dishes are vegan except those with yoghurt, labneh or cheese.
#2
South Indian vegetarian restaurants
Many restaurants in Bur Dubai and Karama serve only vegetarian food, which makes ordering easy. A dosa, an idli breakfast or a thali lunch is often under about AED 30. Ghee, curd and paneer are common, so vegans should ask which dishes are made without them. Menus change, so check before you travel.
#3
Heritage cafés in Al Fahidi
Emirati main dishes are built around meat and fish, but breakfast is the exception. Balaleet, a sweet vermicelli dish with an omelette, regag bread and khameer bread with cheese or date syrup are vegetarian, and the cafés serve them from the morning. They contain egg and dairy, so they suit vegetarians, not vegans.
#4
A desert camp buffet
The camp dinner on our full-day safari is a BBQ buffet with vegetarian and meat dishes, and the camp lists vegetarian and gluten-free options. The BBQ is meat-led, so tell us about your diet when you book and we will check what the camp has for you. Vegans should ask about each dish.
#5
The balloon breakfast
After landing, the sunrise balloon flight continues to a private Bedouin camp for a gourmet breakfast, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Mention your diet when you book and we pass it on. It is an early morning, with a pre-dawn pickup, and the breakfast is a welcome reward.
Vegetarian and vegan food in Dubai: the short answer
Vegetarian is easy in Dubai and cheap: a falafel roll is about AED 4-10, a mezze plate about AED 15-30 and a South Indian dosa or thali about AED 10-30. Dubai's kitchens are Indian, Pakistani, Lebanese, Iranian, Filipino and Italian more than Emirati, and two of those traditions, Indian and Lebanese, are full of vegetarian dishes.
Vegan is possible with a few questions. The common hidden items are ghee, butter, cream, yoghurt and chicken stock, and the two places they hide are Indian curries and Arabic rice and soups. Emirati food is the hardest cuisine for vegetarians, because the main dishes are meat and fish; see Emirati food: what to eat in Dubai for the breakfast exceptions.
If you eat as you walk, our Old Dubai walking tour, from $35, starts with Arabic coffee or tea and dates and crosses the Creek by abra. Tell us about your diet when you book, and read the notes below on the tastings in the $55 option.
What to order by cuisine
Four cuisines cover most vegetarian meals in Dubai. The table lists the dishes to order, what to check for and rounded prices.
| Cuisine | Order | Check for | About how much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanese and Levantine | Hummus, mutabbal (smoked aubergine), tabbouleh, fattoush, falafel, foul, manakish with zaatar or cheese, spinach fatayer | Labneh, yoghurt and cheese are dairy; some soups use chicken stock | Falafel roll AED 4-10; mezze plate AED 15-30 |
| South Indian | Dosa, idli, uttapam, sambar, a vegetarian thali | Ghee, curd and paneer; ask which dishes are made without them | About AED 10-30 |
| North Indian and Pakistani | Dal, chana masala, palak, aloo gobi, naan, roti | Butter, cream and ghee are common in curries and naan | About AED 15-30 |
| Emirati | Balaleet, regag, khameer bread with cheese or date syrup (breakfast) | Egg and dairy; mains are meat or fish | Breakfast is usually under a main meal |
| Hotels and international | Pasta, salads, plant-based burgers, vegetable curries | Menus often mark vegetarian and vegan dishes; ask the server | Hotel prices are higher |
Rounded and approximate. Malls, hotels and sit-down cafés charge more, and menus change.
The simplest strategy for a first day: breakfast at a heritage café, a falafel roll or a mezze plate for lunch and a South Indian thali for dinner. Each costs well under what a hotel restaurant would charge for a single main.
Where to eat: districts that work
Eat where residents eat. Bur Dubai and Karama have many South Indian vegetarian restaurants, with plates often under about AED 30; the Karama guide has the area, and BurJuman Metro is a short walk. Deira and Bur Dubai have Lebanese counters selling falafel and manakish, and the street food guide lists what else you can eat standing up.
Al Seef and Al Fahidi are the sit-down option for a light lunch in the old town, and the where to eat in Old Dubai guide has more. Shawarma counters are meat, but most also sell falafel and fries; read shawarma in Dubai for the other side of the same counters. In malls and hotels, menus are in English and usually mark vegetarian dishes.
A Friday brunch usually has vegetarian choices, but prices are high and the menu leans on meat and seafood; Dubai Friday brunch explained covers who it suits. For cheap meals across the city, see cheap eats in Dubai.
For a cheap picnic or a snack between meals, supermarkets sell hummus, flatbread, fruit, nuts and dates, and juice bars press orange, pomegranate or mango to order, about AED 8-20 a glass. Dates are the safe vegan sweet and Arabic coffee is plant-based, while karak contains milk; the karak chai and Arabic coffee guide says how to order both.
