It’s a well-known local expression: karak chai fuels Dubai! No matter where you’re from and whether you work on a construction site, an office or in a shop the chances are that you too have succumbed to the simple charms of karak. It originates in South Asian countries like India and Pakistan, and ‘karak chai’ roughly translates to ‘strong tea’.
 
Here in the Gulf, tinned Rainbow milk has become a staple of a creamy karak, and a variety of spices are available to keep things interesting depending on where you go for your fix. Some cafeterias still sell karak on the street for the traditional 1 dirham and you often don’t even need to get out of your car:

just honk your horn and the karak will come to you! But increasingly, higher end cafes are starting to offer this popular hot drink. There are hundreds (maybe more!) of places to get your karak chai in Dubai and we can’t possibly pick all of the best. The five in our video are a good place to start, though.