Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releasesGet our food and drink newsletter for freeGet our food and drink newsletter for freeWhile many culinary trends prove fleeting, the distinctive ‘Dubai chocolate’ phenomenon appears to have firmly established itself, rapidly expanding its influence across the confectionery world. Characterised by its rich sweetness and luxurious, thick texture, this indulgent treat is now inspiring a diverse array of confections beyond its original bar form.The original and now-iconic Dubai chocolate bar was first conceived by Fix Chocolatier in the United Arab Emirates in 2021, achieving viral status on social media by 2023. Its signature appeal lies in a robust milk chocolate shell encasing a creamy pistachio filling, often blended with tahini, and studded with crispy, shredded kadayif pastry – a phyllo-like confection.This innovative concept is now being reinterpreted by both major global brands and independent bakers. The distinctive flavour profile is being adapted into new formats, from croissants to milkshakes, with fillings evolving to include everything from peanut butter and jelly to s’mores and matcha.open image in galleryPieces of Dubai chocolate bars are displayed in New York on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (Katie Workman via AP)“I don’t call this a ‘trend’ anymore — it’s a whole new thing,” said Din Allall, whose family business, The Nuts Factory, has about 150 U.S. stores featuring nuts, dried fruits and candies.He carries 12 flavors of Dubai chocolate bar, as well as chocolate- and pistachio-covered Dubai dates, Dubai-coated roasted nuts, a layered Dubai chocolate strawberry parfait, and a Dubai Golden Chocolate bar infused with edible 24-karat gold for $79.99 (their regular 6.5-ounce bars sell for $18.99).It’s not just the flavors that make Dubai chocolate different, Allall says, but the bar’s structure too — “huge, thick, with lots of filling.”Trader Joe’s carries a Dubai chocolate bar made by Patislove. IHOP introduced a limited-time Dubai pancake stack in some locations in August. Baskin-Robbins has some Dubai-inspired ice cream products on its menu, while Costco sells a range of Dubai chocolate confections, including a Dubai chocolate cake. Walmart and QVC also sell Dubai chocolate.open image in galleryPieces of Dubai chocolate by Chocolove are displayed in New York. (Katie Workman via AP)Swiss chocolate giant Lindt has a bar, and drew crowds when it debuted a limited number of them in Europe last fall.“For me, it’s the crunch,” said Erica Lefkowits, who was buying some Dubai chocolate recently in Dublin. “The chocolate is soft and melty, and the filling is creamy, and then the crunch of the kadayif. It’s all about the texture. Plus, it’s sugar.”She was a little annoyed at the price, higher than your average chocolate bar. Part of Dubai chocolate’s appeal, though, is the way it feels simultaneously indulgent and worldly. Pistachios, rose, saffron and cardamom bring luxury, travel and exoticism to the chocolate party.Despite the price, “I’ve never seen a single item sell like this in my 50 years of retailing,” said Stew Leonard, Jr., CEO of Stew Leonard’s grocery stores in the New York metropolitan area. The chain introduced the BeeMax Dubai chocolate bar in March, watched it fly out the doors, he said, and then launched their own house-branded version (made by the company Chocopologie).They’ve introduced a Dubai chocolate gift box for the holidays, which includes teeny Dubai ice cream cones, Dubai pralines and two bars. Some other widely distributed brands in the U.S. are Moda, Magno and Leonessa. Other iterations of Dubai chocolate include Chocolove’s little candies and Matteo’s Coffee Syrups’ sugar-free chocolate coffee syrup.
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Dubai Chocolate is no longer just a craze. It’s about more than bars