Vegan in Dubai: what to ask
Vegan is easiest at Lebanese counters and at plant-based cafés in the main tourist districts. The main risks are dairy and ghee, honey and stock. Ask these questions before you order:
- Is it cooked with ghee or butter? Both are common in Indian dishes and Arabic pastry.
- Is the rice cooked in chicken stock? Some rice dishes and soups are; a plain steamed rice is safer.
- Does it have yoghurt, labneh or cheese? They hide in dips, wraps and breads.
- Is there egg or honey? Some breakfast dishes and sweets use both.
- Is the fryer shared? Falafel can be fried with other items at some counters.
Arabic sweets are mostly not vegan: baklava uses butter or ghee, kunafa contains cheese and many pastries use milk. Fruit, dates and nuts are the safe sweets, and the guide to dates in Dubai lists the varieties. Arabic desserts in Dubai says what is in the rest.
How to ask, and what to say
English works in restaurants and counters across Dubai. Short, specific sentences work better than the word vegetarian alone, because one person's vegetarian includes fish or chicken stock.
- Say: no meat, no chicken, no fish. Name all three.
- No stock, please. Stock is the usual hidden ingredient.
- Vegan: no milk, egg, honey, ghee or butter. List them.
- Can you make it without the sauce? Counters will usually leave out garlic sauce, mayonnaise or yoghurt.
A vegetarian day for about AED 30-75
Eating vegetarian in Dubai is cheaper than in most tourist cities, if you eat where residents eat. A day like the one below keeps you fed for about AED 30-75 in total, with no tourist prices and no menu you cannot read.
| Meal | What to order | About how much |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Manakish with zaatar or cheese, and a karak tea | AED 6-15 |
| Lunch | A falafel roll with tahini and salad, and a fresh juice | AED 12-30 |
| Dinner | A South Indian vegetarian thali or a dosa | AED 10-30 |
Rounded and approximate. Add a mezze plate, about AED 15-30, if you want a bigger meal, and expect higher prices in malls and hotels.
Iftar buffets in Ramadan have vegetarian dishes alongside the meat, and dates, soup and salad open the meal; see iftar in Dubai for tourists for how it works. Fine-dining and hotel restaurants often mark vegetarian and vegan dishes, and kitchens will usually adapt a dish if you ask early. In a mixed group, a Lebanese or Indian restaurant lets everyone find something on the same menu.
Vegetarians on our tours
The $35 Old Dubai walking tour includes Arabic coffee or tea, dates, water, the abra and entry to a heritage house, so the base price is easy for vegetarians. The $55 option adds Emirati street-food tastings, which contain gluten and dairy and may contain sesame and nuts; tell us about your diet and allergies when you book. Full prepayment confirms your place, with free cancellation or a date change up to 24 hours before the start.
The camp dinner on the full-day desert safari, from $45, is a BBQ buffet with vegetarian and meat dishes, and the camp offers vegetarian and gluten-free options. The sunrise balloon, from $275, serves a gourmet Bedouin-style breakfast with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The yacht party's BBQ is meat-led, with salads and desserts alongside, so tell us before you book. Read is a desert safari worth it? and is the balloon worth it? for what each day is like.
On the Abu Dhabi city tour, from $45, the lunch stop is at Yas Mall, so you choose your own food, and the Old Dubai food tour guide lists the tastings in detail. For halal and pork questions, see halal food and pork in Dubai.
FAQ
Is Dubai good for vegetarians?
Yes. A falafel roll is about AED 4-10, a mezze plate about AED 15-30 and a South Indian dosa or thali about AED 10-30. Lebanese and Indian kitchens have long vegetarian menus, and hotel restaurants mark vegetarian dishes. Emirati main dishes are meat and fish, so look at breakfast.
Is Dubai good for vegans?
It is manageable. Lebanese counters and plant-based cafés are the easiest, and Indian restaurants can adapt dishes. Ask about ghee, butter, cream, yoghurt, honey and chicken stock, because they are common and often not listed.
What is the cheapest vegetarian meal in Dubai?
A falafel roll at a Lebanese counter, about AED 4-10, or a dosa or idli breakfast at a South Indian vegetarian restaurant, often under about AED 30 for a full meal. Karak tea is about AED 1-3 at a cafeteria.
Is falafel vegan?
The falafel itself is made from chickpeas or fava beans and is usually vegan, but the roll may come with yoghurt or labneh, and at some counters the fryer is shared. Ask for tahini and salad only.
Can vegetarians eat on a desert safari?
Yes. The camp dinner is a BBQ buffet with vegetarian and meat dishes, and the camp offers vegetarian and gluten-free options. It is meat-led, so tell us about your diet when you book.
Do I need to say vegetarian or vegan in Arabic?
No. English works at counters, restaurants and hotels. Short specific sentences work better than the word vegetarian alone: no meat, no chicken, no fish, no stock.
Recommended Dubai tours for this guide
Old Dubai Walking Tour
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Photos: Falafel and mezze counters — Jpbowen, CC BY-SA 4.0, South Indian vegetarian restaurants — trolvag, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons).