Dessert safari: 7 of Dubai's greatest sweet treats

Sweet expectations…

It’s easy to fill up on starters and pass on the sweet stuff when out for a meal. And truth be told, that’s usually not a bad call because desserts can sometimes be an afterthought for certain chefs and restaurants. However, these brilliant venues devote as much care and creativity to the end of the meal as the start.

Here are 7 of the best desserts in Dubai…

Tiramisu at Polline

Price: Dhs47

Tiramisu is as omnipresent on Italian menus as pasta. And just like pasta, not all tiramisu is equal. A recent What’s On fave was found at cosy new homegrown spot Polline, owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Nadine & Omar Basiony. Omar, a professional chef, has been in the industry for more than 20 years and has worked in many of the city’s top dining destinations. At Polline, he whips up a pitch-perfect tiramisu where every ingredient is made from scratch in-house from the Savoiardi biscuits to the rich mascarpone, made daily with fresh local milk and cream. To add an element of crunch, they top the tiramisu with a crumble of their homemade almond biscotti and a generous shaving of rich dark chocolate.

Beach Road, Umm Suqeim 3, daily 7.30am to 10pm. Tel: (0)4 328 8930. @pollinedxb

Whipped Burnt Cheesecake at Rare

Price: Dhs58

Cool new City Walk brasserie Rare is already famous for its charcoal-cooked cuts (naturally), its impressive cocktail collection and its luscious, meal-ending cheesecake. While you might think you feel too full after a gigantic meal at this slick steakhouse, you’ll get a second wind when confronted with a bowl of silky smooth whipped burnt cheesecake with grilled peaches, layered with a crunchy salted almond crumble and ginger snap. Divine.

City Walk, Dubai, Sun to Thur noon to 1am, Fri and Sat noon to 2am. Tel: (0)4 287 4604.
@theraredxb

Baked Alaska at Jun’s

Price: Dhs55

Back by popular demand at What’s On, award-winning restaurant Jun’s is another helping of chef Kelvin Cheung’s fantastic baked Alaska tiramisu mochi and hot chocolate mocha, and we’re here for it. Audible oohs and ahhs echo from tables whenever the mini baked Alaskas arrive. Kelvin’s creation brings together espresso ice cream, brown butter semifreddo and sesame peanut mochi to create a hug on a plate.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai, daily noon to 1am. Tel: (0)4 457 6035. @junsdubai

Dulche de Leche Fondant at Sucre

Price: Dhs75

Following an indulgent feast of South American, Italian and Spanish specialities at trendy Sucre, you might as well go all the way and dive straight into the restaurant’s signature dulce de leche fondant. With fried pecans and vanilla ice cream – it’s just the thing to finish out the night.

Podium level, Gate Village 5, DIFC, Mon to Sat noon to 4pm and 6pm to 2am. Tel: (0)4 340 0829. @sucredubai

Churros at Lila Wood-Fired Taqueria

Deep-fried dough, sugar, chocolate. What’s not to like? But at Lila, their famous churros (served with an order of three) are given an extra lick of love served with house made salted caramel sauce or UAE bean-to-bar brand Mirzam chocolate’s dipping sauce. Ask nicely, and you might get both…

786 Jumeirah Beach Road, Umm Seqeim 3, Jumeirah, Sun, Tue, Wed, Thur noon to 10pm, Fri and Sat noon to 11pm. Tel: (0)4 282 0005. @lilataqueriah

Sour Cherry Phyllo Pie at 21grams

Price: Dhs50

Pie is one of the greatest and most diverse foods known to man. Want to make fruit better? Put it in a flaky pie crust. Case in point: 21grams’ lip-puckering sour cherry phyllo pie. Lovingly made fresh daily by a resident Balkan native, each decadent bite tastes exactly how a pie should: comforting, nourishing, and just a little bit sharp. It’s probably the city’s most famous pie – beloved by locals, residents and restaurant critics alike.

Meyan Mall, Second Floor, Al Thanya Street, Umm Suqeim 2, Mon to Wed 8am to 5pm, Thur to Sun 8am to 11pm. Tel: (0)50 841 5021. @21grams.dubai

Fluido at StreetXO

Price: Dhs75

Named the World’s Best Chef in 2023 (The Best Chef Awards), Madrid native Dabiz Muñoz set tongues wagging when he opened his boundary-pushing restaurant StreetXO in the One&Only One Za’abeel at the start of the year. It’s only natural then that one of his puddings makes up our round up of new desserts you need to eat right now. With seven glorious offerings, it’s the Fluido that has garnered rave reviews across the city. It features a white chocolate and egg yolk lava cake paired with a delightful Tom Kha ice cream and coconut crumble, offering a sensational play of textures and temperatures.

Level 4, One&Only One Za’abeel, daily 6pm to 12am. Tel: (0)4 666 1617. @streetxo.dubai