The Sarnaissance: Dubai's sandwich scene is in a golden age
Dubai’s sandwich scene is in a golden age…
Fun bit of trivia for you: The sandwich was invented by a British Earl in the 18th Century because, and I kid you not, he wanted a portable meal that meant he wouldn’t have to get up from his gaming table. The man whose name is now eternally bonded to the bread-pillowed snack stack, revolutionised food forever because his parents never set the equivalent of screen time boundaries. Whatever the muse, his creation spawned an endlessly branching tree of unique and beautiful forms, until reaching its gastronomic zenith – the Dubai sandwich scene, 2025.


































New York smoked salmon Bagel, 1762, Dhs46
Meat shawarma, Al Safadi, Dhs15
Captainâs Tuna Melt, Birch Bakery, Dhs45
Brooklyn Hero, Ginoâs Deli, Dhs49
French beef dip sandwich, Cassette, Dhs82
cheese-tawouk
Pastrami Reuben, Mattar Third Culture Barbecue, Dhs85
Cheese tawouk sandwich, Malak Al Tawouk, Dhs28
Cubano, Maxzi, Dhs55
Pastrami Reuben, Mattar Third Culture Barbecue
Posh cheddar and pickle baguette, Pret A Manger Dhs36
The Chopped Cheese, Rascals Deli, Dhs68
Wagyu katsu sando, Reif Kushiyaki, Dhs198
Bahn mi with roasted duck, Saigon Station, Dhs37
saigon station
The Tribbiani, Brix
Constanzia, Wise Guys, Dhs54
This is our autopsy of the best sandwiches in Dubai, from daunting doorsteps to slimline sarnies, chaotic cross sections to bougie baguettes. If it’s between bread, has thrilling fillings, and represents a pearl worthy of the Earl that spawned its name… You’ll find it sandwiched in here somewhere, come on down and join the club.
The Tribbiani, BRIX Café, Dhs49
You’re always checking in on other people, but rarely does a sandwich ask… how you doin’? This is where that one-way traffic stops. BRIX’s signature sando is looking to make F.R.I.E.N.D.S and inspire people, within its toasted sesame embrace you’ll find buttery tranches of beef pastrami, smooth emmental cheese, and a mustard mayo. You’re more than welcome to join me on a trip to Jumeirah Fishing Harbour 1 to get it, but sharing is a moo point.
Meat shawarma, Al Safadi, Dhs15
No good stories start with a salad, but few end without a shawarma. Singling out any one shawarma joint for GOAT status is a labour destined for conflict and misery, but I have to pick one, and for me it’s Al Safadi. It’s a classic coupé, stuffed with premium meat, fries and pickles and dripping in slik touch tahini. An outstanding example of the regional favourite.
The Chopped Cheese, Rascals Deli, Dhs68
Chopped sandwiches really are having a moment right now, as well they should. It’s basic sandwich geometry, chopped contents mean more surface area which in turn means a greater coating of sauce. It also results in less filling real estate being frivolously given away to that vaccuous thief of joy, air pockets. The chopped cheese from Wasl Square deli, Rascals is a riff on a classic, a ballerina in Air Force Ones – a chopped beef patty, cheese, lettuce, onions and a weapons-grade special sauce all loaded into a real Philly-style hoagie. Youse guys already know.
Captain’s Tuna Melt, Birch Bakery, Dhs45
Mixing fish and cheese is considered a hate crime in the culinary heartlands of Italy, which makes the tuna melt something of a rebel. A bad boy, whose fondant-pulls don’t play by the rules, and thus automatically all the more attractive. Joe & the Juice’s version has proved to be a popular addition to the Dubai sandwichsphere, but if you want to pay real heretical homage-io to pesce e formaggio, it’s all about Birch Bakery’s sultry little off-the-shoulder, open sandwich, umami tsunami number. Find it in Al Quoz.
Brooklyn Hero, Gino’s Deli, Dhs49
Gino, whomever they be, has placed a real emphasis on the figurative arms of their sandwich hugs. I’m talking about the bread, the format of which is freshly baked, sinfully crispy panuozzo, making every serving an irresistible moody hybrid of pizza and sando. That’s not to say what goes into the hug is paid any less attention, Gino revels in the minutiae of top billing fillings, but my pick of the crunch bunch, is the Brooklyn Hero. It’s peak barrio chic – smoked turkey, Italian salami, dill pickles, American cheddar and a saucy slap of mustard-mayo. Available for lunching aldesko via Deliveroo.
Wagyu katsu sando, Reif Kushiyaki, Dhs198
Paying a sum just shy of Dhs200 for a sandwich might feel like the kind of carefree capitalist abandon that lead to the global financial crisis, but that’s only before you know what goes into it, and just how good it tastes. It’s a toasted milk bread ensnared, deep-fried wagyu beef tenderloin, rugged up in charcoal panko crumbs, and slathered in a stadium rock sauce. You can pick it up in several of the Reif Othman outlets, but our recommendation is to get it from the Dar Wasl source. Rumoured to be one Chef Reif’s favourite menu items, it’s just pure sando art aristocracy.
