Hello Dubai (Chocolate): An NYC Exploration

Veronica Piurek
4 hours ago
4 min read

Nowadays, you can’t go anywhere in New York without bumping into those two words — whether it’s a themed cinnamon roll, a scoop of gelato, or even a seasonal latte. But what exactly is it? More importantly, is it worth buying, or is it just another passing fad?

Dubai chocolate sprang into popularity around December 2023 due to a TikTok from influencer @mariavehera257. The novelty, the visual appeal, and the ASMR crunch of each bite make it a global sensation. Most of those I’ve talked to agree that the most addictive aspect of Dubai chocolate is the crunch, which comes from the crispy kataifi pastry, a thin, string-like dough. The kataifi is toasted and mixed with a pistachio-tahini cream, then enrobed in layers of chocolate.

There are many theories around the sudden trendiness of this dessert, many claim they were targeted ads by Dubai’s uber-wealthy trying to clean up their less-than-squeaky-clean reputation, and while those are absolutely worth looking into, for this article I wanted to focus on the dessert itself. So I enlisted four friends, some of whom had never tried Dubai chocolate before, and we spent a day hunting for stores in Manhattan that sold it. We tried it, we liked some of it, and now we’re here to tell you if you should buy it too. Bon appetit!

Crumbl

Multiple locations

The Dubai chocolate brownie at Crumbl is, in one word, delicious. At a whopping total of 1010 calories, it should be. This is one of the only desserts at Crumbl I’m willing to spend actual money on, even if there’s a two-dollar upcharge, making it about nine dollars. What can I say? They know their brownies, and from the texture of the pistachio-creme center to the fudginess of the bar cookie itself, this one is delicious all the way down.

The cheesecake is about the same, though I will say the Oreo crust adds an interesting richness to the flavor. My friends seemed unimpressed with it, and on average we ranked it a 7.5/10. Around the time I’m writing this, it’s leaving stores, but if it ever comes back I’d recommend trying it yourself.

Here’s my official PSA: If you’re planning on ordering anything from Crumbl, bring a friend or have a fridge nearby, because with the amount packed into each bite, finishing a cookie yourself is no small feat.

Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe

95 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

This was by far the priciest item we came across. The Dubai chocolate strawberry cup was delicious, but at what cost? $16.32, by far the priciest item we came across. I will say that every time I step into that store, I’m impressed by the customer service, since the employees have been nothing but kind and attentive, reminding me of their 10% NYU student discount and offering me ice water on the house.

The strawberries were fresh and the chocolate was rich without feeling heavy, but our main problem was the sheer amount of kataifi. The flavor was almost overpowering; a little crunch can go a long way, but when every bite is crunchy it can get old fast. We split this between five people, and while the Dubai chocolate cheesecake from before certainly didn’t help, the majority of my friends had tapped out by the time we reached the bottom of the cup. So at least we got some bang for our buck. This one would have been rated a 7.5/10, but we demoted it to a 7 due to the price, because for essentially four ingredients, $16.32 crazy expensive!

Gooey On The Inside

149 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

Next stop, cookie shop Gooey On The Inside. We actually ordered two desserts from here, and while I’m not writing this to talk about the white chocolate matcha raspberry cookie, I’ll just say, go get the white chocolate matcha raspberry cookie.

The Dubai chocolate cookie drew mixed reactions from our group; one rated it a 10/10, the other a 2/10 on the grounds that it was “too sweet.” My own rating was an 8/10, since it was indeed gooey on the inside, but I will say that after a day of eating nothing but Dubai chocolate, the flavor starts to get extremely repetitive. Near the end I was honestly just trying to keep it all down.

What I will say is that the price pleasantly surprised me. The menu online and in-person states that the Dubai chocolate cookie costs $9.99, but I was only charged $6.53. Nothing on their menu is listed as under $8, so I can’t say for certain whether this was a mislabeling on the store’s part or a happy accident, but I will for sure be returning to investigate this discrepancy — and their new Biscoff Crunch Cookie.

Honorable Mentions

The Dubai chocolate cinnamon roll at Benji’s Buns is no longer in the store rotation, as their flavors change every two weeks, but I will say I enjoyed it immensely. My one complaint is that the chocolate frosting tasted a little like store-bought cake batter.

The HMart Dubai chocolate bar absolutely let me down. Priced at a nearly-unaffordable $20.99, it was underwhelming in taste, texture, and feeling. To quote one of my favorite GIFs, “sometimes…things that are expensive…are worse.”

Final Thoughts

I see this trend going one of two ways, fizzling into obscurity after a while, or reaching Nutella levels of popularity. Who knows, maybe chocolate-pistachio could be the next chocolate-hazelnut. Overall, Dubai chocolate can be a tasty treat once in a while, but once you’ve tried one, you’ve sort of tried them all. That being said, I will be ordering the Dubai chocolate Pizookie at BJ’s over break. After all, I never claimed not to be a trend hopper.