This UAE National Day Food Tour Might Be the Tastiest History Lesson in Dubai

Eid Al Etihad (UAE National Day) is coming up, and instead of another mall visit or fireworks run, Rove Hotels and Frying Pan Adventures are teaming up for a one-off food walk along Dubai’s coastline.

The “Traditional Dubai Food Tour (Emirati Gems!)” runs on 1 December, turning National Day into a four-hour eating-and-storytelling session that focuses on Emirati flavours, gahwa, and the city’s maritime roots. 

The tour starts at Rove City Walk and then heads out towards the coastal neighbourhoods of Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, swapping skyscraper views for old trade routes, family recipes, and a lot of carbs.

What is the “Traditional Dubai Food Tour (Emirati Gems!)”?

This is a guided National Day food experience that uses Emirati dishes to tell Dubai’s story – from fishing villages to the city you know now.

• One-off tour for Eid Al Etihad on 1 December
• Joint project by Rove Hotels and Frying Pan Adventures
• Focus on Emirati food, hospitality, and the city’s coastal history
• Set along Dubai’s shoreline rather than old souks or malls

Rove has been leaning into local experiences for a while, and this is their third collaboration with Frying Pan Adventures, the Dubai-based company known for food walks across the city since 2013. Frying Pan brings the storytelling and route design, while Rove handles the home base and local positioning as a homegrown brand. 

The idea is simple: instead of hearing about UAE heritage in a museum, you taste it over breakfast, coffee, and a full seafood spread, with a guide connecting the dots between what is on your plate and what shaped the country.

Route, timings, and what you actually eat

The tour swaps busy downtown streets for quieter coastal areas, keeping the focus on sea air and local food stops.

• Starting point: Rove City Walk in Dubai
• Areas covered: Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah coastal neighbourhoods
• Duration: Around 4 hours
• Tastings: Five food stops built around Emirati hospitality
• Age group: 12+

Across the evening, rovers (that’s what Rove calls guests) move as a group between kitchens and stops that highlight how Dubai’s coastline shaped local diets. Expect a shared Emirati breakfast, local-style gahwa and karak with dates, and a seafood meal that nods to the city’s fishing and pearling past. Vegetarian options are available if you request them when booking. 

Starting at City Walk also makes it easy to build a full day around the tour. You could spend the afternoon checking out casual dining spots around City Walk if you are in town early, then keep dinner appetite for the food walk itself. 

Stories, heritage, and why the tour exists

This isn’t just a “taste everything in sight” crawl – the tour leans heavily on narrative and context.

• Guides connect geography, trade, and faith to what’s on your plate
• Stops are chosen for links to coastal life and maritime history
• Storytelling focuses on how the UAE’s kitchen evolved over generations
• Designed to feel “soulful” rather than rushed or touristy

Along the walk, guests hear how old trade routes, seafaring, and migration influenced Emirati dishes – from the spices used in breakfast to the way seafood is cooked and served. Local kitchens and coastal landmarks act as live reference points instead of static displays. 

It fits into a wider move in Dubai to support homegrown F&B and give local brands more ways to tell their stories beyond standard restaurant marketing. Food tours like this sit nicely alongside campaigns that boost smaller concepts and heritage-focused eateries across the city. 

Tickets, prices, and how to book

Spots are limited and the organisers are upfront that previous runs have sold out, so this is not the sort of thing you leave for last-minute plans.

• Date: 1 December 2025
• Tickets:
  • AED 472.50 – standard, non-refundable
  • AED 519.75 – flex ticket
• Booking: Direct via Frying Pan Adventures
• Age limit: 12+ only
• Duration: Around 4 hours, guided

Both ticket types buy you the same experience; the flex ticket mainly gives you more breathing room if plans shift. Food, guiding, and tastings at five stops are bundled into the price. 

You book through Frying Pan’s site using the official link in the press material:

Book the Traditional Dubai Food Tour (Emirati Gems!)

If you want to stack the night with more eating, there are plenty of budget-friendly spots across Dubai you can hit on other days of the long National Day weekend so this tour stays the “special” one. 

Who are Rove Hotels and Frying Pan Adventures?

If you are not already familiar with either brand, here is the quick version.

• Rove Hotels: Homegrown UAE hotel brand focused on affordable, design-led stays
• Joint venture between Meraas Holding and Emaar Properties PJSC
• Over 6,000 rooms and residences open or in development
• Strong focus on local culture, community, and value
• Frying Pan Adventures: Dubai-based food tour company
• Running since 2013, specialising in walking tours
• Known for deep dives into neighbourhood eateries and food stories

Rove positions itself as casual, practical and plugged into the city, which makes hosting a coastal food tour on National Day feel like a natural extension rather than a one-off stunt. Frying Pan brings more than a decade of experience curating routes that connect backstreet kitchens and heritage dishes in a way that works for both residents and visitors. 

For anyone who has already ticked off Dubai’s big-name brunches and wants something slower, more focused, and tied to the country’s history, this collab lands in a sweet spot.

FAQs

If you want to stay close to the action, City Walk itself has plenty of places to eat before or after your stay – our guide to City Walk’s casual restaurants is a handy companion to this tour. 

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