Kosher Food In Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Ever since the Abraham Accords were signed in September 2020, cementing peace and diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, things have been moving fast and furious on the kosher food front. Here, we overview the developments revolving around kosher food, primarily in Dubai but also in Abu Dhabi, the two largest emirates in the UAE. While there are numerous kosher food options in the UAE and the kosher landscape is very dynamic, the kosher food scene is centered in Dubai, where the core Jewish community and tourism, more generally, are focused.
Kosher Restaurants In Dubai
Mosaica Dubai
Located in the Sofitel Downtown on the 31st Floor in Dubai, the Mosaica offers a chilled lounge vibe with great drinks, sushi, and American fare such as burgers, steaks, and fish. In addition to the solid menu items, the high floor combined with the world-class hotel provides diners with a great view.
Elli’s Cafe & Kosher Kitchen
Headed by Elli Kriel, wife of Ross Kriel, a stalwart of the community, Elli’s has both a cafe and a takeout-focused operation that are both certified by the OU. She describes the food on offer as “Kosherati,” kosher cooking with an Emirati flair.
In October 2022, Elli’s opened a cafe with the eponymous name, “Elli’s Cafe.” The dairy cafe is located on the Golden Mile, Palm Jumeirah, and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu includes pizzas, pasta, fish, and baked goods.
In addition to the Dubai location, Elli’s Kosher Kitchen has a location at the Aloft Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The location is on a rooftop next to the hotel pool and a hooka lounge.
Elli’s has started offering a variety of Dubai kosher activities, including desert safaris and a yacht cruise.
Treat Gourmet
Treat Gourmet is a delivery and catering operation affiliated with Rabbi Levi Duchman of the UAE Chabad. According to the old menu on its website, it seems to be getting a second life, as it was previously a non-kosher operation.
The Kosher Place Dubai
A sister location of the Kosher Place in Abu Dhabi, the Kosher Place Dubai is located in the Jumeirah Creek Side Hotel and offers grilled Israeli-style favorites. The restaurant is certified as kosher by Rabbi Levi Duchman.
Mul Hayam
Mul Hayam is a brand new kosher waterfront restaurant in Dubai that opened in April 2021. It serves a variety of Israeli-focused cuisine. As of now, it is only present on Instagram, and it lists its location there.
Closed Kosher Dubai Restaurants
The Dubai kosher food scene is fast-moving, and new restaurants are constantly opening and closing. Here, we provide an overview of some of the most notable past restaurants that have since been noted as closed.
Armani/Kaf
Armani/Kaf was one of the first kosher fine-dining restaurants in the UAE. It was located in Dubai within the world’s largest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa. The restaurant was on the ground floor of the luxurious Armani Hotel Dubai (a Giorgio Armani-branded property). Rabbi Levi Duchman, the recent official emissary (conveniently fluent in Arabic) of Chabad in the UAE, certified it kosher.
Kosher Restaurants In Abu Dhabi
Kosher Place Abu Dhabi
There is only one kosher restaurant in Abu Dhabi, with all the other kosher restaurants located in the UAE, centered in Dubai. The newly opened branch of Kosher Place is located in the Ritz Carlton Hotel of Abu Dhabi and offers a variety of grill and steakhouse offerings. Rabbi Levi Duchman certified the restaurant as kosher.
Elli’s @ Aloft Hotel, Abu Dhabi
In addition to the Dubai location, Elli’s Kosher Kitchen has a location at the Aloft Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
The location is on a rooftop next to the hotel pool and a hooka lounge.
Shabbat Meals With Chabad
Chabad of the UAE is currently hosting a Shabbat dinner and lunch on Friday night at The Address Dubai Marina Hotel. The fee shown on the website is $75 for dinner and $45 for lunch. RSVP is required and can be completed here.
Kosher Supermarkets In Dubai
Kosher food is essential for Jewish life, no matter where you live!
— Rabbi Levi Duchman حاخام ليفي دوخمان (@RabbiUAE) December 13, 2022
Opening Dubai’s first Kosher Supermarket is a project that will make it much easier for Jewish families to come live and visit the UAE!
A BIG thank you to those who helped us make this project happen. pic.twitter.com/MfFHMiaLh8
While kosher restaurants were the first to enter Dubai, as of late 2022, there is also now a kosher supermarket called Rimon Market. The supermarket is at Wasl Square, shop 18 – Al Safa 1.
Find A Kosher Hotel To Book In Dubai
There is a growing list of hotels in Dubai offering kosher food and related amenities. Al Habtoor Hospitality owns numerous hotels in the UAE and was the first to offer 24/7 kosher-certified room service in many of its properties, such as breakfast and dinner. This followed a note by the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Culture requesting kosher food options. To that end, the ministry has started offering hotels free kosher certification for a year.
We have an overview of the best kosher hotels in Dubai, UAE.
An Overview Of The Two Largest Emirates
For one unfamiliar with the geography of the UAE, things can get a bit confusing. There are seven emirates in total, with the two largest cities within the emirates also having the namesake of the emirate in which they are located. The most obvious comparison would be between New York State and New York City. Abu Dhabi is the UAE’s capital, the largest emirate by land area, and the second-largest city by population. Dubai is the largest city by population and one of the seven emirates. It takes about an hour and a half to travel between Abu Dhabi and Dubai (87 miles).
Jewish Communities In The UAE
Numerous Jewish congregations exist, including Chabad, which centers in Dubai, where the bulk of the UAE’s Jewish community resides. The other and older congregation of the UAE, also headquartered in Dubai, is under the auspices of the Jewish Council of the Emirates (JCE), which just announced it would get its first full-time rabbi, Rabbi Elie Abadie.
