Essentially, matcha overload to Dubai chocolate fatigue, 2025 left me with no doubt that the Dubai culinary landscape is no different but fashion-devouring. Hand rolls were rolled, cinnamon buns were re-invented and every other week a new viral dessert was presented. However, in 2026 the atmosphere is changing. The upcoming food trend in UAE does not only focus on the novelty but is also focused on the texture and the creativity and use of ingredients that one would not readily notice but would appreciate.
Consider the chewy as opposed to the crunchy, the Jiggly as opposed to the rigid and combinations of flavours that do not know any boundaries. Even cabbage is on a moment. These are what we expect to be taking over menus in Dubai in the coming year.
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Cabbage is the ‘It Girl’ of 2026
After being confined to the status of a side dish and a slaw, cabbage is making an appearance. The modest brassica will take on a huge gastronomic role, replacing cauliflower as the vegetable of choice of chefs. Why? It is cheap, insanely adaptable and retains its structure better than the majority of greens once cooked.
Air it, roast it, ferment it, wrap it, pickle it or shred it to tacos cabbage is a flavour sponge and does not lose its bite. It will be served in fancy sauces and smoky flavours and surprising toppings.
Where to find: Kraken, particularly in its croque madame.
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Casual Tasting Menus
The tasting menus are losing their white-tablecloth image. Multi-course menus, originally a fine dining and special occasion type of meal, are now appearing in casual locations all over the city. The idea? Allow customers to delve into the imagination of a chef without the pomp – or the bill-shock.
The concept behind these menus is to make them user-friendly, light-hearted and adventurous to attract the attention of inquisitive restaurants that would like to taste a small portion of all. It involves telling stories with food, without the stuffy feel.
Where to find: Juns, Hawkerboi and Manaos.
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Chewy Is the New Crunchy
Crunch has dominated the texture game over the years but the year 2026 is chews. Sticky desserts and mochi-style desserts, as well as cookies with soft centers and a jelly lid, are all the rage.
Pinterest itself has trend predictions of an increasing interest in the so-called foods that are pleasing to bite into – the one that stretch, wobble and bounce back. Now it is all about mouth feel and the Dubai dessert scene is already bent towards it.
Where to find: 1004 Gourmet, where one can get all types of bites that are chewing.
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Cuisineless Dining
Borders on your plate? Not in 2026. Cuisineless cuisine is concerned with the chefs preparing food without geographical designations. Rather than being categorized by conventionalist means such as Italian or Japanese, menus will be based on personal narratives, cross-cultural inspirations and methods.
Visualize flavours of the Middle East combined with ingredients of the Japanese, African cuisines prepared in the European style, and menus that change weekly based on the passion of the chef. The city of Dubai which is one of the most multicultural food cities in the world is the ideal playground of this movement.
Where to find: Three Bros, Birch, Savryn and Apollo.
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Dubai Chewy Cookies
The recent dessert craze in Korea the so-called Dubai chewy cookie or dubajjonku is trending and it is just a matter of time before it arrives in this country too. These stuffed, hedonistic dishes have created huge line-ups, sell outs and unending social media buzz.
They are small but powerful, made with pistachio spread, White chocolate, butter-fried kunafa, marshmallows and cocoa powder and the centre of them is gooey and stretchy, oozing when broken open. This will be inevitable considering that Dubai loves sweets that contain pistachios in them.
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Hojicha Takes Over
Sashimi, farewell, matcha, hojicha is joining the conversation. This roasted Japanese green tea is a product that is going to be one of the hottest drinks in 2026. Hojicha is toasted at a high temperature with old leaves, stems and twigs unlike matcha that may be grassy or bitter.
The result? Fruity, caramel, nutty, warm and less bitter. It is ideal with afternoon lattees, desserts and innovative beverages. When matcha is a Pilates girl of teas, her older sister, hojicha, is cooler and takes HIIT.
Where to find: Maison Cha Cha, Peakoe Tea and Bread Bar and Avancha
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Jiggly Foods
When chewy is trending so is jiggly. Cloud-like soufflés, silky custards, wobble-perfect panna cottas, and so on, become equally delicious and luxurious as the taste. These are no childish jelly puddings, but are high and cute and meant to taste and taste good.
Desserts that bounce, wobble and jiggle on touching and the fine dim sum and airy pastries that move when poked are to be expected.
Where to find it: Cake Bloom.
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Savoury Ice Cream
Ice cream no longer exists in dessert menus. Savoury scoops in 2026 are taking their place as starters, garnishes and flavour bombs.
Chefs are adding savoury ice creams to dishes to make dishes more contrasting, more creamy, and interesting, whether it is burrata and herbs, curry, miso and olive oil. It is weird, thrilling and oddly compelling.
Where to find it: La Dame De Pic.
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Thick Patty Burgers
The smash burgers might be still on the throne but with time the fat patties are gradually regaining their position. Although smash burgers are adored due to crispy edges, the old school thick patties have something to offer, namely their juiciness, a better balance of meat and bun, and a bigger bite.
With the greater variety of menus, more pub-style, steakhouse style burgers will make reappearance to the scene – meaty, rewarding and not apologetically indulgent.
Where to find it: DIME, The Guild and Prime68 (lunch)
Conclusion
In case 2025 was spectacle, 2026 is becoming sensation. These top food trends in UAE indicate a further change of the way we feel about food not so much of what we see on a grid, but of how we feel it, taste and surprise us. The importance of texture is on the rise, boundaries are being blurred, and, instead of tradition, the chefs are approaching light-hearted creativity.
Since cabbage taking has become the star of the day and savoury ice cream has taken the challenge of surprising us, the food business in Dubai has been demonstrating over and over again how experimental the UAE food industry 2026 is.
