I tried the real Dubai chocolate bar twice. The second bar was much better because of this crucial factor.

I have fallen victim to the trend of Dubai chocolate bar. What’s not to love? Sweet milk chocolate, crunchy kataifi, nutty pistachio, and creamy tahini is the kind of combination that dreams are made of. While we’ve seen Dubai chocolate flavors in anything from pancakes to protein shakes, the only place to get the REAL Dubai chocolate bar is at DXB, or Dubai International Airport, at Fix Dessert Chocolatier. The shop is open 24 hours, so when I had a long overnight layover in Dubai in June 2025, that was my top priority.

Where I went wrong on my first Dubai chocolate bar

I was so excited to finally get my hands on one of these babies that I got two: the classic Kataifi flavor, and a “salted dark pretzel” flavor. The cost for two bars was $44, but I was happy to pay it — and surprised that a woman in front of me bought 12!

After my long layover in Dubai, I was off to Italy for two weeks. Though I contemplated eating my Dubai chocolate bars there, I wanted to be able to share it with friends and family back home, so I decided to keep it refrigerated in hotels and small bed & breakfasts in Italy until I returned to New York. The caveat is that between being in the fridge, there were many long travel days in the sweltering summer heat. At one point while in a beach town in Molise, after hours on the train, I checked my precious Dubai chocolate bars and could feel them slightly mushy to the touch through their wrappers. I immediately popped them in the fridge, accepting that some of the quality had likely been sacrificed by that point.

When I finally opened the Dubai chocolate bars in New York in early July, nearly three weeks after I purchased them, I was shocked by what I saw: dull chocolate that had clearly lost its temper and snap, and the center was sandy dry. At first, I was confused. I’ve held onto plenty of chocolate bars for months and they’ve held their shape, color, and quality. For the cost of the Dubai chocolate bar, surely this bar should have held up just the same, and that one long dreaded day in Molise couldn’t possibly have sacrificed the quality by this much… could it have?

But the Dubai chocolate bar has a creamy filling made with fresh ingredients, no preservatives. So, after a quick search online, I read that the Dubai chocolate bar should be consumed within three days of purchasing and has a much shorter shelf life than your standard bar of Hershey’s.

Redemption in the case of Dubai chocolate bars was sweet

I’m not going to lie, I was pretty upset that I spent $44 and managed to ruin my one chance at trying the real deal, but luck would have it that I’d end up In Dubai only a few months later. As soon as I got to the airport, I knew exactly where to find the Fix Dessert Chocolatier shop (Terminal 3, Concourse B, right next to the Dior store) and was ready for round two. I was, once again, flying to Italy the next day, but the difference is this time, I would eat the bar as soon as I landed.

While I did contemplate eating it at the airport, I figured, at the very least, most people have a 12 hour flight before they even think of eating their Dubai chocolate bar, so to fairly assess, I waited.

The verdict? Second time was a charm. There was an immediate difference in color, shape, shine, and texture. The nutty pistachio, tahini filling was nearly pouring out of the thick yet delicate shell of chocolate. Since the bar was so rich, I only had a little bit of it, and I texted a friend in Italy with the suggestion of sharing the rest of the bar with a bottle of wine. Safe to say, my second time trying the Fix Desert Chocolatier bar was much more successful all around.