Today for the First Time Ever, and afternoon many months of hard work, I’m proud to present an Exclusive look into the Dubai JCC @JewishUae community in this week’s @Ami_Magazine!!!! In stores tonight. pic.twitter.com/dzcxekc2FA
— Shloime Zionce | שלומי זייאנץ (@Chusidel) June 9, 2020
Shuls (Synagogues) In The UAE
Minyan on the Palm
Minyan On The Palm is a modern-Orthodox Shabbat minyan in the Palm Jumeirah St. Regis Hotel run by Ross Kriel, husband of Elli’s, where reportedly “the kiddush lunch is followed by drinks in the St. Regis Bar.“
Chabad (Jewish Community Center) of the UAE
Chabad of the UAE offers a variety of minyanim and kosher food services.
A World-Class Destination For Both Business & Leisure
After all, the UAE, especially its world-class cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, are commercial capitals from both a business and trade perspective and are increasingly tourist destinations. Moreover, there is a legendary and frankly unparalleled luxury among a host of novel and mesmerizing attractions that make the UAE a welcome addition to the Jewish segment who can visit.
Some of the top attractions include:
- The Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum
- Warner Bros. World Theme Park
- The Dubai Mall (Over 1,300 Stores)
Kosher Food On Etihad & Emirates, The UAE’s Flagship Carriers
At about a 3-hour flight time, the proximity of the Emirates to Israel makes the place a destination of particular relevance. The countless Jews that go to Israel every year who might have stopped over in Europe in the past may now be more inclined to spend a few days in the UAE instead. Making the UAE even more attractive is its lineup of unrivaled national airlines. Emirates Airlines has based out of Dubai, while Etihad Airlines is based out of Abu Dhabi.
The UAE’s two flagship carriers are so luxurious, and they offer flights with your own apartment, among other incredible offerings. DansDeals, the miles, points, and travel whiz, has documented how incredible it is to fly on these airlines. Dan has also reported that there will be the potential for over 100 weekly flights between Israel and the UAE as per agreements signed, signaling quite a robust kosher travel sector between the two countries.
While getting kosher meals on Etihad and Emirates was possible through flight services previously, since the peace accord was signed, there have also been developments on the kosher front for airline travel. Ross Kriel, one of the stalwarts of the Jewish community in Abu Dhabi, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Emirates Airlines to and his CCL Holdings to form Kosher Arabia. Kosher Arabia will further expand the kosher food offerings available for air travel to and from the UAE. In addition, the food is set to be certified by the OU, which has spearheaded much of the kosher certification activities taking place at a rapid clip since the Abraham Accords signing.
In addition to the UAE’s two world-class national carriers, EL-AL, which was just sold after being practically bankrupt due to years of mismanagement and the COVID death knell, will also fly to the UAE. Regional and budget airlines such as Arkia, owned by Jordache, ISRAIR, and flydubai, are also set to get in on the action.
Sukkot, Passover, & Summer Kosher Holiday Programs In Dubai
While things are stunted due to the still-raging COVID pandemic, Jewish holiday programs, including Sukkot and Pesach in Dubai, are already hitting the market. For instance, Elli’s Kosher KItchen will be running a program for Sukkot 2021.
We expect that once travel resumes with some regular cadence, there will be a flood of Jewish tourists, especially from the United States, that will visit the UAE. Rabbi Marc Schneier of The Hampton Synagogue, who made trips to the Gulf region before the accords, stated:
“The grand prize for Jewish tourism is not Israel but the American Jewish community.”
Rabbi Marc Schneier In The Times Of Israel
To that end, Rabbi Schneier is spearheading an initiative to increase North American-Jewish tourism to the region.
Nearby Countries With Kosher Food
Bahrain, a tiny neighboring country, announced days after the UAE that they would also be signing the accord with Israel. In addition, the Ritz-Carlton in the capital city, Manama, has announced that they will have kosher food certified by the OU.
There is also a Jewish community in Bahrain, though it is minuscule compared to the UAE. The Nonoos are an illustrious family with a rich history, including Houda Nonoo, who served as the Bahraini ambassador to the United States.
Welcoming Arms For Now – Is Cautious Optimism Too Pessimistic?
Things have moved fast and practically overnight; countries thought of as enemies quickly formed cultural, business, and even religious ties. Now, welcoming arms are wide open on both the Israeli and UAE sides. Great accommodations are being made, and all this was quite unimaginable only a few years ago. With that said, there are variables that anyone who follows this region can second; things can change in the Middle East for the good or bad faster than you can say salaam or shalom. A new administration is coming into the White House, and it is uncertain whether they will take the Trump approach in this area. Also, the Saudis, the main power broker in the region, are taking a wait-and-see approach as to whether they, too, will enter the fold of peace with Israel. There is also the possibility of unintended diplomatic flare-ups of the more benign kind, such as the reported arrest of two Israelis earlier this month for taking unlawful photos of a government building in the country.
Hend Al Otaiba, Director of Strategic Communications in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, wrote an open and inspiring piece in Tablet Magazine. It signals a new and optimistic beginning but acknowledges challenges. Right now, we are taking the road of cautious optimism, but is that too pessimistic?
Last but certainly not least, we believe there is a place for the Jewish and Arab diasporas in this process. These are dynamic populations with world-class skills who care about the future of the region, and have influence in their own countries. We extend a very warm welcome in particular to the American Jewish community and hope more will come to visit us in the United Arab Emirates, which is home to a growing and dynamic Jewish community.
— @Hend Al Otiaba In Tablet Magazine
