22 all-day breakfasts in Dubai
Breakfast. Allegedly the most important meal of the day. But they didn’t say anything about when… So whatever time you manage to rise, take comfort (and nutrition) in the arms of these all-day eggs, waffles, tacos, sarnies – oh, you get the picture.
LEGIT ALL-DAY
Arrows & Sparrows
Breakfast served daily 8am-6pm
If you’re in the kind of pain only the greasiest of spoons can alleviate, this hipster haven probably isn’t what you’re looking for. If it’s gains on the brain, however, you’ve come to the right spot. It’s all “breakfast with colours” and “pokecado” in this corner of The Greens. You’ve been warned…
Where: Building 4, Emaar Business Park, The Greens
Contact: +9714 558 8141
Black Tap
Breakfast served Fri-Sat 10am-4pm
Big on this place’s burgers and craft brews? Us too. So news that the Jumeirah Al Naseem branch is now doing breakfast until 4pm on weekends has us fantasising all week long about its fried chicken with blueberry waffles. The massive menu also stars breakfast tacos, eggs Benny with slow-roasted beef and a behemoth Baja breakfast. They’ve cracked it – and you’d be wrong if you think we’re going anywhere else…
Where: Jumeirah Al Naseem, Umm Suqeim
Contact: +9714 422 9904
Bystro
Breakfast served Mon-Sat until 4pm, Sun until 5pm
This award-winning café on Sheikh Zayed Road is never more popular than during the weekend breakfast scrum – but did you know you can beat the crowds by breakfasting a little later? Good thing they serve your favourite dishes until just before dinner time. Feast on brisket hash, huevos rancheros, granola yoghurt or even English crumpets with Vegemite thanks to this globe-trotting morning menu. They’re not yolking around…
Where: Al Manara, Sheikh Zayed Road Umm Suqeim
Contact: +9714 336 8056
Common Grounds
Breakfast served daily until 4pm
It may not be the best value on the list, but if you find yourself trudging bleary-eyed around the mall, looking for sanctuary, there are few better spots. Not least because of a bazillion different types of coffee filtering/processing/whatever it is (if you weren’t bleary-eyed when you arrived, the bewildering choice may leave you so), and stonking great rafts of toast topped with the likes of avocado, goat’s cheese and poached eggs.
Where: Mall of the Emirates, Al Barsha (coming soon to DIFC)
Contact: +97150 478 1094
Denny’s
Breakfast served 24/7
A stalwart on the American diner (chain) scene, Denny’s has only two Dubai outposts, but no matter how long it takes you to reach one, breakfast will still be on the cards. Take on the monster Grand Slamwich packed with scrambled eggs, crumbled sausage, bacon, ham and American cheese, or pit your stomach against the might steak skewer and eggs skillet, packed with a steak kebab, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and red-skinned potatoes, all topped with sweet barbecue sauce and two eggs. Not heart-stopping enough for you? The Peanut Butter Cup Pancake Breakfast should do the trick – milk and white chocolate chips inside two fluffy pancakes, topped with hot fudge and drizzled with peanut butter sauce. Pair with fried eggs, hash browns and sausage for maximum belly busting effect.
Where: Opposite Times Square Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road (also Al Rigga)
Contact: +9714 526 0365
Fibber Magee’s
Breakfast served until 2am
Real sausage, real bacon, real black pudding – all of it served until the very real following morning at this brilliant backstreet Irish pub. That said, head down for breakfast between 8am and 11am and you’ll get 20 percent off, which means the massive Big Breakfast Bap will set you back a mere AED31.20 for a massive helping of bacon, sausage, black or white pudding, fried egg and fresh tomato in a floury white roll. There’s also the sizeable Fibber Magee’s Breakfast, piping hot toasties and eggs however you like them.
Where: Behind Saeed Tower One, Sheikh Zayed Road
Contact: +9714 332 2400
HEAT
Breakfast served daily until midnight
This café is all about the healthy eats (clue’s in the name, again) and so you’ll find a lot of egg whites on this list, plus oats, no sugar and low-carb options. Try oat and egg white pancakes sweetened with Splenda, the Phill roll featuring low-fat cream cheese, spinach, tomato and smoked salmon in a wholewheat tortilla, or the Bodybuilder’s Breakfast of sirloin steak with three eggs any style. Gulp. Wash it down with a raw (?!) coffee.
