Where to Eat in Dubai for Under AED 50: 8 Specific Orders

Updated 6 October 2026

A price under AED50 can mean a very different thing: a complete thali, a single bowl, a drink-included breakfast set or a combo meant to share. This guide keeps those units visible. Every listed order is priced below AED50 on an operator source checked on 6 October 2026; it does not promise that extras, delivery or a full table bill will stay under that ceiling.

At a glance

1. Gujarati Thal Restaurant, Meena Bazaar

Best for a complete vegetarian Gujarati thali

If you want a proper plate rather than a single low-priced dish, Gujarati Thal is the clearest value here. Its Deluxe Thali is listed at AED18 on the delivery menu and comes with one sabji, one kathol, farsan, a sweet, four rotli, dal, rice, salad and papad. The G.T. Special Premium Thali adds a Punjabi sabji for AED20. The restaurant says these menu prices include VAT, while dine-in specials can differ; ask at the counter if you are eating in. It is a pure-vegetarian kitchen in Meena Bazaar, open from 6am through 12:30am, so it also covers breakfast and late-night cravings.

Operator sources: menu/details

2. Bawarchi, Jumeirah Bay 2, JLT

Best for a choice of Indian mini-combos

Bawarchi’s menu is useful if the diner wants to choose a compact curry-and-bread plate rather than a single biryani. The Mini Meal Combos are explicitly for one person: vegetarian dal or paneer choices are AED20 with steamed rice and one or two rotis; chicken curry, masala, kadhai, tikka masala or butter chicken is AED22 with the same rice-and-roti choice. Fish curry is also AED22, while fish tikka mini-combos are AED24. A chicken biryani mini-combo is also AED22 and lists raita, salan and a sweet. These are operator-listed menu prices; the site does not say whether fees are included or whether dine-in and takeaway prices differ. The JLT branch is at Jumeirah Bay 2, X2 Tower, open daily 11:30am–11:30pm.

Operator sources: menu/details · menu/details

3. Max’s Restaurant, Al Karama

Best for a Filipino comfort-food plate with extras

Max’s makes its low-cost option feel like a small spread: the Platter Meal is AED39 for quarter chicken, rice, pancit canton and a Caramel Bar. If you want one bowl instead, chicken sisig, beef sisig and bistek rice bowls are AED29; the larger Super Solo Meal is AED41 and adds boneless BBQ chicken, chopsuey, rice, calamares, chicken bites and a Caramel Bar. The UAE operator says these prices are on its menu across its branches, while the Karama location page lists dine-in and pickup. Karama hours are 10am–midnight Monday to Thursday and 8am–midnight Friday to Sunday.

Operator sources: menu/details · menu/details

4. Pinoy Tambayan, Al Barsha 1

Best for an all-day Filipino silog set with a drink

Pinoy Tambayan serves silog—garlic rice, fried egg and a protein—as an all-day set, not just a breakfast special. The operator lists six versions at AED29–31, with a drink included; Tapsilog is AED31 and Daingsilog AED29. That makes the price more complete than a rice bowl where the drink is extra. The menu also says its main dishes include one rice, but those portions are described as large and built to share; choose a silog or the separately listed solo meals if you are dining alone. Find it in Al Barsha 1, opposite Dubai International Academy. It opens daily 9am–1am. The operator says website prices include VAT and match its in-house menu; direct delivery costs AED0 within 5km and AED5 farther out, so a single silog remains below AED50 before any extras.

Operator sources: menu/details · menu/details

5. Aden Restaurant, Al Ras

Best for a Yemeni breakfast plate with accompaniments

For a distinctly Yemeni breakfast, Aden lists Yemeni Beans with Eggs at AED16, served with salad, bread and soup. Plain Yemeni beans are AED15 with the same accompaniments. The current item pages give those live prices and descriptions, and the restaurant identifies itself at Deira–Al Ras; its pages reviewed here do not publish opening hours or portion size. Treat AED16 as the listed dish price, not a guaranteed final bill or per-person package. Call the operator before making an early-morning trip.

Operator sources: menu/details · menu/details

6. Dakshin Corner, Oud Metha

Best for a very low-cost South Indian pairing

Dakshin Corner’s menu is built around South Indian tiffin and curry combinations rather than a set-price meal deal. One listed order pairs parotta with chicken curry or salna for AED8; the vegetarian pairing with kurma is AED6. For a larger appetite, its chicken biryani is AED12 and its chicken thali AED12, though the online menu does not itemise the thali components. The operator lists breakfast from 7–11am, lunch noon–3pm and dinner from 6pm, with a mid-afternoon closure. Its fifteen-seat room sits on 8th Street in Oud Metha, a short walk from the metro.

Operator sources: menu/details · menu/details

7. Al Mallah, Dubai

Best for a two-sandwich shawarma combo

Al Mallah’s online shawarma combo is the clearest pick when two sandwiches and sides matter more than a plated meal. The operator ordering page currently shows AED30 against an AED40 list price for two regular shawarmas of your choice, fries and a soft drink. That is the combo price, not a per-person rate; delivery charges and availability depend on the address at checkout. Al Mallah’s own story is tied to roadside Lebanese food in Dubai: founded as a juice corner in 1979, it now pairs takeaway speed with tables beside the main road. If you are dining in and want a plate instead, the operator separately lists a mixed-grill meal at AED40 on its main site, but the online menu currently shows AED42, so confirm which price applies before ordering.

Operator sources: menu/details · menu/details

8. Daba Choice, International City

Best for Punjabi biryani at a low individual-dish price

Daba Choice is a Punjabi restaurant in International City where a low bill can start with biryani rather than a discount offer. Its current site lists Chicken Dum Biryani at AED16, Chicken Hyderabadi Biryani at AED18 and Chicken Tikka Biryani at AED20. These are individual menu dishes; the page does not say that raita, salad or a drink comes with them, so add-ons may raise the total. The restaurant describes its approach through Punjabi and North Indian cooking and lists dine-in, takeaway and delivery, including delivery to International City and Dubai Silicon Oasis. The listed address is Y-20, England-Y Street, England Cluster.

Operator sources: menu/details

How to use this list

The prices are menu prices for named items or combos, not a guarantee that the entire outing—including extra drinks, delivery or optional sides—will cost under AED50. A dish-only price is marked as such; a combo or per-person unit is stated only where the operator describes it. We chose current operator menus and service details and kept different cuisines and meal formats in view rather than scoring unlike orders against one formula.

Frequently asked questions

Are these full meals under AED50?

Some clearly are sets: Gujarati Thal’s AED18 Deluxe plate, Bawarchi’s one-person mini-combos, Max’s AED39 Platter Meal and Pinoy Tambayan’s silog set. Other prices are individual menu orders: Daba Choice’s biryani, for example, has no sides listed. Aden and Dakshin name accompaniments, but neither publishes portion sizes, so appetite and add-ons matter.

Which option includes a drink?

Pinoy Tambayan says each silog set includes a drink. Al Mallah’s AED30 shawarma combo includes one soft drink with two sandwiches and fries. The other prices above do not promise a drink unless the menu description says so.

Are delivery-app prices the same as eating in?

Not always. Gujarati Thal explicitly says its AED prices are inclusive of VAT as shown on its delivery menu and that dine-in specials may differ. Al Mallah’s shawarma price is from its online ordering page, and delivery fees depend on the address. For the remaining venues, the checked pages do not consistently spell out VAT, service fees or dine-in versus takeaway parity; confirm the final amount with the branch.