The best coffee shops and cafes in Dubai

Dubai has elevated its coffee shop game in the past decade, evolving to reflect a diverse, global demographic. Arabic Qahwa (also known as kahwa or Arabic coffee), traditionally served in silverware with dates, is now met by a thriving third-wave coffee movement, which draws on flavours and techniques from around the world. The city’s best coffee shops and cafes often reflect a slower pace of life and often act as a breeding ground for creativity and subcultures within the city. Many are also within reach of the city’s best art galleries and museums.

From repurposed villas housing lively cafes to cutting-edge roasters and classic neighbourhood coffee shops, here are some of our favourite places to sit and sip in Dubai.

Jumeirah

Villa Margot

Best for: Flowers, design and coffee in a beautiful backyard setting
Address: 68 Al Urouba St- Jumeirah, Jumeirah 2

Set in a repurposed bungalow villa, this hybrid coffee shop, florist and concept store feels more like Marseille than Dubai. Boboboom lamp shades hang from suspended jute awnings in the small courtyard garden. Villa Margot’s founder, Sandrine, can be found styling peonies and ranunculus at the florist counter, while coffee is made using locally roasted beans from Q Lab. The menu is a collaborative mix between Pekoe, a small batch bakery, and La Boulangerie by Vulpes, and visitors can browse a curated edit of fashion and homeware labels before they leave.

RX Coffee Apothecary & Kitchen

Best for: A local favourite in Jumeirah, remote working
Address: Villa 13, The District Dubai, Al Athar Street, Jumeirah 3

RX Coffee Apothecary & Kitchen is a cosy neighbourhood cafe with loyal patrons and a regular crowd. There are two additional mall-based outposts, but the Jumeirah location has the edge for its window counter seating, which looks out onto clear skies with no high rises (a rarity in Dubai). The brew bar uses Fuglen beans sourced and roasted in Oslo and Tokyo, with a complementing food menu including decadent crème brûlée French toast. Takeaway and sit-in orders are equally popular, and there is a large dining space upstairs for remote working.

Heal

Best for: Late-night roastery and a great shakshouka
Address: Villa 30, Al Manara Road, Jumeirah

Among the third-wave coffee shops that have opened in Jumeirah, Heal stands out for its perfect balance between clean and cosy, with a serene outdoor courtyard. Heal has its own roastery, where heady flavours include Brazilian beans with smooth chocolate notes, alongside traditional Arabic coffee offering an authentic taste of the region. What sets Heal apart from many of its contemporaries is the excellent food menu – we recommend the colourful granola boat or ‘eggs benny’ for a morning pick-me-up. It is open until midnight, and you can browse the brand’s minimalist homeware line of candles, oud and ceramics while you’re there.

Stomping Grounds

Best for: A rustic, bustling cafe from Dubai’s leading coffee connoisseur
Address: Villa 98, 12D Street, Jumeirah

Stomping Grounds is an Australian-inspired neighbourhood cafe with the best rated coffee in the region. Owner Ryan Godinho founded Specialty Batch Coffee and is credited with shaping Dubai’s third-wave coffee scene. Friendly and knowledgeable staff will talk you through the drinks menu – make sure to try the Lotus Dalgona. Edison bulbs hang from jute ropes above wooden furniture, alongside trailing greenery, accompanied by outdoor seating. Mums, children and freelancers make up the cafe’s diverse demographic, with scurrying pets in tow.

Amongst Few

Best for: Creative space, industrial setting
Address: Villa 3, 966 Al Wasl Road, Umm Sequim 1

Amongst Few is a concept store-cafe-creative space in the Kite Beach side of Jumeirah. There is a sneaker store at the front and a barber, DJ decks and cafe at the back, in a palette of concrete, wood and stone. The signature roast is a local blend from Three Roastery, sourced from Kaffa in Ethiopia and roasted locally. Despite its popularity, it remains off the tourist radar, drawing a creative, in-the-know crowd.

Al Quoz

Ferment Artistry Cafe

Best for: Coffee in a warehouse setting
Address: Warehouse 2, 22 Street, Goshi Warehouse Village, Al Quoz 3

Don’t let Ferment’s unassuming industrial facade fool you – inside, coffee is served in a cavernous warehouse space, clad in concrete, leather and upcycled Persian rugs. Iranian baristas will happily talk you through the menu, which uses Arabica Coffee from Crack Coffee Roastery, based in Dubai. The laptop-friendly cafe welcomes all-day workers, and there is also a menu of light dishes.

