Dining & Drinks
Terminal restaurants, lounge buffets and quick bites for transit travellers.
Emirati & Arabic Dining
Dubai International Airport offers a rich selection of Middle Eastern and Emirati cuisine, from shawarma and mezze to slow-cooked machboos and fresh Arabic breads. Restaurants like Automatic and local café chains let transit travellers savour authentic flavours of the Gulf before or between flights. Halal-certified options are available throughout all terminals, reflecting the airport's diverse Muslim passenger base.
Arabic Coffee Culture
Arabic qahwa — spiced cardamom coffee served with dates — is a cornerstone of Emirati hospitality and easy to find across DXB's terminals. International chains like Costa Coffee and Starbucks sit alongside local cafés offering karak chai, the beloved milky spiced tea popular across the UAE and wider Gulf. Whether you have a long layover or a short connection, grabbing a karak is a quintessentially Dubai airport experience.
Fast & On-the-Go
With DXB handling over 85 million passengers annually and many travellers on tight connections, a strong network of quick-service restaurants spans all three terminals. Options range from grab-and-go wraps and falafel pockets to international fast food, ensuring you can eat well even with just 20–30 minutes to spare. Terminal 3, home to Emirates, is especially well-stocked with express dining counters open around the clock.
Relaxed Restaurant Dining
For travellers with longer layovers, Dubai International Airport features full-service restaurants serving everything from Lebanese meze platters to Japanese ramen and Indian curries — a reflection of Dubai's famously cosmopolitan food scene. Many sit-down venues are open 24 hours to cater to DXB's non-stop flight schedule. Restaurants in the airside concourses of Terminal 3 are particularly popular for leisurely meals between long-haul flights.