We taste-tested Trader Joe's $4 version of the Dubai chocolate bar. Is it good?
If you like your chocolate bars with a satisfying crunch like I do, then the viral Dubai chocolate bar is also your perfect bite. And now, thanks to Trader Joe's, this internet sensation comes at a much more reasonable price point.
For anyone unfamiliar, the Dubai chocolate bar is a stuffed chocolate bar that's a texture lover's dream come true. The filling, which is encased in chocolate, blends crisp, golden kataifi (aka shredded phyllo strands) with creamy pistachio, creating that signature crunch when you bite into it. Originally popular in the Middle East, the flavor combo has since taken off globally, inspiring pricey dupes as well as other types of desserts with its signature flavor profile.
Now, thanks to Trader Joe's, it's way easier to get your hands on the chocolate bar that is coveted by the social media masses.
The concept of the Dubai chocolate bar originated in 2021 by Dubai-based stuffed chocolate bar makers Fix Dessert Chocolatier under the name 'Can't Get Knafeh of It,' a reference to the Middle Eastern dessert that inspired its flavor profile.
The treat didn't go viral until 2023, when food influencer Maria Vehera posted a TikTok of herself eating the crunchy chocolate bar. The video received more than 124 million views — sparking a craze and inspiring people to find the soon-coined 'Dubai chocolate bar' themselves.
While Nuts Factory in New York City initially imported the bar from Dubai, some who couldn't get their hands on it replicated the recipe at home. Meanwhile, bakeries, candy stores and grocers sold their own versions of the dessert — often at a very high price point. As a customer eager to try the bar myself, I've seen off-brand versions of the Fix's bar at a candy shop for $30 and at a bakery for $25 in Los Angeles. My husband, who knew I was eager to try the viral food trend, finally purchased it at a grocery store for $15 so I could try it myself. (And hey, at that price, it seemed like a steal!)
Getting my hands on the actual bar was difficult and expensive, but now, the flavor of the bar has been replicated and borrowed by dozens of companies, from small shops offering things like Dubai chocolate bar sundaes to major chains. Shake Shack offers a Dubai chocolate bar-inspired milkshake, while Dunkin' locations outside of the United States were spotted selling doughnuts influenced by the flavor profile. Nuts Factory offers chocolate-covered strawberries, Dubai-style.
But some major chocolate retailers are launching their own chocolate bars too, with chocolatier Lindt promising a Dubai-style chocolate bar after a successful test run. Trader Joe's, however — always in tune with the taste buds of the masses with hits like Everything But the Bagel Seasoning — beat them to the punch.
It's worth noting that the 'official' Dubai chocolate bar remains the one by the Fix — but the Trader Joe's dupe, called the 'Pistachio Dark Chocolate' bar from Patislove, is pretty similar. It even has the words 'Dubai style' on the front. Like the Fix's bar, it's made with pistachio cream and kataifi. The label also states that the bar hails from Turkey, not Dubai.
The biggest difference between the other dupes of the Dubai chocolate bar and Trader Joe's version? The price point. It's $4 for one 3.52-ounce bar — the cheapest I've ever seen.
The Trader Joe's bar also looks luxurious, with gold foil hiding beneath its paper cover. But does it stack up to the original in terms of texture and taste? With one bite, the answer was a 'yes' — mostly, anyway. The pistachio cream was just the right amount of sweet, and I definitely wanted to keep eating it beyond my research experiment. The one issue? The bar is thin — while it's a filled bar, there's not enough of it to really chomp down for that satisfying texture experience.
Still, for $4? I can have the Dubai chocolate bar every day — no flights to the UAE or shelling out serious cash required.
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