Dubai's best coffee shops

Love a latte? Crazy for cappuccino? Time Out finds Dubai's best coffee 7 Comments

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Aspen Cafe: Despite being more hotel lobby than cosy coffee house, Aspen serves fine coffee. This is largely thanks to the stewardship of Mate Nieva, a representative of German company Dallmayr (and Time Out’s local coffee advisor – see left), who has whipped the staff into shape. Likewise, the aromatic Dallmayr beans make for very good coffee indeed. We’d recommend the cappuccino.
Kempinski, Mall of the Emirates (04 409 5999)

Circle: Circle took home the 2010 Time Out Eating Out Award for best café thanks to its triumvirate of great venue, great food and great coffee. The beans are stored in pressure-sealed tins and come in espresso grind and decaf; the baristas are trained by representatives of Illy, which provides Circle’s coffee beans. It also should be noted that Circle uses fresh milk (you’d be surprised how many of Dubai’s coffee houses don’t), and baristas perform two pulls of the grinder per serving, which allows for a well-rounded coffee. When we visited, our espresso boasted a rich reddish-brown crema on the surface and was full of flavour.
Beach Park Plaza Centre, Jumeirah (04 342 8177)

Gloria Jean’s: This Aussie chain has proved itself to be the thinking coffee drinker’s answer to Starbucks. Not only does it use high-quality aromatic Arabica beans, but prides itself on using sustainably grown coffee. While it doesn’t perhaps have the personality or quality of some of the independently run coffee chains around town, it’s definitely a very good option if you need a break from a mall trawl.
The Dubai Mall (04 403 6636)

More: Dubai favourite More may seem like an all-too-obvious entry in our round-up, but we’ve chosen it for good reason. The chain takes its coffee seriously, boasting no fewer than seven blends (including decaffeinated espresso); its signature blend combines four coffee beans from three different continents. It’s a full, rich and well-rounded coffee with a medium body and a memorable finish. Sharp yet sweet and smooth.
The Dubai Mall (04 339 8934)

RAW Coffee Company: RAW Coffee Company is a boutique roasting house owned by New Zealand couple Kim and Grayden Thompson. According to amateur coffee connoisseur Ed Surgeon, who helped with this round-up, the barista consistently makes faultlessly creamy cappuccinos. RAW is also unique in that it roasts its own beans, which caught the attention of L’Atelier Des Chefs and Gordon Ramsay’s Verre, both of which serve RAW coffee.
Dubai Garden Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road (050 553 6808)
Critic's pick

By Oliver Robinson
Time Out Dubai, 12 October 2010

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User reviews:

Posted by: Dubai on 09 Jan ' 13 at 14:16

TRY CAFFE DIEMME - DUBAI MALL

Posted by: Stefano on 07 Nov ' 11 at 09:17

To the guy from Rome,

I am Stefano from Padova. Why don't you try Caffe Diemme? Now they have opened a shop in Dubai Health Care CIty, and they offer the same Coffee that is offered back home in Italy.

Posted by: Jiyah on 10 Sep ' 11 at 06:51

I was searching for great coffee but it proved to be extremely hard until I came across Raw Coffee Company in the Garden Center. Definitely worth checking it out. I hope they open a second outlet in an area that has a more urban feel since the coffee is excellent.

Other surprisingly decent coffee for Dubai:

1. Limetree
2. Carluccios (for cappuccino)
3. coffee shop inside Bloomingdales, Dubai mall (hit or miss)
4. Le Pain Quotidienne
5. Illy Dubai mall

None come close to Raw Coffee (maybe bc the beans are freshly and locally roasted in Dubai).

Posted by: Antonio on 02 Aug ' 11 at 10:20

I am from Rome, and I’ve been living in Dubai for three years. Everytime I go back to Rome the first thing I need is a cup of coffee, because the best coffee in Dubai does not even come close to the worst one in Rome. However, quality is improving the past few years. Here’s a few everyone in Dubai should try: Mockamore Dubai Mall, Vapiano Dubai Mall, Limetree Cafe Jumeirah and internet city, Segafredo Zanetti Wafi Mall and Media city, Il Caffe di Roma JBR and Espressamente Dubai Mall. I would place all these in the category 6 to 7.5, and I’m very very picky when it comes to coffee.

Posted by: Rauf on 21 Oct ' 10 at 20:05

Usually, I start my morning with a warm cup of skinny latte from Gloria Jean's. I really like their lattes.

However, last night, I could not believe my sensors when sipping a skinny latte from Krispy Kreme. It was truly delicious...

P.S. I agree with Jack, your photo of Espresso was a bad choice.

Posted by: Jack. on 19 Oct ' 10 at 08:45

Hi,
Just a quick note.
Thanks for the article.
The photo of the Espresso is really really bad! This is a bad Espresso i would say since no foam, face or creme at all in the cup.
The UAE Barista Champinoship was at Meydan and not at Al Bustan Rotana.

Regards,

Jack.

Posted by: Mark French on 18 Oct ' 10 at 15:05

If what you claim is true, that the aroma of fresh coffee halves every minute, then logically you should only be able to taste the best coffee at cafes that use locally roasted beans. shouldn't you?

If anyone does not believe the difference this makes, buy some green coffee beans at the pick and mix section of your local supermarket, chuck a handful into a cheap hot air popcorn machine, watch carefully until the beans change to the desired colour, cool off the HOT beans rapidly, grind and brew.

You will never want to taste another cup from a chain- they mostly peddle milk-based drinks anyway!