Cafeography
Dubai · Bur Dubai & Karama

Cafés in Bur Dubai & Karama

Karama's chai counters on 9A Street, late cafés on Umm Hurair Road and early coffee by Zabeel Park.

Photo: Ayrat, Pexels License

Bur Dubai is the side of the city on the western bank of Dubai Creek, and the name itself marks its old separation from Deira across the water.7 Inland, Al Karama runs about 2 km from Umm Hurair 1, the creekside consulate district, south to Zabeel Park, with Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street and the BurJuman mall on its western edge.1 It had 75,560 residents in 2024, about 50,000 per square kilometer, most of them working-class South Asian and Filipino expatriates.1

Coffee here mostly means tea. Karama's cafeterias sell chai by the glass, and in May 2025 Gulf News put a karak at Al Hara Cafeteria at Dh1–2.50, the cheapest on its list of Dubai karak spots.4 The district is changing quickly: a Jadaliyya essay on Karama found that its old cafeterias, which served instant Nescafé with milk and sugar, had largely given way to upscale cafés.2

Local tip: Take the Red Line to ADCB, Karama's own station, for Al Hara Cafeteria on 9A Street: a karak cost Dh1–2.50 there in 2025, and the house biryani chai has no milk at all.

At a glance

71Cafés listed
12With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
03:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Les Floralies Dubai - Za'abeel 1, from 06:00 (Mon–Thu 06:00–21:00 · Fri–Sat 09:30–21:30 · Sun 06:00–21:00).
  • Closes latest: Cafe & Lounge 88, until 03:00 (Daily 09:30–03:00).
  • Most listed streets: Street (9), Umm Hurair Road (3).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (13%), open late (10%), card payment (6%).

Casato Cafe

  • Casato Cafe Al Mina Road
  • +971 4 54797171
  • Wi-Fi
  • Air-con
  • Indoor seating
  • Card payment
  • Vegetarian options
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Smoke-free indoors
  • Brunch
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AquaLounge

  • Daily 08:00–20:00
  • Wi-Fi
  • Air-con
  • Indoor seating
  • Card payment
  • Vegetarian options
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Toilets
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Coffee chains in Bur Dubai & Karama

Getting around Karama and Oud Metha

Three Red Line metro stations serve the district: ADCB in Karama itself, BurJuman on its western edge and Oud Metha, a short walk to the east.1 Many RTA bus routes run through it, and a sub bus station links Karama with Dubai Silicon Oasis, Abu Hail and Sharjah.1

The road layout is newer than the buildings suggest. In 2016 the Roads and Transport Authority announced a $160 million plan to ease traffic in the district, and an eight-lane underpass and a four-lane flyover opened in February 2018.2 A pedestrian bridge crosses from Karama into Zabeel Park.1

Colonies, the market and the 18B Street murals

Karama's housing carries its history. In the 1960s about 8,000 Omanis displaced from Zanzibar ended up stateless; Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum offered them sanctuary, and they settled in Karama in the early 1980s.1 In 1978 the government built Sheikh Rashid Colony, seventeen low-rise blocks that residents called the "7000 buildings" after their AED 7,000 annual rent. Demolition began in 2012, and new blocks such as Wasl Hub and Wasl Duet followed.2

Karama Shopping Complex is one of Dubai's oldest retail hubs, with bags, perfume, sportswear, gold and Indian clothes.5 The Karama Fish Market, at the end of 18B Street, opens daily 08:00–22:00, and many buildings on 18B Street were painted with murals in 2016.5 South of the district, Zabeel Park holds the Dubai Frame, 150.24 meters tall and open since 1 January 2018.6

Al Hara Cafeteria and the 9A Street counters

Al Hara Cafeteria on 9A Street was opened in 1998 by four cousins from Kozhikode in Kerala, one of whom had worked as a tea boy for seven years before.3 Its menu runs to eight teas, among them masala, suleimani, zafrani, karak and its own biryani chai, a milkless brew of ginger, cinnamon, pepper, mint, lemon juice and honey, with one ingredient kept secret.3 Gulf News has described it as open around the clock and busiest in the early morning.35

Beans & Cream and Walkers Cafe are also on 9A Street, and Tea and Chat Cafe is close by at 12 8B Street. Cafe Cache, on the ground floor of the Al Wasl Duet 2 building on 43a Street, opens daily 10:00–22:00 and has outdoor seats; Cutting Chai is on the same street.

Late nights on Umm Hurair Road, early starts in Zabeel

Umm Hurair Road has more cafés than any other street in the area, from Alsultanah Cafe and Nasimi Cafe to Moon Mood Cafe at number 81. Fomo Cafe, at 21 Umm Hurair Road, opens daily 08:00–02:00, and Cafe & Lounge 88, at 25 319-2 Street, stays open until 03:00. Indian Coffee House Restaurant, in the north of the area, is open 24 hours.

For an early coffee, Les Floralies in Za'abeel 1 opens at 06:00 from Sunday to Thursday and at 09:30 on Friday and Saturday, and Dostea opens daily at 07:00. Portioli, in the Spectrum Building in Oud Metha, keeps office hours, 08:30–16:00, and closes on Friday and Saturday. Unwind Specialty Boardgame Cafe, in Park Gate Residences in Zabeel, serves specialty coffee and stays open until 00:00 from Friday to Sunday.

Sources

  1. Al Karama, Dubai, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Karama: An Immigrant Neighborhood Transformed, Jadaliyya, accessed October 2026
  3. The biryani chai of Al Karama in Dubai: the perfect recipe to cure a tiring day, Gulf News (updated June 5, 2021), accessed October 2026
  4. Explore the best spots in Dubai to enjoy a classic cup of Karak Chai, Gulf News (updated May 21, 2025), accessed October 2026
  5. Cool neighbourhood in Dubai: 10 reasons you must visit Karama, Gulf News (updated January 11, 2022), accessed October 2026
  6. Dubai Frame breaks world record, Gulf News (updated May 11, 2019), accessed October 2026
  7. Bur Dubai, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Bur Dubai & Karama, also browse: Specialty coffee Open late Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés

FAQ

Bur Dubai & Karama cafés: questions

What is biryani chai at Al Hara Cafeteria in Karama, Dubai?

Biryani chai is Al Hara Cafeteria's own tea: a brew without milk, made with ginger, a little cinnamon and pepper, mint, lemon juice and honey, plus one ingredient the owners keep secret. Four cousins from Kozhikode in Kerala opened the cafeteria on 9A Street in Karama in 1998, and its menu lists eight teas, including karak, suleimani and zafrani.

Which metro stations serve Karama in Bur Dubai, Dubai?

Three Red Line stations serve Karama: ADCB, inside the district, BurJuman on its western edge by Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street, and Oud Metha, a short walk to the east. Many RTA bus routes also cross the district, and its sub bus station has links to Dubai Silicon Oasis, Abu Hail and Sharjah. A pedestrian bridge connects Karama with Zabeel Park.

Where are the late-night cafés in Bur Dubai and Karama, Dubai?

Umm Hurair Road has the most cafés in Karama. Fomo Cafe at 21 Umm Hurair Road opens daily 08:00–02:00, and Cafe & Lounge 88 on 319-2 Street stays open until 03:00. Indian Coffee House Restaurant is open 24 hours, and Gulf News has described Al Hara Cafeteria on 9A Street as running around the clock.

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