All hail the humble burger, a meal you can find in uniform fashion pretty much wherever you travel. Things are a little different on the burger scene in Dubai though; you want a burger that comes with a cake-topped milkshake? Done. One served with raclette? You’re in the right place. Another topped with cheetos? Dubious but, yes, tuck in. Chefs in Dubai are always pushing boundaries and developing new creations for the most discerning diners. The result is an eclectic food mix that makes even the humble burger an exciting new event.
1. Salt
Mouthwatering slider-sized burgers are served up at this family-friendly chain that has a handful of locations across the city (at Kite Beach, Downtown Dubai and Marina, to name but a few). The decor is pretty plain across the locations, but the meat is beautifully juicy (it’s worth ordering a regular-sized burger if sliders just won’t cut the mustard), and the service is slick – it’s no wonder Salt gets rave reviews. Try the wagyu burger and truffle fries if you want to feel a little bougie (there are a variety of milkshakes but the mint lemonade is worth an order if you’re looking for a less heavy beverage).
2. Pickl
Homegrown burger joint Pickl has a mantra of ‘fresh fast food’, and loves showing what the Dubai foodie scene is capable of. Here you’ll find mouthwatering stacked smashed patties loaded with toppings from bacon and onions to dill pickles and secret sauce, all stuffed inside a potato bun. Sides include fries (spicy and regular), as well as big ol’ tubs of pickles. Pickl joints offer kids menus (little pickl meals), a range of milkshakes and a rather splendid ‘ice-cream sando’ for dessert.
3. Eleven Green
Boasting two branches in Dubai (in Umm Suqeim and Khawaneej), this local joint originated from a supper club that led to the creation of award-winning burger The Bull. From here, the team opened Eleven Green in 2023, going on to win Time Out’s Best Burger Bar in 2024 and get a highly commended nod for best burger in 2025. Interiors are funky, with chalkboard walls, and the burgers have stayed true to the original taste that put it on the map. The menu keeps it simple, so opt for the Bull Burger, with bacon jam and a milk bun. Delicious.
4. Bossman’s Burgr Factory
This place (across a couple of locations in Dubai) looks like something from a teenager’s imagination. The decor is full comic-book fantasy, with spray-painted walls, cartoony lettering and funky colours, while the burgers are full-on bonkers out-of-this-world enormous. They’re not just large patties, these bad boys have bits sticking out of the top, are stacked five high, and drizzled with various different kinds of cheese and sauces. In short, they’re the living embodiment of a kid’s drawing of a fantasy burger. Naturally, the TikTok crowd loves it here.
5. Black Tap
Bring your appetite if you plan to eat at one of the many Black Tap outposts in Dubai. In fact, you might want to avoid eating much for a few days if you plan on tackling one of the restaurant’s famous stacked milkshakes at the end of your meal. This place brings New York burger vibes to Dubai.
The flavour combinations are unusual but they work – think pear and bacon jam with blue cheese, or chicken with red pepper jam and truffle hot honey. If you can fit anything else in, look at the milkshake menu. Here, they come in a totally bonkers (but very instagrammable) formula that piles slices of cake and biscuits onto full milkshakes. Delightfully silly.
6. Ugly Burger
Don’t be put off by the name – this place is far from unappetising. However, the emphasis at Ugly Burger is far more on flavour than on looks, and the Asian craft burger joint doesn’t mess about when it comes to flavour. The spicy chicken packs a serious punch (let’s just say it is not for the fainthearted), and the double truffle burger is packed with various fungi. The service is speedy and the decor is classic fast-food joint, with various neon writing on the wall, but frankly, who’s looking when the food is this good.
7. GOAT Burger
For those not in the know, GOAT stands for ‘greatest of all time’ and this burger place may just be in the running on Dubai’s restaurant scene. The beef patties are Wagyu, the ingredients locally sourced, and the flavours out of the ordinary. We like the Arigato (burger, two types of cheese, teriyaki, soy, enoki tempura, mushroom, and Kewpie mayo) and the Wagyu Melt Sando, which is a straight-up wagyu and pastrami with mustard that you never knew you needed (but you do). This small chain has a couple of locations in Dubai, and also delivers on the usual apps.
