How Dubai Chocolate Went Viral—and is Infiltrating American Dessert Menus

You never forget your first time. Mine was in January this year, at Kamal’s Middle Eastern in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. I had stopped for one of their legendary fresh juices and a halva shake when I spotted something unexpected on the counter: a cellophane-wrapped bar, flecked with white chocolate across a milk chocolate body. It sat quietly in a pastry case otherwise filled with nutty, phyllo-wrapped confections that had likely gone unchanged in Kamal’s 45-year history—a local version of the ultra-viral Dubai chocolate bar.

How It Started

The first Dubai chocolate bar emerged in 2022, created by Sarah Hamouda of FIX Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. It skyrocketed to fame after a TikTok by influencer Maria Vehera, who filmed herself biting into the bar—crunching through kataifi shreds as pistachio cream oozed from its chocolate shell. To date, the video has racked up over 127 million views.

A crunchy, drippy star was born. At first, many tried to faithfully replicate the FIX version, dubbed Can’t Get Knafeh of It. I recall friends with no pastry background ordering silicone molds and attempting to make their own Dubai bars at home.

But now, I beg you: show some restraint.

The Spread (and Saturation)

I live in Philadelphia—nearly 7,000 miles from Dubai—and I feel veritably stalked by this trend’s many spinoffs. There’s a Dubai chocolate ice cream flavor on the menu at Weckerly’s in Rittenhouse. My inbox is overflowing with press releases promoting Dubai chocolate protein bars, milkshakes, secret menu drinks from Starbucks, and even a crookie from Chip City.

Sometimes, the real-life translation of a viral trend makes sense. A new flavor profile on dessert menus can be thrilling—especially one with this much texture, nuance, and novelty. Bite into a Dubai chocolate bar and you're not just partaking in a trend—you’re tasting somewhere else.

But while it’s miraculous as a dessert, I’m skeptical of its rebranding as a health food. I’m also worried about the world’s pistachio supply. According to Food Navigator, pistachio prices are rising amid dwindling supply (“growers and traders are tapped out”), and scams are emerging—multiple illegitimate sellers pretending to be companies like FIX, which doesn’t offer international shipping.

Creative Takes from U.S. Pastry Chefs

Not all chefs are trying to replicate the Dubai bar exactly. Many are using its key flavor trifecta—milk chocolate, pistachio, and kataifi—as a jumping-off point for creative reinterpretations.

At the tasting menu-only restaurant Provenance in Philadelphia, pastry chef Abby Dahan recently served a “Dubai” chocolate soufflé: Sicilian pistachio soufflé with milk chocolate and tahini ice cream, topped with caramelized sesame and kataifi, the shredded phyllo dough that gives Dubai chocolate its signature crunch.

Cake Life Bake Shop in Philadelphia—known for having made Beyoncé’s birthday cake twice—is also no stranger to virality. Co-founder Nima Etemadi says the Dubai trend immediately piqued his interest.

“The idea has been percolating in my mind ever since it started trending. I was like, ‘That sounds delicious,’ and maybe we want to take it on with our pastries in one way or another,” said Etemadi. “We were making these delicious rice krispies that are already an elevation of the norm. That product could really take on the flavor and textures in a really interesting way.”

Cake Life’s Dubai chocolate krispies have proven wildly popular, selling out before 9 a.m. each weekend. Last week, they made 48 krispies and still sold out early.

“Some of our team was less familiar with the ingredients. When they tried it—there’s so much going on texturally,” said Etemadi. “The creaminess and the crunchiness from the pistachio pieces. The rice krispie treat adds so much more crunch and chewiness from the marshmallow.”

“Even in somewhat more amateur hands it’s still really good.”

“What’s fun about Dubai chocolate as a trend is that it’s essentially toppings,” Etemadi continued. “We think of it in chocolate bar form, but it doesn’t have to be served that way. It can be adapted to a lot of things. I saw a Dubai chocolate cinnamon roll the other day. It looked weird, but I bet it tasted good.”

“Guests are intense about it—in a good way. They get excited about the krispie and make it a mission. With other items, if you don’t have the cookie they had in mind, they’ll get a different cookie. But people have their heart set on the Dubai chocolate krispie.”

Back to the Source

Etemadi has never been to Dubai, but hopes to visit one day. Curious whether the trend holds the same cachet in the Gulf, I reached out to a friend who lives in the region.

Brian Becher, Regional Executive Chef for Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants in the Middle East, gave me a straight answer when I asked, “Have you made a Dubai chocolate bar?”

“We have not. But it’s pretty simple.”

And are people as nuts about it there?

“Definitely not, because Dubai doesn’t have an ‘exotic’ connotation as it does in the West. For Gulf residents, Dubai is a weekend destination. So it’s analogous to ‘Ocean City, Maryland chocolate.’ With no nostalgia or historical significance.”

“I honestly haven’t seen anyone in Bahrain selling a version of it. Nor did I see anything in Abu Dhabi last month, which would make sense as there is a bit of sibling rivalry between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. But I find it interesting that it’s so viral in the States.”

A Sweet Reinvention

The Dubai chocolate bar may have been born in Dubai, but American pastry chefs have made it their own. The viral roots are obvious, but the branches are sprawling—inventive, nostalgic, and increasingly delicious.