Dubai Chocolate: The Viral Trend Hits Orange County
- Ivy Dai
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
From imported chocolate bars to homemade sweets, this trendy pistachio-flavored treat has found its way into doughnuts, cheesecake, brownies and more.
The latest food trend has everyone from soccer moms to social media influencers hooked. Dubbed Dubai chocolate, this milk chocolate bar filled with pistachio paste and shredded phyllo pastry (kataifi) sells for over $20 apiece.
This unique confection went viral last year after the Dubai-based chocolate bar maker Fix came up with the flavor combination.
The signature ingredient is kataifi – a crunchy, sweet shredded pastry. The original version has tahini paste in it, but re-creations omit it with similar results.
The craze has now gone mainstream with creators on TikTok, and even Amazon and Costco sell their own versions of the premium chocolate. Sometime this summer, it's expected that Trader Joe's will have their version on the shelves for the budget price of $3.99.
Here in Orange County, there are several shops to snag Dubai chocolate. Be forewarned though – it is in short supply and runs out fast.
Läderach at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa gets a new shipment from Switzerland weekly. At 10 a.m. Wednesday mornings, there is already a line out the door. Sold at $58 a pound, the handmade FrischSchoggi Dubai is a slab of fresh milk chocolate layered with a creamy pistachio filling, crispy baked kataifi threads, roasted pistachio pieces and almond gianduja.
Jerusalem Roastery in Garden Grove also makes its own version with dark chocolate and sells for $7.99 for a small bar. It makes about 40 pieces fresh each morning and is usually sold out by the end of the day. The roastery also sells a few other premade bars made with milk chocolate.
The confectionery, which also sells baklava and lokum (Turkish delight), has been selling Dubai chocolate since the store opened in September.
“It started to be a tradition that my store and similar stores sell it,” said Jerusalem Roastery manager Akram Ibrahim.
The decadent luxury item is not necessarily in everyone’s price point – some chocolate lovers have decided to make their homemade version.
Huntington Beach native Gerry Becerril is the owner of Bloody Gerry, an award-winning supplier of bloody mary and michelada mixes to O.C. bars and restaurants including the Montage and AhbA in Laguna Beach. Becerril and his wife Jenn decided to try their hand at making their own version after Jenn’s brother gifted her a bar but didn’t want to pay the hefty price.
“I love pistachio … when they told me there was a pistachio cream chocolate with crunchies in the middle I had to try them,” she said. “They look like gaudy, awesome luxe chocolates, with the perfect balance of savory and sweet, and an incredible satisfying crunch.”
Beyond the Chocolate Bar
The addictive flavor combination has made its way into other sweet delights, like the Dubai malasada doughnut at Sidecar Doughnuts in Costa Mesa.
“As you know, Dubai chocolate is quite the rage in culinary,” said Sidecar president and founder Sumter Pendergrast. “Our chef loved Dubai chocolate and given it was on trend, we thought it would be a fun flavor.”
The Dubai malasada is available on Mondays for the next three months. This weekend, however, will be a Dubai Chocolate weekend – the seasonal special will be sold all day Saturday and Sunday (May 31-June 1).
The newly opened Chocolate Spot in Anaheim, makes Dubai chocolate the star of the show, putting the Dubai chocolate spin on everything from crepes to fluffy mini pancakes, crispy waffles, cheesecakes, brownies and sweet strawberry cups.
Where to get Dubai chocolate in Orange County
Läderach Chocolatier
Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays - Saturdays; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays
Location: South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Unit 2814, Costa Mesa
Cost: FrischSchoggi Dubai, milk chocolate, $58.20 per pound
Info: 949-594-2280, laderach.com
Jerusalem Roastery
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. every day
Location: 12531 Harbor Blvd., Unit C, Garden Grove
Cost: Dubai chocolate, $5.99 to $12.99 per bar
Info: 657-263-4000, JerusalemRoastery.com
Tawdi
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day
Location: 2424 W Ball Road # N, Anaheim
Cost: Dubai chocolate bar (100g), $14.99
Info: 657-933-1832, tawdi.shop
Chocolate Bash
Hours: Noon-11 p.m. Sundays - Thursdays; Noon-midnight, Fridays - Saturdays
Location: 14099 Newport Ave., Tustin
Cost: Pistashio Knafeh Chocolate Bar, $9.99
Info: 714-760-4208, chocolatebash.com
Chocolate Spot
Hours: 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Mondays - Saturdays, 2 p.m. to midnight, Sundays
Location: 1775 W Lincoln Ave., Anaheim
Cost: not posted online
Info: instagram.com/chocolatespotoc
Sidecar Doughnuts
Hours: 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays - Thursdays; 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays - Saturdays
Location:270 E. 17th St., Suite 18, Costa Mesa
Cost: Dubai chocolate malasada doughnut (available Mondays only), $6.50
Info: 949-873-5424, sidecardoughnuts.com
Le Mirage Pastry
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays - Wednesdays; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays - Sundays
Location: 100 S. Brookhurst St., Anaheim
Cost: Dubai Strawberry Cup (chocolate ice cream, fresh strawberries, kunafa filling, pistachios), $17.99 - $22.99
Info: 714-491-3855, lamiragepastry.com
