Giulia Fontana

Where Dubai actually eats — the Deira cafeterias, the Kerala mess halls, the Pakistani grill rooms and the Filipino bakeries where the city's workforce lines up. The real food city behind the Michelin stars, where a meal still costs less than a taxi ride.

Past the Michelin stars and the Marina menus, Dubai's real food city runs on cafeteria counters, biryani degs and banana-leaf spreads where a full meal still costs less than the taxi that got you there.