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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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