Indians who go to Dubai to work do not always go there with their families. Quite a number of expatriate Indian workers are unmarried and young. Dubai offers a good quality of life and a safe environment for Indians. However, the cultural differences and the local laws with strict censorship and restrictions on the internet, including an official ban on voice calls and video calls on the popular Meta-owned platform WhatsApp, may result in feelings of homesickness. Although the shops and supermarkets in Dubai sell nearly everything available in India, for those of you who have spent your formative years in India, a feeling of wistfulness is natural. NRIs in Dubai often long to be back in their homes with their friends and families, experiencing the life they have left behind in their hometowns in India.
Dubai is a melting pot of all cultures and Indians being a predominant community there, have formed several associations of their own. Also, there are numerous restaurants serving home-like Indian food, events where a home-sick expatriate Indian may get a taste of India and a lot of beautiful places to go to in the event an NRI in Dubai feels homesick.
Let us go through a list of such restaurants, events, communities and places for you to turn to when you miss home and India.
Restaurants
Following is a list of Indian restaurants for different tastes and budgets, mentioning the cuisine they serve, the average cost for 2 people and their location:
South Indian food
Upto AED 100
● Suja’s Kitchen for South Indian food at AED 20 - Al Quoz 4
● Aaraamam for traditional Malayali-style food at AED 60 - Multiple locations
Above AED 100
● Calicut Paragon for coastal cuisine at AED 120 - Al Karama & Al Nahda
North Indian and Indian Grills
Upto AED 200
● Punjabi Dhaba serves all sorts of Punjabi food at AED 90 - Oud Metha
● Dhaba Lane serves a mix of grilled food and delicacies from North India at AED 115 - Various locations
● Kulcha King serves various kinds of loaded kulchas at AED 120 - Multiple locations
● Via Delhi, serving authentic Mughlai and North Indian cuisine at AED 130 - Various locations
● Lucknowee for North Indian food at AED 125 - Al Karama
● Grand Barbeque Restaurant for a buffet meal including live grills and North Indian food at AED 130 - Al Mina Road & Al Ras
● Sthan for affordable North Indian food, including Mughlai and Punjabi cuisines, at AED 155 - Al Karama
● Barbeque Nation serves lunch and dinner in a buffet setting with live options for barbeque, grills and main courses for AED 160 - Multiple locations
● AB’s Absolute Barbeques for experiencing DIY-style grilled food cooked to perfection at your table for AED 180 - Multiple locations
● Claypot serving delicious desi North Indian cuisine at AED 175 - Mankhool
● Tanatan for Mughlai cuisine and traditional Indian food at AED 180 - Business Bay
● Zafran Indian Bistro, a restaurant set in the picturesque Dubai Marina area for a varied menu of Mughlai and North Indian food at AED 190 - Dubai Marina Mall & City Centre Mirdif
AED 200-300
● It’s Mirchi for desi food and a live grill for AED 230 - Al Karama
● Shamiana serving tandoori grill food and delicious curries at AED 355 - Taj Jumeirah Lake Towers
● Purani Dilli serves North Indian food at AED 275 - Multiple locations
● Gharana Indian Restaurant serves North Indian cuisine at AED 275 - Al Barsha
● Bukhara Restaurant for North Indian food at AED 285 - Mankhool
● Khyber offers amazing views of the Palm Jumeirah area and serves North Indian dishes at AED 300 - Palm Jumeirah
Above AED 300
● Ushna Restaurant for North Indian cuisine at AED 365 - Madinat Jumeirah
● Armani Amal at the Burj Khalifa, serves North Indian cuisine with special set menus by the chef at AED 570 - Downtown Dubai
● Bombay Brasserie at the Taj Dubai serves North Indian dishes and specialising in their high levels of hospitality at AED 500 - Business Bay
Pure veg food
Upto AED 100
● Woodlands Restaurant for South Indian thalis at AED 45 - Al Karama
● Veg Hut Restaurant LLC (Now Netra's Restaurant)for pure vegetarian food at AED 55 - Dubai Investment Park
● Mami’s Illam Pure Veg Restaurant for South Indian food at AED 65 - Discovery Gardens
● Shri Krishna Bhavan for vegetarian South Indian food at AED 90 - Al Karama & Al Barsha
● Rasoi Ghar for Rajasthani pure veg thalis and food at AED 100 - Al Karama
Above AED 100
● Indian By Nature for pure vegetarian Jain food at AED 105 - Al Karama
Others (Pan Indian, Fusion, Biryani etc.)
