Voted by Condé Nast Traveler readers as one of the best airports in the world, Dubai International shows how far this gleaming city of superlatives has come. What began as a modest desert runway strip back in the 1960s has since morphed into a global aviation juggernaut-with tens of millions of hungry mouths to feed each year.
Today, its three sprawling, glass-clad terminals hum with life 24/7, handling nearly 87 million travelers last year alone—some shaking off the haze of short-haul hops, others stumbling through the terminal after grueling 16-hour Emirates A380 epics direct from New Zealand.
In a place where the halogens never dim and the flights never stop, it’s perhaps no surprise that the dining scene is just as relentless. Cravings don’t clock out here, and whether it’s a pre-dawn pastry, midnight burger, or proper sit-down meal before a red-eye, there’s something to keep every appetite satisfied.
Here’s your guide to where to eat in the Dubai International Airport, no matter the hour. If your travels are taking you farther, check out the below guides to airport food around the world.
- The best places to eat at Singapore Changi Airport
- The best places to eat at Istanbul Airport
- The best places to eat at Hamad International Airport
- The best airport meals around the world
Longer indulgences
The true airport hack is snagging access to one of the airport’s lounges. Over in Terminal 2, options are sparse, but Terminal 3 is where the high-flyers gather. Emirates’ colossal lounge for business class passengers and silver Skywards status holders sprawls across the second floor, with buffet spreads of Middle Eastern and international cuisine, a health-conscious fresh fruit station, and a Moët-sponsored champagne bar doling out bottomless bubbles with matching canapés. Glass panels over the main concourse let you nurse your glass of fizz while looking down on the cattle class passengers below, quite literally.
At Terminal 1, skip the airline-specific lounges and make a beeline for Ahlan First. Accessible with most credit card schemes–even if you’re in economy–it’s got hotel-style interiors, surprisingly top-notch free food, and a sense of refined calmness compared to the often jam-packed Ahlan Business lounge nearby.
If all else fails, the main concourse is no slouch. Contrary to misconceptions, alcohol flows freely in Dubai, so bars like The Hangar, The Sports Shack, and O’Regan’s in Terminal 3, or Terminal 1’s The Draft House, are buzzy places to while away the hours over a pint while catching up on the latest sports action beamed onto screens. (Keep in mind that drinks prices in the emirate can be steep, so expect to pay upwards of $15 for a beer.)
For dinner with a bit more flair, grown-up prosecco bar Bottega in Terminal 3 is your best bet for creamy balls of burrata and swirling platters of prosciutto. Terminal 1’s The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck plates up sharing dishes with a local twist—creamy hummus, zesty labneh, and vibrant tabbouleh—alongside an eggy all-day selection of breakfast classics like fluffy omelets and golden waffles. Over in Terminal 3, Sky Bar is all about the views. Perched behind floor-to-ceiling windows with unbeatable views of the airfield, it’s the spot to sip, snack, and watch the city lights shimmer as planes glide off into starlit sky.
Quicker sit-down meals
With its colorful geometric tiles and blaring lights, Terminal 3’s Comptoir Libanais is impossible to miss. This ode to Lebanese cuisine serves up generous mezze platters—feasts of fluffy falafel, cheese sambousek pastries, and piles of warm flatbread to mop up the leftovers—plus open wraps and smoky meat grills. Nearby, S34 brings a dose of old Dubai with spiced Arabian gahwa coffee and stacks of chebab pancakes dripping in sticky-sweet date syrup—a homage to the historic alleyways of the emirate’s Al Fahidi district that you won’t find at any other airport in the world.
Tranzeet channels retro diner vibes with a menu that fuses American comfort food with Middle Eastern twists, like sumac-spiced shrimp tacos and halal-friendly veal hot dogs. Traveling in a group with a range of cravings? The airport’s street food market The Daily DXB (Terminals 1 and 3) covers all the bases with an array of poke bowls, crispy fried chicken, wok-fried noodles and wood-fired pizzas under one roof. Food Village in Terminal 3 leans more mainstream but still impresses with grab-and-go wraps at Qfta and budget-friendly curries at Taste of India.
Grab and go
If you’re racing the clock but battling pre-flight cravings, there are plenty of options open 24/7 across all of Dubai’s terminals. You’ll find all the usual suspects here—Subway, Burger King and even the country’s biggest Five Guys—but scratch the surface, and there’s far more on offer.
Jones the Grocer (Terminal 2 and Terminal 3)—the Aussie-born deli that’s won over none other than Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the president of the UAE and ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi—is packed full of fuss-free deli favorites, from fresh salads drizzled with tahini to detour-worthy sandwiches chock full of fillings like grilled halloumi, beetroot-salmon, and crunchy togarashi chicken.
Over at Pret A Manger (Terminal 1 and Terminal 3), the revered British coffee chain delivers pre-flight comfort food that hits the spot—the Posh Cheddar baguette, layered with tangy pickle and sun-dried tomatoes, is a simple yet satisfying grab-and-go classic. Meanwhile, in Terminal 3, Flour + Stone’s two branches pay homage to the world’s most beloved breads, serving up everything from flaky French croissants to pillowy Lebanese flatbreads and buttery Indian parathas.
At the Terminal 1 food court, fried chicken favorite Marrybrown serves crispy perfection, beloved by the emirate’s Malaysian expat community. And this being a city that loves slathering Nutella on pretty much everything, the brand’s café awaits at Terminal 3 with a sugar-soaked menu of crepes, cakes and crème brûlée, all drenched in chocolatey-hazelnut bliss.
Best food gifts
It’s only fitting that camels take pride of place in Dubai Duty Free’s souvenir line-up, led by the unashamedly decadent Al Nassma camel milk chocolate—best savored in its gleaming golden foil-wrapped incarnation, shaped, naturally, like a camel. Even Walker’s buttery shortbread gets a makeover, with camel-shaped biscuits snugly tucked into souvenir tins.
Dates, the original desert delicacy rooted in the emirate’s rich Bedouin heritage, are equally resplendent—with Bateel, Tamrah, and Zadina all offering high-end versions stuffed with velvety almonds, swaddled in dark chocolate or laid out in elegant lacquered gift boxes.
Stop by the Mirzam section for Emirati-made artisanal chocolate wrapped in gallery-worthy designs (it’s arguably even better than the viral pistachio-stuffed Dubai chocolate), or stock up on coveted jars of Dorreen saffron—those tiny, fiery strands that infuse cooking with earthy-sweet Arabian flavors. For guilt-free snacking, pick up a packet of salted caramel Fade Fit protein bites by local influencer and radio DJ Kris Fade.
