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GENERAL INFORMATION
Visitors from many parts of the world along with a multi-ethnic
resident community have ensured that a sophisticated
and innovative food culture has developed in the UAE.
Almost any type of food is available, from classic European
to Pacific Rim. You can eat Mexican, Polynesian, Japanese,
Chinese, Thai, Korean, Indian, Pakistani, Persian, Italian
and French cooking, and more, at some of the finest
restaurants in the Middle East.
International fast-food chains, serving the standard
fare of hamburgers, chips, pizzas etc (McDonalds’s,
Pizza Hut, Pizza Inn, Hardee’s, Wimpy, Dunkin’
Donut) are also located in the larger cities.
Kentucky
Fried Chicken seems to be a particular favourite. International
theme restaurants such as TGI Friday’s, Planet
Hollywood, Fashion Café, Hard Rock Café
and Henry J Bean’s are all represented in the Emirates.
If
you cannot find anything to suit in that list, small
ethnic cafés and corner stalls are ubiquitous.
Shisha cafés offer an opportunity to smoke a
shisha (hubble-bubble pipe) and serve food, coffee,
tea and fruit juices and corner stalls serve sharwarmas
and other sandwiches.
Gulf
and Middle Eastern food is also available in a wide
variety of venues, from expensive restaurants to local
cafés. Fresh fish from the Arabian Gulf is always
good. Try lobster, crab, shrimp, or grouper, tuna, kingfish,
red snapper, grilled, stuffed, or fried with spices.
But
it is not just a question of variety, make no mistake
the food is generally good and the standard of service
is high.
Pork
Muslims are prohibited from eating pork so it is not
included in Arabic menus. Hotels frequently have substitutes
such as beef sausages and veal rashers on their breakfast
menus. If pork is available, it is clearly labelled
as such.
Alcohol
Alcohol is generally only served in hotel restaurants
and bars (but not in Sharjah).
Exceptions
are some clubs (e.g. golf clubs) and associations. Restaurants
that are not associated with hotels are not permitted
to serve alcohol.
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