Cafés in Deira

Getting to Deira by abra and metro

The cheapest way in is across the water. Deira Old Souq marine station, in Al Ras, takes the CR1 abra from Bur Dubai: Dh1 one way on a traditional boat or Dh2 for the air-conditioned one as of February 2024, for a crossing of about five minutes, with boats from about 06:00.⁶ The nearest metro stop is Al Ras on the Green Line.⁶

From the Al Fahidi side, route CR5 runs to Deira Old Souq for AED 2, 08:00–23:30 Monday to Thursday and from 09:30 on Sunday. Cash, nol cards and bank cards are accepted at every station, and Ramadan and holiday timings can differ.⁷

Freej Al Murar and its coffee houses

Al Murar takes its name from the Al Marri tribe, which settled it earlier, and is home to about 20,000 people.² Its back lanes are barely wide enough for a car, and many shopfronts fly the green, yellow and red flag. At one coffee shop there in 2020, a server held a straw tray of freshly roasted beans under each guest's nose, then poured from a clay pot into small white china cups and sat down to talk.³

The pot is a jebena, with a rounded base, a neck, a spout and a straw lid. Coffee is brewed three times from the same grounds, rounds called abol, tona and baraka (blessing), often with popcorn or peanuts on the side.⁴

About a third of Deira's cafés sit in this grid of numbered streets, with 8 Street holding the most, ahead of 10 Street and 6 Street. Even Bedru Coffee Shop and Sara Kifle Cafe are on 10 Street, Mekdelawit Cafe and Hanan Tefera Cafe on 12 Street, Adama Coffee on 6 Street, and Asmara Coffee Shop on 17b Street.

Coffee around the Gold Souk and Al Ras

In 1841 a smallpox epidemic pushed many Bur Dubai residents across the creek to Deira, which later weathered fires in 1896 and a 1908 storm that sank pearling boats.¹ The Gold Souk, in Al Ras near Baniyas Square, grew from merchants who set up on the creek in the early 1900s and now holds more than 380 retailers, mostly jewelers. As of September 2024 it was due for renovation as part of a planned Dubai Gold District.⁵

MAMAS, with brunch, sits in the souk itself, and Tavolino Pizza and Coffee on Baniyas Square has Wi-Fi. Al Kahf Cafeteria and Al Saheefa Cafeteria are on Al Khor Street, toward the water.

East toward Al Muteena and Port Saeed

Away from the souks the cafés follow the residential streets. Al Muteena Street has Al Leqaa, Al Raazi and Samantha Cafè, with Talah Zaman Cafe at number 33; Strawberry Corner is at 5 Al Muraqqabat Street, and Al Falamanki Cafe is on Al Ettihad Road. Karak & Chapati, on 34b Street, and Classmates Chai, on 38A Street, are named for the drinks they sell.

For a later stop, Amba opens daily 09:00–00:00.