Where: Near Dubai London Clinic, Jumeirah Beach Road
Contact: +9714 338 8831
Man’oushe Street
Breakfast served 24/7
With locations across the MENA region (and 14 in Dubai alone) this chain has hit upon a winning formula, serving up Lebanese dishes in a wholly unfussy yet highly palate-pleasing way. As you’d expect from such cuisine, eggs are the order of the day with the Sunrise version that will make both your tummy (and your bank manager) happy at a mere AED19.75. We can’t get enough of the version with soujouk, though – simple but superbly satisfying.
Where: Various locations including Arabian Ranches
Contact: +971 600 566 667
Operation: Falafel
Breakfast served 24/7
Not everyone can stomach falafel first thing in the morning but thankfully O:F offers a lot more besides. The classic ijjeh is a finely filling way to start your day but if too many vegetables might put you off doing so, we’d highly recommend ordering some eggs just the way you want them or go with the eggs and potato that comes with some rather lush homemade bread. With plans afoot to expand into the UK, US and Swiss markets, this is clearly a well-oiled operation.
Where: Various locations including JBR
Contact: +971600 530 006
Raju Omlet
Breakfast served daily 8.30am-11pm
Yes, as you’d guessed it this place specialises in that most brilliantly simple but fantastically tasty egg-based breakfast dish. Indian expats love it for the memories these yolks evoke, while the rest of us love its quirky takes on traditional dishes (even the shakshouka gets a twist) and the absolute bargain prices (breakfast and a chai will cost you less than AED20). Simply put, this place is a whole batch of fun.
Where: Al Quoz, Karama & Business Bay
Contact: +9714 388 3355
Stomping Grounds
Breakfast served Sun-Wed 8am-11pm, Thu-Fri 8am-midnight
Rightly priding itself on its array of coffee concoctions, this Jumeirah hangout also knocks out a fine line in brekkie dishes that they’ll gleefully rustle up for you any time, day or night. The menu is a bountiful one, with the usual suspects of chia, granola, pancakes, porridge, waffles and French toast all available but we like to go against the grain a little while here and order the Moroccan meat and eggs, baked egg boat or breakfast pizza (yes, we love a nice slice in the morning).
Where: Villa 98, Street 12 D, Jumeirah 1
Contact: +9714 344 4451
tashas
Breakfast served daily 7.30am-11pm
Serving up a cracking selection of healthy and flavoursome dishes, this South African import has firmly established itself as one of the go-to breakfast spots for Jumeirah residents (and the rest of us). If you want to kick-start your engine in the perfect way, try the breakfast royale (order with salmon for an even more regal plate), while the tourlou tourlou is Greek speciality that’ll leave you all shook up (in a good way).
Where: The Galleria, Al Wasl Street
Contact: +9714 385 5500
The Sum of Us
Breakfast served daily 8am-5pm
Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked bread in the morning? Well, as soon as walk into this Downtown café, that’s what grabs you, like a warming hug from a very dear friend. Should you be hankering for a full-on feed, Our Big Breakfast is undoubtedly the way to go (it’ll be one of the healthiest-feeling fry-ups to have ever touched your lips). The omelettes are also outstanding but those seeking something less calorific should order The Green Breakfast Bowl for a kick of kale and
heartiness of halloumi.
Where: Burj Al Salam Tower, Downtown Dubai
Contact: +97156 445 7526
The Surf Café
Breakfast served all day (limited menu), Sun-Thu 7am-noon, Fri-Sat 7am-2pm
These fabulously friendly pioneers of the surfing community in Dubai soon hit upon a great way to send their new buddies out onto the waves (or better welcome them back from the high seas), with a hearty and healthy breakfast cooked with love. Vegan options pepper the menu but even if you haven’t gone meat-free, The Café’s Breakfast has all the goodness of a Full English, just without the extra calories that would weigh you down on the board.
Where: Al Soon Street, JBR
Contact: +9714 346 6292
Zaatar w Zeit
Breakfast served 24/7
Chain restaurants can often fall into the trap of being identikit and somewhat non-descript but what makes our Lebanese friends stand out is the fact they always manage to get every last drop of flavour out of their fresh ingredients. Yes, the all-day breakfast menu might be small but you can’t argue with the quality of the halloumi pans, labneh and eggs your way. Had a late one? The mightily tasty manakeesh will soon pick you up.
Where: Various locations, including Dubai Marina
Contact: +971600 522 231
The Irish Village
Breakfast served 11am-6pm
These guys don’t do mornings either, so roll out of bed late for a massive Village Fry of egg, bacon, sausage, black AND white pudding, hash brown, grilled tomato, baked beans, grilled mushroom and toast (AED75), or a bacon or veggie omelette (from AED44). Carb fiend? Shovel down a ham and cheese toastie (AED49) or a classic bacon or sausage sarnie (AED46). Sun’s over the yardarm, isn’t it…?
