Dubai chocolate is melting minds in Raleigh. Here’s where to find it.
Social media cracked it open, and Raleigh’s sweet tooths have never been the same.Enter Dubai chocolate, the pistachio cream-stuffed, phyllo-crunching viral sensation that has taken over the Triangle. Originally dreamed up to satisfy a Dubai engineer’s pregnancy cravings, the once hard-to-find import has since become the candy equivalent of a Birkin bag. Its glossy chocolate shell and signature green filling are now TikTok catnip—with the kind of ASMR crackle that makes you stop midscroll. The buzzworthy phenom is so popular, in fact, that it’s stirring an international pistachio shortage, with some even speculating the flavor could become the new pumpkin spice. Now, local makers are cashing in with Dubai chocolate-inspired bars, lattes, donuts and more. Here’s where to snag your own fix.
Arabian Delights Market This Raleigh market is your plug for the real deal—authentic Dubai chocolate bars sourced straight from the Middle East, available in two sizes. (Pro tip: always go bigger.)
Champloo Desserts If there’s a Dubai chocolate HQ in Raleigh, this is it. Champloo has gone all in on the flavor sensation, churning out homemade bars, truffles, croissants, pancakes, lattes and even a stuffed Labubu (!). Translation: Almost any way you want it, they’ve got it.
Sassool Already a go-to for Mediterranean eats, Sassool’s Raleigh and Cary locales double as a Dubai chocolate hookup. Grab the OG bar—or lean into other pistachio and phyllo-based desserts that scratch the same itch.
Tepuy Donuts The popular local doughnut outpost riffs on the trend with a sourdough doughnut stuffed with pistachio cream, glazed in chocolate and dusted with pistachio crumbs. Try to stop yourself from having just one…
Cafe Soul Cups This Cary cafe has been crackling across social media thanks to its viral Dubai Chocolate Crackle Latte, a pistachio-flavored espresso drink served inside a chocolate-lined cup—best served with a Dubai chocolate mochi doughnut. Fair warning: Expect a line—they’ve been slinging 500+ a day since the spring launch (!).
Common Grounds Coffee House & Desserts Apex’s Common Grounds puts its own spin on the viral treat with a plated dessert—plus a DIY jar kit packed with pistachio cream, kataifi (aka shredded filo strands) and chocolate chips to create the indulgence at home.
Nikos Over in Durham, Giorgios Bakatsias’ Mediterranean hot spot elevates the craze with a plated dessert of white and dark chocolate mousse, pistachio-phyllo crunch, and a side of pistachio ice cream. It’s Triangle-meets-Dubai decadence at its finest.
The frozen summer treat you didn’t know you needed.
Your summer sugar fix is about to get a K-culture upgrade. Enter Korean bingsoo, towering ’Gram-worthy mounds of ultrafine shaved ice or milk snow drenched in condensed milk and crowned with myriad ops—think nuts, mini mochi, fresh fruit, sweet red bean, crushed Oreos and beyond. The result? A creamy, crushable, cool delicacy that belongs on a food runway—not in a Dixie cup. Now that several local spots serve this brain-freeze bombshell (plus its Taiwanese cousin, tsua bing), consider it your passport to a next-level summer treat—no passport required. The kiddie snow cone of your youth looks to be all grown-up.
Meet Fresh Originally founded in Taiwan, this authentic sweet spot stays true to time-honored recipes passed down through generations. Its mountain of Taiwanese shaved ice is a riot of flavors and textures, piled high with taro balls, sweet potato balls, grass jelly, boba and more. Pro tip: Bring your crew—sharing is caring. meetfresh.us
Cafe Soul Cups Almost too pretty to eat (key word: almost), these snow bingsoo concoctions deliver Korean soul and then some. Options range from fruit bingsoo loaded with mango, strawberry, blueberry and mochi to misutgaru bingsoo with housemade red bean paste, mistugaru grain powder and almonds—or go deep and nutty with black sesame bingsoo. cafesoulcups.com
K-Town Market Inside this quaint family-owned Korean grocer, Choi’s Kitchen is scooping out K-style ice flake cake in a kaleidoscope flavors—plus bubble tea, dumplings, soup, and rice and noodle dishes for a sweet-meets-savory treat for that post-market snack attack. ktownmarketnc.com
Sweet Talk Cafe Dreamy digs set the stage for dreamy milk-based Korean snow bombs stacked with fresh fruit, red bean, nuts, mochi, cookie crumbles, chocolate shavings, ice cream—you name it. And the picturesque specialty drinks (looking at you, ube latte) are an obv pairing. sweettalkcafenc.com
SweeTea Boba & Ice Snow in the summer? Say less. Choose your own adventure from the matcha red bean or fresh fruit base, then pile on from any of five toppings your heart (and stomach) desires—think lychee jelly, crystal boba, rainbow mochi, pudding and more. sweeteaboba.com
Plain tea is out, boba tea is in. Also known as bubble tea, pearl tea and tapioca milk tea, the viral drink—which originated in Taiwan in the 1980s—has exploded in popularity locally, with cafes popping up all over Raleigh. The infinitely customizable flavored beverage featuring trademark chewy tapioca pearls comes in a variety of flavors—from classic black tea to fruit flavors like lychee. Further upgrades include flavored foams, adjustable sweetness levels, and toppings running the gamut from flavored jellies to popping boba. Here, where to *pop* in around town to get your boba fix.