Below AED 100
● Des Pardes (24 hours) for non-vegetarian food at AED 85 - Oud Metha
● Biryani Pot for all sorts of biryani at AED 90 - Dubai Marina Mall & Umm Suqeim
● O’Pao Indian Sliders for all kinds of vada pao and pao-based food at AED 85 - Al Karama
● Farzi Café serving modern Indian fusion dishes at AED 95 - Al Safa & Mall of the Emirates
AED 100-200
● Desi Adda for a variety of home style and street food at AED 115 - Al Qusais
● World Of Curries serves authentic curry-style food for AED 145 - Al Ras
● India Palace for authentic Indian cuisine at AED 180 - Multiple locations
AED 200-300
● D’Fusion serves up Indian cuisine with a fusion twist for AED 220 - Al Barsha
● Mahec, near Dubai airport serves exotic Indian cuisine at AED 320 - Le Meridien Dubai
● Hitchki for an assortment of lounge-style Indian food at AED 220 – AED 300, depending on the location - City Centre Mirdif & Barsha Heights
● Carnival By Tresind has a tasting menu with 12 courses at AED 300 - DIFC
● Indya By Vineet serves contemporary Indian food options at AED 300 - Jumeirah Beach Residence
Above AED 300
● Patiala for sumptuous food from all over India and refreshing beverages at AED 320 - Downtown Dubai
● Mint Leaf Dubai serves Indian cuisine with a twist of exotic meat and organic vegetable options and a vegan menu at AED 535 - DIFC
● Rang Mahal at JW Marriott Marquis for extravagant Indian cuisine from all over the country at AED 440 - Downtown Dubai
● Indego By Vineet at the Grosvenor Hotel, managed by the first Michelin-star chef in India, Vineet Bhatia for Indian-style fine dining - Dubai Marina
We've put all the above restaurants in Belong's Indian restaurant google map link for your convenience. You can access it here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iWHkCerwHUdp8Wet6
Events in Dubai for NRIs to Attend
Dubai offers ample freedom to the expatriate community staying there. It allows the celebration of a number of cultural, religious and country-specific occasions and festivals. Following is a list of some events which you may attend if you feel homesick as you will definitely find a lot of other expatriate Indians attending these, and you will also feel connected to the life you were part of in your formative years:
● Republic Day of India
● Independence Day of India
● Holi
● Eid
● Diwali
● Christmas
There are also a lot of other festivals celebrated in Dubai, and you can attend these celebrations to overcome your homesickness, gain a better perspective of the culture of Dubai and meet a lot of people, including members of the Indian diaspora in Dubai:
● New Year on 1st January
● Islamic New Year
● Dubai World Cup on the last Saturday of March
● Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha
● Milad al-Nabi-al-n Sharif
● National Day Festival on 2nd December
● Awafi Festival on 23rd January
● Emirates Airline Literature Festival in the first or second week of February
● Dubai Shopping Festival in the last week of December
Note: The dates for the Islamic festivals depend on the Islamic Calendar.
Places to Go To in Dubai for NRIs
Dubai is a place with a number of attractions, both traditional and ultra-modern. Dubai attracts visitors from all over the world who want to shop and visit attractions. These are some of the places you could go to visit, see and experience when you are feeling homesick in Dubai:
● Burj Khalifa
● The Dubai Fountain
● Atlantis Aquaverture Waterpark
● The Dubai Mall
● AURA Skypool
● Burj Al Arab
● Dubai Miracle Garden
● Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo
● Global Village
● Dubai Creek
● Mall of the Emirates
● Ski Dubai
● The Lost Chamber Aquarium
● Dubai Frame
● The View Palm Jumeirah
● Kite Beach
● LEGO Land Dubai
● Dubai Marina
● At The Top, Burj Khalifa
● Bur Dubai Abra Station
● Olioli
● Jumeirah Mosque
● Ibn Battuta Mall
● Al Seef
● Dubai Crocodile Park
● Dubai Autodrome
● Al Mamzar Beach Park
● Dubai Marina Yacht Club
● City Walk
● Sea Lion Point
● The Green Planet
● Dubai Festival City Mall
These are just some of the places you could go to and be around a lot of people and feel better. Dubai has many other attractions for different people with varied interests and budgets.
Conclusion
Dubai is and will continue to be an attractive destination for Indians to work in and reside at. While it is natural to feel homesick, there are so many things on offer that you could explore to feel better and overcome the same.