Constanzia, Wise Guys, Dhs54
Found in DIFC but with unmistakably Italian-American NJ roots, Wise Guys is the Tony Soprano of Dubai sandwich shops. The general, el capo, the big don daddy. And the ratios? Fugget about it. There’s more meat packed into one of their carby parcels, than there are mangled vowel sounds in the New Jersey pronunciation of ‘coffee’. They also extend their protective racket to vegans too, the Constanzia is a raucous mix of marinated tomatoes, onions, celery sticks, pickled roasted peppers, grilled eggplant, raisins, and fermented chili honey. It’s an offer not even habitual carnivores can refuse.
Cubano, Maxzi, Dhs55
This Al Quoz hidden gem has a treasure trove of glittering foodie finds including what are, pound-f0r-pound, some of the best burgers in Dubai. But we’re here to focus on the brands ‘wich game – and their bread-hemming prestige doesn’t end with the natty patties. Choosing between their Cubano and salted beef options for brand ambassador was a genuinely fraught task, but ultimately – you have to side with Che Guyvara’s spirit sandwich. Slow-cooked veal brisketta, seeded sourdough bread, mustard, rockets, pickles, and garlic mayo. Viva la bread-a-lution.
New York smoked salmon Bagel, 1762, Dhs46
I know. I’ve gone rogue. But this is an inclusive list, and banning bagels just because they’re different smacks of snacking fascism. Plus 1762’s (in JLT) deep-filled smoked salmon bagel is absolute bread-with-a-hole goals. It’s a thick deli wodge of cured salmon, spring onion cream cheese, red onion and the briny, juicy pop of tiny wee capers.
Posh cheddar and pickle baguette, Pret A Manger Dhs36
Café chain Pret might have a fancy French name, but the heart of this creation beats to the drum of Albion. Cheese and pickle is a uniquely British substrate for sandwiches – and as with most delicacies from the Sceptered Isle, it’s a bit of an acquired taste. Which isn’t always a polite euphemism for ‘bad’. The stone-baked baguette features sharp cheddar, acerbic pickle relish, sweet roasted tomatoes, red onion, rocket and mayo. It’s le ploughman’s au pain.
French beef dip sandwich, Cassette, Dhs82
If you’ve ever wandered into The Courtyard of Al Quoz, you’ll be able to attest to its transportive qualities. It’s like Dubai’s own Diagon Alley. Outside the Hala taxis cruise past gentrified warehouses, inside – you keep expecting an Italian woman to open a window, hang out her washing, and bark the tail end of a heated conversation with a hidden agent provocateur. Almost certainly the husband. Cassette’s French dip sandwich is possessed of that same trans medium sourcery, it’s Parisian bistro birria – braised beef with smokey raclette, dijon mustard mayo, and a beef jus dip.
Furrata, La Fabbrica Italiana, Dhs55
You don’t need to put anything on 72-hour fermented sourdough focaccia, but if you feel compelled to gild the lily – let it be with something that doesn’t dull its natural sparkle. Sesame seeds perhaps, creamy stracciatella cheese, and a light lacing of extra virgin olive oil. Find La Fabbrica Italiana in Al Quoz.
Pastrami Reuben, Mattar Third Culture Barbecue, Dhs85
If you’d back any human in the region to piece together a world-class beef-based sandwich, the safe bet is Pit Master General, Hattem Mattar. The meatmancer, brisket whisperer, a man surely born of smoke & fire, he is the ultimate authority on high-brow, cooked-cow ensembles in the UAE. And in his tenured faculty at Time Out Market, you can wrap your chops around his interpretation of the classic reuben, which includes 14-day aged pastrami, sourdough bread, pickles and house mustard. One Mattar, I’ll never get tired of dealing with.
Cheese tawouk sandwich, Malak Al Tawouk, Dhs28
Lebanese import Malak Al Tawouk doesn’t care if you have a personalised number plate, it’s not keeping score on your pronunciation and has zero opinion on the decentralisation of currency. All it’s bothered about is serving up zero-fuss, great-tasting Middle Eastern comfort food. Exemplified by their signature cheese tawouk melt, with marinated chicken breast, cheese, garlic, coleslaw, fries, and pickles. 28cm (or 38cm for Dhs31) of protein throating magic.
Bahn mi with roasted duck, Saigon Station, Dhs37
Vietnam’s contribution to the world of sandwiches, the bhan mi is apex Franco-Asian fusion food. And at Saigon Station (Silicon Oasis), we urge you to take a sensorial safari through their between bread collection, where you can tuck into saucy, spicy chicken, egg, fish and beef variants. But their best work, in my opinion, is demonstrated in the dazzling roasted duck bhan mi, a traditional baguette section packed with aromatics on tender meat. A Hannoi heist at just Dhs37.
Vada pav, Mumbai Masti Juice Centre, Dhs5
At only Dh5, this spicy desi boii is the cheapest option on the list by quite the carby margin. It’s also the most metal. The name comes from the ensemble’s two main constituent parts – the vada is a potato patty, the pav its buttered bun mother. After that come fiery flashes of chutney, garlic and chilli. It all comes together – like Captain Planet’s ring bearers – to form a united front against the tyranny of banality.