Where: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Garhoud
Contact: +9714 282 4750
FOR THE EARLIER BIRDS…
(After all, getting up before 1pm is an achievement that needs rewarding)
21 grams
Breakfast served Sun-Thu 7am-noon, Fri-Sat 7am-1pm
Named after the latitude of the Balkan Peninsula (and, coincidentally, the alleged weight of the human soul), 21 grams is a bistro serving food from the Balkan region, and has garnered something of a cult following in Dubai. Visit for the full Balkan breakfast (AED62) – baked eggs in a tomato and pepper relish with beef sausages and crumbled feta – stay for the cool vibes and brilliant proximity to the beach.
Where: Park Regis Boutique Jumeirah Hotel, Umm Suqeim
Contact: +9714 349 0744
Kaftan Turkish Gourmet
Breakfast served daily until 3pm
Head down to the seaside for a massive menu of traditional Turkish breakfast staples, including firin peynir kizartma (oven-baked bread topped with cheese, eggs and parsley), sucuklu yumurta (eggs any style with home-made beef soujouk) and bal & kaymak (organic bee honeycomb served with thick, fresh Turkish cream). You’ll also find street food fave gobit (lavash topped with greens, tomatoes, potatoes and boiled egg), plus hummus and flaky boregi pastries. Well – don’t just stand there drooling…
Where: La Mer, Jumeirah 1 (also Umm Suqeim)
Contact: +9714 344 6288
Maison de Juliette
Breakfast served until 3pm
We appreciate this place isn’t exactly the cheapest but you definitely get what you pay for at Maison de Juliette – French-inspired dishes with a certain je ne sais quoi. Gallic brekkies aren’t just about croissants, coffee and pains au chocolat, you know. Fresh eggs play a huge part in the menu, with Juliette’s egg ratatouille taking shakshouka and giving it a Mediterranean-inspired twist, plus her Provençal omelette is pretty cracking, too.
Where: La Mer, Jumeirah 1
Contact: +9714 385 5532
McGettigan’s JLT
Breakfast served daily until 10pm
For those mornings after the night before (especially if you’ve been rocking out to one of its live bands) JLT dwellers in need of some sustenance could do far worse than head here. The Irish Breakfast is a cut above what you’d find in your local greasy spoon back home (a large one at AED93 is the business if you’re feeling a tad tender), while the homemade pancakes with lashings of hot salted caramel sauce are the perfect antidote to any sluggishness. Grab any dish as part of a deal and you’ll feel a load rosier, too.
Where: Bonnington JLT, Cluster J
Contact: +9714 356 0470
Parker’s
Breakfast served until 1pm
Food truck pop-ups have rarely been as well received in our fair city than this ingenious creation that took quirkiness and ran with it, and then became an entire café chain. Our first bite of Parker’s was into a Benedict Croissant: poached eggs with a truffle-infused mushroom sauce, lettuce and a baked croissant topped with hollandaise. It sounded slightly wrong but tasted oh-so right. The taco omelette and Dark French Toast sealed the deal.
Where: La Mer
Contact: +97156 369 1388
Tom & Serg
Breakfast served daily 8am-3.45pm
As an artist, you’ll doubtless not know precisely when a wave of inspiration will hit you. But what’s striking about this Australian duo’s Al Quoz operation is that it will give you a proper fill all day (as long as your nocturnal leanings mean you can get up before 3pm). The Aussie Benedict is as cool as they come, the braised wagyu beef shoulder still making us smack our lips at the very thought of it, plus the varieties of smashed avo are a masterpiece.
Where: 15A Street, Al-Joud Center, Al Quoz
Contact: +97156 474 6812
ON THE SAUCE
A highly unscientific guide to what your choice of breakfast condiment says about you…
Tomato Ketchup
Nothing to see here, Captain Beige. You’re as vanilla as they come – unless your preferred brand isn’t Heinz, in which case we really didn’t see that coming.
Brown sauce
You take your breakfast seriously. Your palate is more sophisticated than the average ketchup consumer, and you have a deep and abiding appreciation for those top notes of dates and molasses. You even know what those HP initials stand for. Natch.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise? On BREAKFAST? You might as well put gravy on your omelette. Or just stop reading this article. Clearly you have no respect for the fine institution of morning food, and no business eating it at any time of the day.
Hot sauce
You often find yourself ordering food you don’t like, either for virtuous health reasons or to maintain the Instagram version of yourself. As a result, you pile as much of the vinegary chilli stuff on as possible to mask a creeping sense of self-loathing.
Barbecue sauce
What are you? A cowboy? Take that Stetson back stateside.