RAW Coffee Company

Best for: A homegrown experimental roastery, action-packed coffee house
Address: Warehouse 10, 4A Street, Al Quoz

What started off as a supply business with an onsite roastery has evolved into a thriving coffee house that serves more than a thousand cups a day. Owners Kim Thompson and Matt Toogood are revered coffee connoisseurs with multiple accolades to their name. Beans are roasted with scientific precision in laboratory-style rooms, and a training campus is held onsite for budding baristas. Try the Pha Yar Gyi Kone blend, using fruity beans from Myanmar, or Mexican Zongolica, a clean breakfast coffee sourced from farmers of the indigenous Nahua community in Veracruz. The industrial space has high ceilings and polished concrete floors and draws a diverse crowd ranging from government officials to artists and families.

Nightjar Coffee Roasters

Best for: Specialty coffee in the heart of Dubai’s art and culture district
Address: Warehouse G62, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz

Nightjar is among the original openings on Alserkal Avenue, a creative warehouse complex that houses some of the city’s best regarded galleries. A daytime DJ plays cool electro swing against an eclectic industrial backdrop, with seating spilling out onto an outdoor terrace. Nightjar roasts and brews onsite and supplies coffee all across Dubai. The menu eloquently breaks down flavours and tasting notes, with highlights including the Gonzo coffee. Follow a cup of coffee with Turkish chilli scrambled eggs and mingle with the city’s creative demographic. The hybrid space regularly hosts collaborative events with fashion labels, and houses an independent cinema, flower shop and boutique hair salon.

Cassette Dubai

Best for: An upbeat coffee shop in an artsy community space
Address: The Courtyard, 4B Al Quoz, Al Quoz

Cassette sits under the dome of a new structure that houses a theatre school and a handful of boutique stores. The specialty coffee shop is modestly furnished with white tables and ceiling fans, with pink bougainvillaea creeping down from above. Coffee is sourced from Dubai roastery Seven Fortunes, perfect with a creamy spinach croissant, accompanied by an upbeat retro playlist. Sit here long enough and their friendly baristas will insist you try the iced Shakerato. The Courtyard represents an artsy community in Dubai, which encourages a slower pace of life.

Dubai Design District

The Espresso Lab D3

Best for: Experimental coffee in a manicured modern neighbourhood
Address: Ground Floor, Unit 8, Building 7, Dubai Design District

Some serious coffee innovation happens in The Espresso Lab universe – a buffet of beans locally roasted in Dubai and served with pride by enthusiastic and knowledgeable baristas. Owned by award-winning Emarati coffee expert Ibrahim Al Mallouhi, the cafe works with family-owned estates around the world, thus representing unique and bold flavours from different regions. The Espresso Lab sits in the heart of Dubai Design District, home to some of Dubai’s most talented PR firms and independent boutiques. D3’s tall glass buildings have a reflective openness and the interiors of The Espresso Lab carry that aesthetic forward, with a contemporary aesthetic and a central marble coffee bar. Expect to find professionals, designers and the occasional tourist ordering a Costa Rican Geisha for a faultless espresso.

Trade Centre, Downtown

Nomad Day Bar

Best for: A courtyard coffee bar at one of Dubai’s best boutique hotels
Address: 25 Hours Hotel, Trade Centre Street

Nomad Day Bar is positioned in the alfresco courtyard of 25Hours Hotel, which draws a youthful, lively crowd for its exuberant contemporary art and regular alternate music events. Coffee is provided by Dubai roastery Nightjar (listed above), and there is a well formed food menu including berry waffles and eggs your way. Combine your visit with a trip to the Museum of the Future next door.

Citywalk, Downtown

% Arabica

Best for: High grade coffee in a well-located corner cafe
Address: Al Mustaqbal Street, Citywalk 2

Tokyo-born % Arabica has coffee footprints all over the world, including several locations in Dubai. The most localised outpost sits on the corner of Citywalk, a partially pedestrianised area in downtown Dubai. The glass-fronted cafe has a minimal interior, and high grade coffee is roasted fresh in store. Many pop by for a green-hued matcha latte, or a white chocolate mocha for a sweet kick.

DIFC (the heart of downtown)

Encounter Coffee Roasters

Best for: The perfect piccolo at an upscale coffee shop
Location: ICD Brookfields Place, Trade Centre, DIFC
Price: Cappuccino for 22 Dirhams / 5.9 USD

Gone are the days when downtown folk had to rely on the malls for a good cup. Crowds now flock to Encounter, a bright and airy coffee shop adjoined to The Arts Club Dubai. Baristas work with single origin beans and a smart poursteady machine, against a glass-fronted view of the DIFC summer garden. There are several additional branches in malls across the city, but the ICD Brookfields ranks the best for vibe and setting.