The best kunafa in Dubai in 2026 is at Firas Sweets in Al Hudaiba, where the cheese kunafa nabulsiyeh is made to order, drenched in warm syrup and cut in front of you (a portion runs AED 20–28). For baklava, Al Samadi Sweets in Deira sells the most consistent pistachio-heavy trays in the city, sold by weight from AED 12 a piece.
Kunafa lives and dies on temperature and timing: the shredded pastry or fine semolina must be crisp, the cheese underneath molten enough to pull, and the sugar syrup poured warm so it soaks without drowning. Baklava is a different discipline — thin, even layers, real ghee, generous pistachio, and syrup that stops just short of cloying. Dubai has hundreds of sweet counters; most are fine and forgettable. Over spring 2026 I worked through the serious ones. These four are worth the sugar.
Best Kunafa & Baklava in Dubai at a Glance
| Restaurant | Area | Price for Two | Signature Dish | Google Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firas Sweets | Al Hudaiba | AED 40–80 | Kunafa nabulsiyeh | 4.1 ★ |
| Al Samadi Sweets | Al Muraqqabat, Deira | AED 50–120 | Pistachio baklava | 4.4 ★ |
| Qwaider Al Nabulsi | Al Muraqqabat, Deira | AED 40–90 | Kunafa & warbat | 4.0 ★ |
| Wafi Gourmet | The Dubai Mall | AED 90–180 | Kunafa & mezze | 4.4 ★ |
The Four Best Sweet Houses — Ranked
1. Firas Sweets — Al Hudaiba
The kunafa specialist to beat. Firas makes the Nablus-style cheese kunafa — a fine-semolina base rather than shredded, dyed the traditional orange, cut from a big round tray and doused in warm syrup to order (AED 20–28 a portion). The cheese pulls in long threads and the whole thing lands hot, which is the entire point and the thing most shops get wrong by pre-cutting. Eat it in, at the counter, within minutes of it being cut — a boxed kunafa taken home is a lesser thing. Open late for the after-dinner crowd.
Book a Table →2. Al Samadi Sweets — Al Muraqqabat, Deira
A polished Lebanese sweet house and the city's most reliable baklava counter. The assorted trays — sold by weight, from about AED 12 a piece — run heavy on pistachio and use real ghee, with layers thin and even and a syrup that stops short of cloying. This is the place Dubai buys its Eid and hosting gift boxes, and the packaging is built for it. Their kunafa is good too, but baklava is the reason to come. Ask for a mixed 500g box (around AED 70) to taste the range.
Book a Table →3. Qwaider Al Nabulsi — Al Muraqqabat, Deira
A Palestinian institution with a proper sit-down room, which sets it apart from the takeaway counters. The kunafa (AED 22) is excellent — a touch more generous with the cheese than Firas — and the wider menu of warbat (custard-filled pastry), halawet el jibn and Arabic ice cream makes it a destination for a full sweets sitting rather than a single portion. Come after dinner with a group, order a mixed platter, and have the mint tea. It gets busy at weekends; the upstairs seating is calmer.
Book a Table →4. Wafi Gourmet — The Dubai Mall
The upscale, mall-side option. Wafi Gourmet's kunafa (around AED 35) is pricier than the Deira counters and served in a full-service Lebanese restaurant with a Dubai Fountain-view terrace — you're paying for the setting as much as the sweet, and it delivers on both. It's the right call when kunafa is the finale to a sit-down dinner rather than a standalone late-night run. Order it to share after their mezze; the terrace tables need booking on fountain-show evenings.
Book a Table →Kunafa vs Baklava: What to Order When
The two great Arabic sweets ask for different occasions. Kunafa is an eat-it-now dessert — it must be hot, the cheese molten, the syrup just poured — so order it to eat in, at the counter, ideally at Firas or Qwaider. It does not survive a car journey home. Baklava, by contrast, keeps for days and travels well, which is why it's the gift and hosting sweet — buy it by weight at Al Samadi and it'll still be crisp tomorrow. If you're hosting, a baklava tray is the move; if you're out after dinner, chase a fresh-cut kunafa. Do not, whatever you do, take kunafa home in a box and microwave it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best kunafa in Dubai?
Firas Sweets in Al Hudaiba makes the best cheese kunafa nabulsiyeh in 2026 — fine-semolina base, molten cheese, cut and syrup-soaked to order, from AED 20 a portion. Qwaider Al Nabulsi in Deira is the best sit-down alternative.
Where is the best baklava in Dubai?
Al Samadi Sweets in Deira sells the most consistent pistachio baklava in the city, by weight from around AED 12 a piece, using real ghee and even, thin layers. It's also the go-to for Eid and hosting gift trays.
How much does kunafa cost in Dubai?
A portion of kunafa runs AED 20–35 in 2026. Deira and Al Hudaiba specialists like Firas and Qwaider sit at AED 20–22; the mall option Wafi Gourmet is nearer AED 35 for the setting.
What is the difference between kunafa and baklava?
Kunafa is a hot dessert of cheese under crisp semolina or shredded pastry, soaked in syrup and eaten immediately. Baklava is a layered filo-and-nut pastry, sold by weight, that keeps for days and travels well — making it the traditional gift sweet.
Where This Fits on the Dubai Map
Arabic sweets are the sweet end of Dubai's Levantine scene — pair this with the Arabic & Lebanese cuisine guide and the cheap eats guide. The Deira houses sit inside the Deira area guide, and Wafi Gourmet anchors the sweet finale to a Downtown Dubai dinner.
Related Reading
Internal compass: Arabic cuisine · Deira · Downtown · Cheap eats · Jumeirah · Join The Dubai Fork