Dubai’s viral chocolate just landed in London — and why it’s a sweet win for the UAE

Dubai: Every time my relatives or friends flew in from Boston, Kerala, or the rest of the globe, their UAE checklist was the same — dates, a couple of 24-karat gold coins, and a box (or five) of 'Dubai viral chocolate'. Somewhere between the pistachio drizzle and the gooey knafeh filling, this Dubai-born dessert became a souvenir of the city itself — sweet, bold, and a little bit extra.

So when news dropped that Fix Dessert Chocolatier is now heading to Harrods, it felt like a collective win for everyone who has ever bragged, “You have to try this; it’s from Dubai.”

Starting October 27, the viral homegrown brand will land in London with a month-long pop-up at the iconic department store. For founder Sarah Hamouda, it’s not just a business milestone — it’s an emotional homecoming.

“This is such a full-circle moment,” she says .

“Fix has always been about blending cultures — my London upbringing, my Egyptian roots, and Dubai’s unstoppable energy. Launching at Harrods felt right.”

This isn’t just about chocolate. It’s about Dubai — loud, proud, and now officially exporting its flavour to the world.

From a craving to a cult brand

If you’ve lived in Dubai long enough, you’ve probably seen Fix pop up on your feed — all glossy gold wrappers, molten pistachio centres, and cheeky names like “Can’t Get Knafeh of It.” But behind that viral shine is a story that began with a craving.

“We had to choose — either pay the deposit on our home or launch FIX. We chose Fuix,” Sarah told Gulf News when I first interviewed her earlier this year at Mall Of The Emirates. At that point, she was launching her Mango flavour (Confession, wasn't a huge fan of it.) But that one gut-driven decision to forego home for start-up turned a pregnancy craving into a dessert empire.

The bar that started it all — pistachio cream wrapped in chocolate — became a runaway hit.

“Tamara is the secret,” Sarah said then, smiling about her daughter, whose name inspired the first flavour. “She’s our Million Dollar Baby.”

Soon, the viral Dubai chocolate was everywhere — at pop-ups, in fancy gift boxes, and all over TikTok.

“I never expected it to be replicated so heavily,” she admitted. “We get messages from Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo. It’s crazy. It’s flattering, but I just hope people do it with dignity.”

Built on risk, realness, and relentless grit

Sarah’s story feels quintessentially Dubai — bold, risky, and beautifully unpolished.

“We launched during COVID, and we didn’t have much,” she said. “Whatever we had saved over ten years — that’s what we put into it.”

No investors. No safety nets. Just grit and gut instinct.

“I always say — just be real,” she told me. “People are done with the media-trained version. They want flaws. They want vulnerability.”

And that’s exactly why people connected to her brand. It wasn’t built in a lab; it was built in a kitchen, by a woman who trusted her taste buds and her timing.

“We could have scaled fast,” she said. “But we wanted people to experience the product the same way we do. That matters more than just being everywhere.”

Dubai’s energy, bottled in Chocolate

What makes this chocolate such a Dubai success story isn’t just its taste — it’s its DNA.

“Dubai allows you to be creative. It pushes boundaries,” Sarah said. “The diversity, the acceptance, the community — all of that shaped who we are. It’s always been about people.”

That spirit of collaboration and ambition — where every nationality adds flavour — is what makes this Harrods pop-up so symbolic.

This isn’t a foreign brand entering Dubai. It’s Dubai entering London — with confidence, culinary culture, and Kunafah.