4 days ago
Viral Dubai chocolate now a hot-selling sweet in Ottawa
What started as a viral trend in the United Arab Emirates has now cracked its way into Canadian cravings.
The Dubai chocolate bar, a pistachio-filled treat made famous on TikTok for its creamy green interior and satisfyingly crisp shell, is flying off shelves across Ottawa.
From boutique shops to box-retailers like Costco, the luxury-inspired dessert has become a must-try status symbol, with a price tag to match.
At Juice Dudez on Bank Street, owner Bilal Serhane says the craze caught his attention last year.
'It started as a trend in Dubai, and we were very intrigued,' says Serhane. 'We went through 10 to 15 recipe versions until we absolutely mastered it. We tasted a lot of them we gave away thousands of chocolate bars for free and then we settled on one and we finally launched it, and it went viral. Now we have customer saying that Juice Dudez's Dubai chocolate bars are actually better than Dubai chocolate bars. It's been a real hit.'
Juice Dudez sells two versions of the bar, a classic pistachio style as well as one with a hazelnut spin. Prices start at $7 for a small bar. Just a few blocks away at Pistachio Choco, the chocolate bar goes for $10.
'It's just pistachio and kanafa,' said Gelan Sheh Mohamd, showing off the handmade filling, a blend of nuts and the traditional Middle Eastern pastry. 'No oil, no colour, no sugar. Just pistachio.'
The Dubai bar's origins are somewhat mysterious and said to have emerged from luxury sweet shops in the UAE, that combined high-end presentation with traditional ingredients. But its worldwide fame is tied mostly to TikTok, where creators snap open the bars to show off the gooey green filling, followed by dramatic taste tests.
In Ottawa, that virality has fuelled a growing demand, with multiple shops now offering their own take, including 'Dubai chocolate'-stuffed cookies and strawberry cups using the same pistachio base.
'You're going to have to try it to know what I'm talking about,' says Serhane. 'Absolutely phenomenal.'
Online retailers have jumped on the trend as well, with prices for imported Dubai bars often surpassing $25 apiece.
Whether it's the allure of the snap, the smooth pistachio filling, or the TikTok hype, one thing is clear, this sweet sensation isn't melting away anytime soon.
