Dubai and Abu Dhabi offer extraordinary dining diversity — 200+ nationalities live in the UAE, and their cuisines are all represented. Emirati cuisine itself centers on dishes like harees (wheat and meat porridge), machboos (spiced rice with meat or fish), and luqaimat (sweet dumplings with date syrup) — seek them out at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.
The souk areas of Deira have excellent Pakistani, Indian, and Levantine restaurants at very low prices. Dubai's restaurant scene runs the gamut from Michelin-starred international restaurants to affordable shawarma stands ($1-2). Friday brunch is a UAE institution — a lavish buffet-plus-drinks affair at hotel restaurants.