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The Styrofoam cup, the copper panelled pot, the wild gush of black tea and finally, the trail of milk for extra creaminess that gives you life. Most karak chai scenarios involve you standing outside surrounded by honking Land Cruisers and impatient customers waiting in their car for a ‘chaiwala’ (teaboy) to bring their order out. It does not get any more old-school UAE than that.
Image Credit: Gulf News
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Koukh Al Shay Dh2: This restaurant is one of the top mentioned karak spots in Dubai. Koukh Al Shay have more than one location but their Diyafa location is the most popular.
Image Credit: Instagram.com/karakwala
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Tea Way Dh1: This Jumeirah beach road spot is an easy tea shop that serves great karak. They also serve traditional cafeteria food.
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Bait Al Shay Dh1: A popular Karak shop in Muhisna is well loved by residents in the area.
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Al Hara Cafeteria Dh2: Their Saffron chai is one of the best in the city. They are located in Karama.
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Tea Club Café Al Mamzar, Dh4: This peaceful spot right by the beach, is the best place to enjoy a cup of chai.
Image Credit: Instagram.com/mdsouza9000
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Karak Ji Dh5: This is one of my favourite karak spots in Jumeirah. Easy to access, right on the road and the guy comes to your car.
Image Credit: Instagram.com/tinazbones
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Filli Cafeteria Dh6.5: The signature FiLLi Zafran Tea is one of the best in the entire city. Go to any Filli location and you will see how many people are lined up.
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Dream City Cafeteria Dh2: This Jebel Ali cafeteria is popular in the area and well loved by inner dubai residents, who travel the distance to get to Jebel Ali for a karak.
Image Credit: Instagram.com
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Project Chaiwala Dh12: A cup of karak chai at Project Chaiwala will cost you Dh12, which is a premium price for a usually Dh1 ticket item. Therefore, before committing to a permanent destination, these guys made sure that people were ready to pay a little more. Once you taste it, you will understand
Image Credit: Instagram.com/ProjectChaiwala
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Karak House Dh13: Another premium karak on the list. This one is more Emirati influenced and comes with the classic Glucose biscuits.
Image Credit: Instagram.com/its_futaim