flag of United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates » Going Out

Food and Drink

Local fruit and vegetables are increasingly available and there is excellent local fish. Hotels serve both Arab and European food and there is also a number of Chinese, Indian and other restaurants.

Things to know: All the emirates, with the exception of Sharjah, permit the consumption of alcohol by non-Muslims. It is illegal to drink alcohol in the street or to buy it for a UAE citizen.

National specialities:
• Hummus (chickpea and sesame paste).
Tabbouleh (bulghur wheat with mint and parsley).
Ghuzi (roast lamb with rice and nuts).
Warak enab (stuffed vine leaves).
Koussa mashi (stuffed courgettes).

National drinks:
Ayran (a refreshing yoghurt drink).
Strong black coffee.

Tipping: Most hotels and restaurants add fairly high service charges to the bill, therefore tipping is not necessary.

Nightlife

There are numerous nightclubs located in major centres and entertainment ranges from Arabic singers and dancers to international pop stars. Bars are found in all top hotels and range from sophisticated cocktail lounges to English-style pubs. Some hotels also have discos. Traditional dances are performed on public holidays. Most large towns have cinemas showing English-language films.

Shopping

Customs duties are low and therefore luxury goods are cheaper than in most countries. The Dubai duty-free shop is one of the cheapest in the world. Souks sell traditional Emirati leather goods, gold, brass and silverware.

Shopping hours: Daily 0900-1300 and 1600-2100, but many shops are open all day. Shops close for prayers Friday 1130-1330.

Disclaimer:

Content in the country guide is updated every 3 months and is to the best of our knowledge accurate and up-to-date. The information contained is intended as a general guide - any opinions or travel advise expressed are not necessarily those of AME Info FZ LLC.

The information is provided in association with Columbus Travel Publishing Limited and my not be republished or reproduced in anyway without the prior written consent by the publisher.

All information made available from within this product is provided without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, any warranties as to merchantability, non-infringement or fitness for a particular purpose. We accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from this information.

AME Info FZ LLC or Columbus Travel Publishing Limited shall not be liable for any technical, editorial or typographical or other errors or omissions within the information accessible through this product.

Whilst changes are periodically made to the information herein AMEinfo.com FZ LLC or Columbus Publishing Limited does not warrant that information currently accessible is either up-to-date or accurate.

All product names mentioned herein are subject to the trademarks and/or trademark rights of their respective owners.

3D Animated Flags used in this section is courtesy of www.3DFlags.com

Please contact us if you have any questions or corrections to the content in this section.

Information in this section was last updated: Wed May 23 2012