This UAE Town Feels Stuck in the 1970s

Six hours, one mountain town, and the honest answer to whether Masafi is worth the drive. I went in curious and came out with a clearer read on what this road actually feeds and who it's always been for. Masafi sits about an hour outside Dubai at the foot of the Hajar mountains, and before the modern highway network existed, this road was the main overland route connecting the UAE interior to the east coast. The food here isn't trying to impress anyone. It's fast, filling, practical — the kind that makes sense when you understand that the people stopping here have somewhere else to be. A Syrian baker making fatayer on a paper-thin crust. Regag with dhen kanina poured straight from a Mountain Dew bottle. Homemade samosas that travel from someone's kitchen to the fryer here. Harees mild enough that I reached for hot sauce (I always reach for hot sauce). Honey ice cream drizzled with sidr honey from local Fujairah farms. A chicken biryani that looked like nothing and tasted like something. And mangoes from a gap in a wall I'm still not sure qualifies as a shop. Friday, it turns out, is the real day to be here. Nearly everything opens up — more dishes, more people, more of the town actually awake. I went on a Thursday morning and still found plenty. But if you're planning a trip, go on a Friday. Here's what we eat in Masafi: 🥙 Fatayer muhammara and cheese on a thin crust from a Syrian baker 🫓 Regag with eggs, cheese, and dehen kanina (spiced local ghee) from Al Dahreez 🫖 Very sweet chai and handmade chicken samosas with mint chutney 🍲 Harees with chicken and dehen kanina at Danna Al Tawash 🍦 Vanilla soft serve with sidr honey and nuts from Wadyan Masafi 🍗 Chicken biryani with nigella seed tomato gravy at Ashaasah 🥭 Spicy semi-ripe mangoes from a literal hole in the wall _______________ 🍽 Places Featured in This Video 📍 Fatayer Taj As Sham (bakery) https://maps.app.goo.gl/41s4iH858EnHi... Thin-crust Syrian fatayer — muhammara and cheese, or falafel and leben folded calzone-style 📍 Al Dahreez Traditional Sweets https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ccs2XvYxJWR6i... Regag with eggs, cheese, and dehen kanina — fish sauce poured from a Mountain Dew bottle 📍 Chai and Samboosa https://maps.app.goo.gl/itRYxjUWUSjM5... Sweet chai and handmade chicken samosas with mint chutney and Omani chips 📍 Danna Al Tawash Traditional Restaurant https://maps.app.goo.gl/1E9mZZzvs7DbN... Harees with chicken and spiced ghee — kebabs only on Fridays 📍 Wadyan Masafi Honey https://maps.app.goo.gl/EqKhuXivZMeit... Soft serve ice cream with sidr and summer honey from local Fujairah farms 📍 Ashaasah Traditional Foods Restaurant https://maps.app.goo.gl/mRRnriSRr9HGC... Weekday chicken biryani with spiced crispy chicken and nigella seed tomato gravy 📍 Yabala Aseer https://maps.app.goo.gl/dyga7gp812ouU... Spicy semi-ripe mangoes from a gap in a wall — genuinely difficult to find, worth finding _______________ 📖 Chapters 00:00 – Is Masafi worth the drive? 00:34 – What this road used to be 01:14 – Syrian fatayer bakery in Masafi 06:14 – Regag with dehen kanina at Al Dahreez 10:07 – Sweet chai and homemade samosas 13:58 – Harees at Danna Al Tawash 15:39 – Honey ice cream with sidr honey 19:05 – Chicken biryani at Ashaasah 22:11 – Spicy mangoes from a hole in the wall 25:00 – Final verdict: is Masafi worth it? _______________ 👣 If you want to explore the UAE like this, my sister and I have been training our own team of guides since 2013. We run food tours across Dubai and nearby Emirates at Frying Pan Adventures. Learn about our upcoming food tours here: https://fryingpanadventures.com/ _______________ 📺 Watch next:    • Dubai Street Food Tour | 10 Hour Dubai Air...   _______________ 🎥 @Ti22Films Videographer: Chaakar #masafi #uaeroadtrip #fujairahfood #uaestreetfood #uaefoodtour #dubairoadtrip #thingstodoindubai #dubaifoodtour #emiratifood #uaetravelguide #harees #regag #arabicfood #uaefoodvlog #fryingpanadventures #ditchthesilver #halalfood #streetfooduae #uaehiddengems #fujairah #hajarmounteins #roadtripdubai #thingstoeatindubai #localfooduae #uaecuisine