How to See Old and New Dubai, According to Chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi

Getty

Emirati chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi isn’t shy about sharing her love of Dubai. “I’m very biased,” she says. “I was born and raised here, and I think it’s the greatest city in the world.” As owner and chef at Abra, a new restaurant opening in early 2026 in Dubai’s Etihad Museum, she’s championing New Emirati Cuisine while honoring its roots and the heritage that lies behind the modern city, a place known for its superlatives like bling and luxury lifestyle. But Dubai is much more than that. “When people say Dubai has no soul, I say they just haven’t been to the right places,” Al Awadhi says. “If you want to go to Dubai Mall, go ahead. But seeing the range here will change people’s minds.” Here, she takes us on a winter weekend tour of some of her favorite places that embrace both old and new in always-exciting Dubai.

Having breakfast in Old Dubai

Away from the skyscrapers and supercars, Bur Dubai offers a slower, calmer pace founded on a tapestry woven by generations of merchants and traders who settled around Dubai Creek and made it home. “Bur Dubai is where all cultures meet, and it’s a big source of inspiration for me whenever I need a boost of energy or to ground my restaurant and recipe ideas in the UAE’s heritage,” says Al Awadhi. Her mornings here start with breakfasts of dosa and vada at Sangeetha, or Sudanese bean stew at Foul Abu Al Abbas. “Bur Dubai is where people built their businesses and homes so you’ll see Indian restaurants, Filipino bakeries, Persian kebab shops, and places selling juice, spices and saffron. They’re all major influences on Emirati cuisine,” she says.

Art and culture, architecture and design

A short drive north of Dubai, the emirate of Sharjah is making a name for itself as a cultural destination, and is great for a mid-morning art and architecture walk. Al Awadhi likes to visit the Museum of Islamic Civilization, housed in a former market and filled with manuscripts, astrolabes, ceramics and a gold-embroidered kiswa, the cloth that covers the Kaaba in Makkah. “Look up and you’ll also see a dome covered in mosaics of the constellations,” she says. A little further along the Corniche, the Sharjah Art Foundation’s galleries, made with traditional coral stone walls, host diverse, thought-provoking exhibitions. When she’s in the area, Al Awadhi always stops by Bait Elowal, a century-old house transformed into an art-filled café, restaurant and boutique, and the Al Omani Sweet Factory near the Rain Room, an immersive art installation featuring a constant downpour.

On two wheels

There’s a growing network of cycling paths and rental bikes in Dubai, and late afternoon, when temperatures are cooler, is the best time to head out on two wheels. Al Awadhi likes to start at the Dubai Water Canal and bike on the track that runs along the beach in Jumeirah. “You can cycle all the way along Kite Beach to the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, stopping for refreshments along the way,” she says. There are beachside kiosks selling spiced karak tea, a Dubai staple, and cafés like Common Grounds for coffee and shakes and Feels for healthy bowls and juices. “You’ll see people on scooters and bikes, rollerblading and just hanging out at the public beach. It’s a really nice, unexpected thing for visitors to do.”

Coffee and nostalgia

Back in Dubai and in need of a coffee fix, Al Awadhi heads to Julith in Al Quoz, an industrial neighborhood with a growing creative and artistic community, or to Gérard Café on Jumeirah Beach Road. One of the first European-style cafés to emerge in Dubai back in 1981, for Al Awadhi it’s a nostalgic institution. “You have to order a cappuccino Gérard-style. There’s a secret to why it’s so creamy, but you’ll have to ask them what it is,” she says.

Soulful souvenirs

When she’s looking for quality gifts, Al Awadhi has a few homegrown favorites. “Mirzam in Al Quoz makes beautiful chocolate with real thought and care put into the recipes and stories that inspire them,” she says. Tamashee in Al Seef is a must for contemporary versions of traditional Gulf sandals. “Everything here, from the colours to the detailing and sourcing, is culturally grounded and taps into the fact that a lot of cultural aspects are shared across the Arabian Peninsula,” she says. She buys Arabic coffee and dates grown in the Al Ain oasis from Nuwa, and saffron and dried fruits from Mira Farms, part of the Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative working to empower female farmers in Afghanistan. Both are available online and in the Emirati District at Dubai International Airport.

Sweet stops

Al Awadhi was the first Emirati chef to work at the Burj Al Arab back in 2016, later becoming the iconic hotel’s head pastry chef. “When we were growing up, we had two kinds of pastry shops in Dubai,” she explains. “There were Indian shops selling things like ras malai and gulab jamun, and Persian sweet shops with falooda and ice cream. For French pastries, you had to go to a hotel.” She still seeks out the sweets of her childhood. Sri Krishna and JJ Jalebi are her go-tos for Indian sweets in the Karama neighborhood, and for Persian desserts she heads to Abshar in Jumeirah or to Shirin in Sunset Mall for its excellent cream puffs.

Sunset from the water

Sunset on Dubai Creek is magical, and in the evening Al Awadhi loves jumping on one of the little wooden abra boats that ply the waterway, one of the first modes of transport in the UAE and the inspiration for her new restaurant’s name. At just one dirham (27 cents) a crossing, it’s also one of Dubai’s best deals. “In Arabic, abra means to cross, so it’s significant because we’re presenting food that crosses from old Emirati to new Emirati cuisine. It’s a cuisine that’s long been living in homes, so it’s time to present it in new ways and to elevate it,” she says.

An escape from entrepreneurship

For Al Awadhi, Sundays are about relaxing and planning the week ahead, but when she needs a break from building her business, she’s drawn to water and the mountains. “I gravitate towards the beach in Jumeirah 2, close to 3Fils and the new branch of Salt,” she says, referring to two icons of the homegrown dining scene, the first a harbor-side Japanese spot, the second a much-loved burger joint. But she also grounds herself in Dubai’s mountainous region of Hatta, an area popular with residents for hiking, biking, horseback riding and kayaking. “The Hatta Honey Farm is really cute, and you can dress in yellow beekeeper suits to see the honey-gathering process firsthand,” she says. It’s hard to believe somewhere so remote, rocky and rugged is only a 90-minute drive from downtown Dubai, but it’s all part of the beauty of a city that constantly surprises.

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler

The Latest Stories from Condé Nast Traveler