Guides
How to Choose an Iraqi Restaurant in Dubai and Sharjah: 7 Signs
Kabab Erbil · October 3, 2026
Kabab Erbil · October 3, 2026
A real Iraqi restaurant in Dubai or Sharjah is easy to recognise once you know what to look for: masgouf grilled beside a wood fire, kebab over charcoal rather than gas, tashreeb and kubba made every day, Iraqi breakfast with kahi and geymar, and Iraqi Arabic on the menu. Here are seven signs, and what to order once you find one.
Masgouf is Iraq's national dish: a whole fish split open and grilled upright beside a wood fire. A kitchen that serves it properly will tell you it takes about an hour. If it arrives in fifteen minutes, it was cooked another way. Six signs of real masgouf goes into detail.
Iraqi kebab and tikka are grilled over real charcoal. The smoke from fat dripping onto coals is most of the flavour, and gas cannot produce it. What makes Iraqi grilling different explains why.
An Iraqi kitchen cooks stews, rice and bread dishes, not only grills: quzi, dolma, kubba, qalia, and tashreeb, bread soaked in broth. A restaurant whose "Iraqi" menu is only mixed grill is a grill house with an Iraqi name.
Kahi and geymar, makhlama and patcha are the Iraqi morning. Kitchens that open early and serve them are cooking for Iraqis, not only for tourists.
Look for the dishes as Iraqis say them: quzi not ouzi, kubba Mosul and Kubba Halab, timman and marag. Our spelling guide lists them all.
Iraqi food is ordered for the table: a whole fish, a tray of quzi, a grill platter counted in skewers. Platters sized for two or four are a good sign.
Iraqi restaurants in the UAE are halal by custom; ask if you are unsure. And the oldest test is still the best: are Iraqi families at the tables?
| Dish | Why | At Kabab Erbil |
|---|---|---|
| Kabab Erbil | Hand-pressed lamb over charcoal | AED 88 |
| Half masgouf (serves 2–4) | Iraq's national dish, about an hour | AED 220 |
| Quzi lamb (serves 1–2) | Slow-cooked lamb over spiced rice | AED 88 |
| Lamb tashreeb | Bread soaked in lamb broth | AED 88 |
| Mixed kubba (6 pieces) | Mosul, Halab and potato kubba | AED 67 |
For a full table, see an Iraqi meal for two, four or eight.
Two branches, both open daily 09:00–03:00: Al Muraqqabat in Deira, Dubai, near Union Metro, and Al Taawun Street in Sharjah. Our Al Muraqqabat branch opened in 2003.
No. Iraqi cooking is built on rice, stews, river fish and charcoal grills; the Levant is a mezze culture. Khaleej Times on Iraqi dishes and The National's history of Iraqi food both explain the roots.
Yes. Order online for delivery across Dubai and Sharjah; ERBIL20OFF takes 20% off your total.