4 Dubai Chocolate Desserts You Can Still Find on O‘ahu

Rich bars of milk chocolate stuffed with silky pistachio cream and crunchy kataifi pastry dough: Dubai chocolate is taking over the island.

The dessert, which originated in Dubai in 2022, set off a viral craze late last summer. Since then, it has taken off across the globe, flooding social media platforms and creating an international pistachio shortage.

But you don’t have to fly to Dubai to try variations on this viral chocolate. Here are local businesses where you can still satisfy your craving on O‘ahu.

SEE ALSO: I Tried Chinatown’s Newest Bakery—Here’s What I Loved at Green Island Cheesecake

Photo: Lynn Ink

Dubai Chocolate Cookie, $10

These Stuffed Cookies

This roving pop-up has been churning out big, bold cookies since 2019, so it’s no surprise that Dubai chocolate has made its way onto the menu. Like all of the treats at These Stuffed Cookies, the Dubai Chocolate cookie is pretty hefty—bigger than the palm of my hand. A traditional chocolate chip base is filled with kataifi dough, pistachio butter and chocolate. It’s topped with melted chocolate and pistachio pieces.

The unique blend of textures is spot-on, achieving the exact satisfying crunch that ignited the Dubai chocolate craze. When you bite in, you get it all: thick, chewy cookie, crunchy kataifi and smooth chocolate. Thanks to the pistachio butter, the nutty flavor isn’t lost, either. My favorite part about the cookie, though, is its size—it’s like a delicious, edible boulder. If I liked you, I would gift you this cookie; if I didn’t like you, I would throw it at your head.

Pop-ups, @these_stuffed_cookies

Dubai Chocolate Matcha, $12.95

Aloha Mamacita

The Dubai Chocolate Puffy is gone, sadly, a house-made puff pastry dough filled with pistachio cream and fresh strawberry purée and topped with a chocolate ganache drizzle and pistachio white chocolate sauce. A sprinkle of shredded filo dough added an element of crunch to the pastry.

But all that’s Dubai is not gone from Aloha Mamacita. Matcha lovers have the option of trying the Dubai chocolate matcha, which amps up the caffeine in cold drink form. This matcha drink comes with pistachio creme walls and chocolate walls, with toasted pistachios and chocolate chips sprinkled on a cap of pistachio foam.

Open Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Kaka‘ako, @aloha.mamacita

Photo: Annabelle Ink

Dubai Cheesecake, $15

Dave’s Ice Cream

Alongside Dubai chocolate bars, strawberry cups and sundaes, the popular ice cream store recently started offering Dubai cheesecake slices. The New York-style desserts are slathered in a mixture of kataifi and your choice of homemade pistachio or cookie butter. Then they’re dipped in a thick layer of chocolate and placed on a stick for your convenience.

The cheesecake itself is alright—a little icy, in the way that most frozen cheesecakes are. But paired with a generous serving of kataifi and house-made butter, the dessert reaches a whole new level. It’s sweet, yes, but also packed with the much-loved flavors and textures of Dubai chocolate. The chocolate casing shell offers an additional layer of crunch that ties everything together.

Open Monday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., 94-1040 Waipio Uka St., Waipahu, @davesicecream

Photo: Annabelle Ink

Dubai Chocolate Crunch, $12

Uber Factory

This might be my favorite dessert in this roundup. The Dubai Chocolate Crunch is big, about as big around as a coffee mug (another dessert to throw at your head!). Its milk chocolate base is filled with pistachio paste, toasted kataifi, white chocolate and cornflake crunch.

The crunch factor is outstanding—almost addictive. With the chocolate, kataifi and cornflakes all working together, every bite creates a satisfying, audible snap. The flavor is just as impressive. In almost every dessert that I tried for this roundup, the pistachio flavor was overpowered by the chocolate; Uber Factory does not have this problem. The paste’s rich, nutty taste is balanced with a delicious hint of salt. When the Dubai Chocolate trend inevitably fades, I will still dream about this Dubai Chocolate Crunch.

And if the Dubai Chocolate Crunch isn’t there, all is not lost: Chances are Uber Factory’s Dubai Pistachio Tarts are, in the original mini tart form that put this Wahiawā spot on the map.

Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 71 S Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawā, @uberfactory

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Annabelle Ink was HONOLULU Magazine’s Society of Professional Journalists intern for the summer of 2025. She majors in English at Pomona College.