Budget restaurant meals under Dhs50 in Dubai
As much as we love indulging in lavish meals, sometimes our wallets just can't keep up with our cravings.
Fortunately, the food scene in Dubai is diverse and filled with delicious options that won't (always) break the bank. From street food hearty mains, there are plenty of budget-friendly meals that make us (and you) very happy.
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We've scoured the city to bring you seven of our favourite dishes or meals priced at or under Dhs50, that deliver on taste, quality and portion size.
So, if you're looking to save some money without sacrificing flavour, this handy guide is just right for you.
7 budget meals in Dubai
Café Isan
Designed to exude a Thai street stall vibe, Café Isan is a charming space of mismatched furniture, exposed lighting, a cut terrace and stacked crates that line the interior.
In keeping with its fun setting, the food is fantastic and while it may be a cliché, the dishes really do melt in your mouth. Prices are reasonable too but, given its reputation, the place gets full fast so prepare to wait if you haven't made a booking.
With all the starters well under Dhs50, the chicken wings Dhs40, grilled satay Dhs37 and laab cakes Dhs40 are our personal favourites. We will also almost always order the massaman curry for Dhs43 and the Pad Thai priced at Dhs49. Can you tell just how much we love Café Isan?
Open Sun-Thu noon-midnight, Fri-Sat noon-2am. Armada Avenue Hotel, Cluster P, JLT , cafeisan.co (058 5291003).
Read the full Café Isan review here
Calicut Paragon
Credit: Calicut Paragon
If authentic Keralan cooking, packed full of flavour and spice, is what you're searching for, Calicut Paragon is for you. An excellent Indian restaurant specialising in Southern Indian cuisine, this has been one of the best budget restaurants in Dubai for many years.
Dishes are all under Dhs50, meaning you can tuck into a portion of the famous chicken biryani for as little as Dhs19, or tangy curries for Dhs42.
Open daily 7am-midnight. Al Nahda, @calicutparagon (04 251 2545).
Dampa Seafood Grill
A bustling hub down in Deira serving up – yep, you guessed it – plenty of fresh seafood, Dampa Seafood Grill is inspired by the Philippine tradition of gathering around a table full of food to be eaten with bare hands.
Leave your best shirt at home and prepare to dig into mounds of all manner of catch. Order almost any seafood item from the Dampa menu for under Dhs50 and it comes with unlimited white rice. Get your hands on the cajun shrimp for Dhs40 or the chipotle grilled crab for Dhs38. That and so much more.
Open daily noon-11.30pm. Baniyas Rd, Port Saeed, Deira (04 299 0884).
Read the full Dampa Seafood Grill review
Dhaba Lane
Credit: Dhaba Lane
A budget, Indian street food-style eatery in JLT, Dhaba Lane has been delighting savvy diners with its moreish curries since 2017. Serving traditional dishes from Punjab to Delhi, Calcutta and beyond, there are plenty of regional flavours to try here.
A full non-vegetable Thali will only set you back Dhs45, and an Old Dehli butter chicken curry is only Dhs40. Add on a garlic naan for Dhs8 and you're laughing.
Open daily noon-11.30pm. Indigo Tower, Cluster D, JLT, orders.dhaba-lane.com (054 999 4251).
Mama'esh
Affordable eats in Dubai don't come much better than what you get at Mama'esh.
The homemade concept delivers traditional Palestinian manakish flatbreads made from only organic flour using a wood-fired stone oven, there are a number of branches throughout the city, but our favourite has to be the one down in Al Manara thanks to its perfect blend of cute and cool interiors plus indoor and outdoor seating.
With prices averaging between Dhs9 to Dhs18 per manakish or Dhs15 to Dhs29 for fatayer, you could fill up here every day of the week.
Open Sat-Thu 7am-5pm, Fri 7am-1.15pm, 1.45pm-5pm. Al Manara, Wasl Road mamaesh.com (600 548287).
Read the full Mama'esh review here
San Wan Hand Pulled Noodles
Sometimes restaurants just hit different. San Wan Hand Pulled Noodles, which opened in JLT at the start of 2023, is one of those places. And it's almost entirely down to the food. San Wan isn't one of those extravagant, cavernous places with jaw-dropping city views or wildly photogenic interiors.
This is a small, corner unit in one of Dubai's most diverse, affordable neighbourhoods for food, and inside you'll find great value, authentic Shaanxi cuisine from the North China province.
You can enjoy steaming bowls of hand-pulled noodles from Dhs41 and up to Dhs49, while appetisers start from Dhs15 and will run up to Dhs35. We absolutely love this banging budget spot.
Open daily noon-10.30pm. Cluster F, JLT @sanwan.dxb (050 759 9584).
The Little Bali
Reasonably-priced food is hard to come by, so The Little Bali deserves all the praise it gets. A favourite of celebrity chef Reif Othman, it's a perfect pre-pay day spot that won't have you compromising on quality, whether you opt for a blow-the-roof-off-your-mouth beef rendang or a more subtle green curry.
The mee goreng aceh is delicious and priced at just Dhs40, while the ikan goreng at Dhs45 is a perfect seafood option.
Open daily noon-10pm. Cluster U, JLT, thelittlebali.ae (04 554 8575).
Read the full The Little Bali review here
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