Yes, you can still find great snacks under AED 10 in Dubai — and eat well. From a cheese vada pav in Meena Bazaar to a AED 1 karak in a 50-year-old hole-in-the-wall, these are the budget bites I actually send people to. Every price is written down, most are vegetarian (see my full vegetarian restaurants in Dubai guide), and I’ve marked veg spots with (V).
A few of these I’ve been eating at for years; a couple of the newer names are ones I’m still working through. Cafeteria prices creep, so treat the numbers as “around” — but every spot here is a real, named place, not a generic “go find a shawarma stand.”
Bur Dubai & Meena Bazaar
Cheese Vada Pav — Al Rajwah (AED 4) (V)
The one I start every list with. A pav stuffed with a spiced potato vada and cheese, then topped with more cheese. Al Rajwah does 10 kinds of pav bhaji too. Heart of Bur Dubai.
Falafel Sandwich — Parisian Cafeteria (AED 3.50) (V)
Falafel for AED 1 each, or a full sandwich for AED 3.50. Parisian’s been frying falafel, samosas and batata vada for years and the quality hasn’t slipped. Near Choithram, Street 44B, Meena Bazaar.
Chips Sandwich — Al Halawa Cafeteria (AED 8) (V)
A huge roll loaded with samosa, fries and veggies, grilled flat. AED 8 and genuinely enough for one hungry person. Meena Bazaar.
Samosa & Karak — Special Ostadi / old Meena Bazaar tea shops (AED 1–5) (V)
A 50-year-old hole-in-the-wall doing 1 AED karak and samosas at 2 for AED 1 (or 12 for AED 5), plus paratha and pakora. Grab a takeaway karak and sit by the Creek — one of the better AED 1 decisions in this city.
Al Karama
Samosa Chaat — Chaat Bazaar (AED 10) (V)
The Karama chaat institution — pani puri, samosa chaat, vada pav, Mummy ka cheesy Maggi. The samosa chaat at AED 10 is the clear winner. Branches now in Nahda and International City too.
Corn Chaat / Pani Puri — Banarasi Chaat & Kulfi Wala (~AED 8) (V)
Chaat done Banaras-style with a chef at the helm, plus stick kulfi made from pure milk and khoya — if you’ve got a sweet tooth, see my desserts under AED 10 list too. The corn chaat and pani puri are the cheap heroes. Karama, near Zabeel Park. 4.5★ and cashless.
Masala Omelette — Raju Omlet (~AED 10) (V)
Farm-fresh egg omelettes with fillings like spinach, capsicum, cheese and mushroom — Indian street-style, quirky decor, famous enough to end up as a Harvard Business Review case study. The Karama original still has the queues.
Cheese Potato Oman Chips — Abdullah Omar Cafeteria (AED 4) (V)
A student favourite — Chips Oman crushed with cheese and potato for AED 4, the perfect on-the-go crunch. Find them at the Eppco station on the Dubai–Al Ain road.
Hummus with Falafel — Al Damyati & Iskandaron (AED 4–9) (V option)
Falafel for AED 4, add AED 5 for chicken or meat, and hummus that’s genuinely some of the best in the city. Packed on weekends, so go early. Karama.
Satwa & Jumeirah
Chicken Shawarma — Al Mallah (AED 9)
The Satwa legend on 2nd December Street, 33+ years in. The AED 9 chicken shawarma is the order; the neon-lit roadside seating is the experience. Open till 2am, five branches.
Rigag — Al Labeeb Grocery (AED 5) (V)
An Emirati woman makes paper-thin regag to order on a hot plate at the front of a Jumeirah 3 grocery, going since the 1980s. Cheese, egg, Chips Oman, or the classic fish sauce, AED 5–6. You order from your car by honking. Operates after sunset — the store being open doesn’t mean the stand is.
Cheese & Egg Regag — Hum Yum (from AED 4) (V)
The modern regag spot on Jumeirah Beach Road (and Kite Beach) — regag, luqaimat, pizza-chapati, karak, plenty under AED 4. Open till 3am for the midnight munchies.
1 AED Karak — Al Farwania (AED 1) (V)
Four decades of AED 1 karak in Umm Suqeim, with a queue of cars idling outside for grab-and-go chai. Run by Feras now. The cheapest joy on this list.
Zafran Karak — Filli Café (AED 8–10) (V)
Filli built its name on one thing: Zafran (saffron) karak. Order that for well under AED 10. The famous cheesy Oman chips melt is tastier than it sounds but tips over budget — stick to the tea.
The rolls
Samosa Pav — Falafel & Shawarma, Karama (AED 4) (V)
A roadside joint with a few outside tables where most people gather for a quick bite and a karak. The samosa pav at AED 4 is worth it when you’re missing Mumbai’s streets. Chaat platter and momos too.
Muhammara Roll — Man’oushe Street (AED 8.25) (V)
Skip the boring old za’atar and get the muhammara roll — red hot pepper, onion, tomato — for AED 8.25. You’ll be licking your fingers after.
Cheese Chilli Chicken Oman Chips Roll — Khouk Al Shay (~AED 10)
Who knew chips and paratha belonged together? Khouk Al Shay goes further and folds in chilli chicken. The result is extraordinary. 7 outlets, open 5:30am–3am.
Hungry for more budget Dubai eating? Pair these with my best breakfast spots in Dubai and the best biryani in Dubai.
How I picked these snacks under AED 10 in Dubai
Every one of these snacks under AED 10 in Dubai is a real, named spot with the price written down — not a vague “go find a shawarma stand.” Cafeteria prices creep, so treat them as “around.”
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest snack in Dubai?
The snacks under AED 10 in Dubai scene is worth knowing: karak chai is the cheapest, at AED 1 a cup from hole-in-the-wall spots like Al Farwania in Umm Suqeim or the old Meena Bazaar tea shops. Samosas can be as little as 2 for AED 1, and falafel around AED 1 each at Parisian Cafeteria.
Where can I get street food under AED 10 in Dubai?
The snacks under AED 10 in Dubai scene is worth knowing: karama, Bur Dubai (Meena Bazaar), Satwa and old Jumeirah are the best areas. Al Rajwah, Chaat Bazaar and Banarasi Chaat cover Indian snacks in Karama; Al Mallah in Satwa does a AED 9 shawarma; Al Labeeb Grocery in Jumeirah 3 makes regag for AED 5.
What is regag?
The snacks under AED 10 in Dubai scene is worth knowing: regag (or rigag) is a paper-thin Emirati bread cooked crisp on a hot griddle, then folded around fillings like cheese, egg, Chips Oman or fish sauce. Al Labeeb Grocery in Jumeirah 3 has made it the same way since the 1980s, from around AED 5.
Is there cheap vegetarian street food in Dubai?
The snacks under AED 10 in Dubai scene is worth knowing: yes — most of Dubai’s budget snacks are vegetarian. Vada pav, samosa chaat, pani puri, appam, falafel, regag and cheese Chips Oman are all veg and all under AED 10, concentrated in Karama and Meena Bazaar. For the citywide Dubai food scene, the official guide is a good starting point.
