Dubai has a reputation for extravagance and indulgence. On a recent visit, we were introduced to Dubai Chocolate, which has been promoted on social media to the extent that it went “viral” in early 2025. Across Dubai it is hard to avoid it. From the airport to supermarkets to tourist hotspots, the chocolate is everywhere, not only in bar form but as cakes and pastries.
Having sampled quite a few types, it is rather moreish! The best bars are around 200 to 300 grams, chunky and made from quality chocolate filled with kadayif or knafeh (lots of spellings) and pistachio. The former is a middle eastern dessert with origins back to the 15 century Ottoman empire and perhaps earlier in the eastern Mediterranean.
Knafeh is spun pastry dough layered with cheese and soaked in a sugar-based syrup. It is now popular throughout the Arab world.
The chocolate bar was created in the UAE by a chocolatier, called Fix and was popularized in 2024 after being promoted by influencers on TikTok.
With its unique combination of flavours and textures, particularly its strands of crispy knafeh pastry and rich pistachio cream, it has been promoted by successful marketing, particular on social media.
Fix has colourful packaging, which claims that “people prefer filled thick chocolate bars with a thick sweet filling”. Other brands are available but not all live up to the hype! While good brands can be very indulgent, copies can disappoint.
In the UAE it is suggested that the trend has diminished global stocks of pistaccio – big producers are Iran, USA and Turkey – particularly as home bakers have been ordering the ingredients to make their own versions in cake and biscuit form.
Has it reached Rye? Recently the Knoops shop has been offering “Dubai” drinking chocolate that features pistachio with a topping of Knafeh. In Tenterden, Waitrose have a display of bars made by Lindt. Most other supermarkets – including Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Morrisons – advertise bars but not all have it in stock! Prices vary considerably but for a quality bar expect to pay around £10 or equivalent.
A word of caution! The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said: “Some of the imported Dubai-style products could pose a risk to consumers with allergies. Anyone with food allergies should be careful as some imported products lack a full ingredients list or allergen labelling.”
It is perhaps important to write that the author has no connection to any supplier or producer!
Image Credits: Anthony Kimber .