The “old Dubai” neighborhoods of Satwa, Deira, Meena Bazaar, and others serve a wide variety of foods, particularly Indian and Pakistani fare. The region is well-known for its inexpensive but delectable Indian fare, which ranges from cheesy crepes at Yummy Dosa and pindi chole at Sind Punjab to creamy curries, naan breads, and biryani at Ravi.
Think Mumbai street food and there’s nothing that beats the spicy, crunchy vada pav. Agree? If you’re a sucker for these pav buns (just like us), here’s where you must head. O’Pao in Karama, Dubai serves more than 20 different variations of this Indian snack and we bet you can’t stop with just one. Here’s all that you must eat and drink when you’re at O’Pao.
Meanwhile, have you tried Dubai’s viral chaat ice cream yet?
What Is Vada Pav?
The main component of a vada pav is a mashed potato dumpling that is deep-fried in gram flour batter and sandwiched between a bun that has been cut through the middle. It is served with green chutney, dry garlic chutney flakes, and long-cut green chillies for those who want an extra kick of heat. In Mumbai, street vendors typically charge between 10 and 25 rupees (up to AED 2) for it, though a number of upscale restaurants offer their own versions.
O’Pao in Karama serves the street food in it’s original version as well as a host of other gourmet offerings. A look at the menu, and you might be a little overwhelmed. But, fret not! We’ll tell what to try. For starters, the menu is clearly dissected into vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.
Vegetarians can opt for the original vada pav or opt for quirky version like cheese burst, paneer burji, manchurian pao, cheesy jalapeno pao, mac and cheese or the chilli cheese pao. And, what you must not miss out is their Rajma Chawal Pao and the samosa chaat pao.
Non-vegetarians have a host of options to pick from. Try the insanely delicious O’Mutton Khicha Pao which is essentially a pulled lamb burger. They also have chicken, kheema, mutton, prawn, prawn, fish and a butter chicken pao. Now, that’s a lot to pick from- isn’t it?
Also try the Coriander Chicken Tikka, Kurkuri Bhindi (which literally means crispy okra) and the curried O’Chatpata Maggi Noodles. If you love Maggi, also try this new place in Karama which serves 21 different types of Maggi.
O’Pao’s interior is petite, but thanks to a wall-to-wall street facing window and some cool graphics, which makes the space young, bright, and cheerful.
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