Whether you’ve seen the videos all over social media, noticed cleared-out shelves in the supermarket, or spotted pistachio flavours all over the dessert menu at your favourite restaurants, chances are that you’ve heard about the Dubai-style chocolate craze.
We have Dubai-based Fix Chocolatier to thank for the surging popularity of pistachio. Although the Emirati chocolatiers launched their popular chocolate bar, “can’t get knafeh of it”, back in 2022, news of its indulgent, must-try flavour has travelled across the world this year, and demand is only growing. Currently, the phrase Dubai chocolate has surpassed 120 million views on TikTok, creating a taste for pistachio across the world.
The original bar, which costs $18 (£13.25), combines flavours of pistachio, chocolate and tahini with filo pastry, taking inspiration from the Middle Eastern dessert knafeh. This popular sweet treat is made with spun Dubai pastry dough layered with cheese, soaked in a sweet, sugary syrup and finished with crushed pistachios.
While fans of Fix Chocolatier’s Dubai chocolate may say that nothing quite measures up to the original, it’s only on sale in Dubai. Even there, demand is limited; the original bars are only available for a few hours each day before selling out.
To satisfy a global craving, Dubai-style chocolate products can now be found in supermarkets, chocolate shops, cafes and markets. There’s M&S’s viral big daddy pistachio bar, and The Ivy restaurant collection has even launched a new pistachio take on their famous chocolate bombe dessert.
But that supply still isn’t meeting demand. Waitrose had to limit customer purchases of the Lindt Dubai-style chocolate, there have been multiple restocks of M&S’s chocolate, and we’ve even seen international nut shortages.
Dubai-style chocolate is famously expensive, with its ingredients all coming with a premium price tag. There are also a handful of imported Dubai chocolates which do not meet Food Standards Agency requirements. On top of all of that, it’s a fad. Much like the Labubu bag charm craze, there is a lot of marketing trying to sell people on this viral chocolate.
In a bid to bring you honest, side-by-side takes, I tried the best Dubai-style chocolate goodies on the market (I know, it’s a hard job). Here’s everything you need to know.
How I tested
Lucky for me, I’m a self-proclaimed chocoholic, so eating a lot of chocolate in the name of good journalism wasn’t an issue.
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I love nutty flavours, and had tried many pistachio-flavoured chocolates before conducting this review. After covering Godiva’s Dubai chocolate bar, I already knew that great pistachio flavour is mildly sweet, creamy and buttery, with an earthiness, and sometimes saltiness, to it. But, for this particular test, I was looking for products that incorporate that additional crisp and crunch that Dubai-style chocolate is famous for, along with silky and smooth chocolate.
To assess each product’s worth, I considered the size, quality of ingredients, and, of course, the taste.
The best Dubai-style chocolates for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Godiva pistachio and kadayif milk chocolate: £15.49, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Patislove kadayif Dubai chocolate style bar: £3.99, Aldi – in-store only
- Best authentic option – Läderach frischschoggi Dubai milk: £32, Laderach.com
- Best bite-sized option – Hotel Chocolat pistachio chocolate selector: £5.45, Hotelchocolat.com
- Best unique take – Marks & Spencer the big daddy pistachio bar: £8, Ocado.com
- Best Dubai-style chocolate dessert – Dubai chocolate biskies: £21.75, Cutterandsquidge.com
- Best rich chocolate – Lindt Dubai style milk chocolate bar: £10, Ocado.com
