Where Did "Dubai Style" Even Come From?
Before we get into the snacks, a quick origin story.
In 2021, Sarah Hamouda — a British-Egyptian engineer living in Dubai — developed a chocolate bar inspired by a pregnancy craving. She wanted something that captured the flavors of knafeh, a classic Middle Eastern dessert made with kadaif (shredded phyllo pastry), syrup, and pistachio. Together with Filipino pastry consultant Nouel Catis Omamalin, she launched Fix Dessert Chocolatier and their signature bar: "Can't Get Knafeh of It" — a hand-painted milk chocolate shell cracked open to reveal a vivid green filling of pistachio cream and crispy kadaif.
The bar sold for around $19 per piece. Each one was handmade, and a team working six to eight hours could produce just 25 bars a day.
Then, in December 2023, a TikTok video showing the bar's dramatic cross-section racked up over 120 million views almost overnight. Social media conversations around Dubai chocolate exploded by over 1,200% year-over-year. The trend had gone global — and Korea was paying close attention.
Why Korea, Specifically?
Korea didn't just follow the Dubai chocolate trend. It reinvented it.
The key ingredient was already there: Koreans have a deeply rooted love for 쫀득 (jjondeuk) — that stretchy, chewy, satisfying texture found in tteok (rice cake), mochi-style sweets, and marshmallow-based desserts. When the pistachio-kadaif formula landed in Korea, local makers immediately fused it with this texture preference, wrapping the filling in chewy marshmallow shells and chocolate-coated rice cake instead of just chocolate.
The result wasn't a copy — it was a Korean-native take on the concept.
By late 2024, convenience stores like CU and GS25 had stocked entire Dubai-style lineups. At GS25 alone, Dubai-related dessert sales jumped nearly 145% in a single month. Café culture amplified it further: user-curated maps began circulating online showing which spots served the best "두쫀쿠" (Dubai chewy cookie), with weekend lines forming outside popular stalls.
Unlike many viral food trends that burn bright and vanish quickly (remember tanghulu?), the Dubai style has shown staying power — now entering what industry insiders are calling its "second-generation" phase, driven heavily by Gen Z consumers with high standards for novelty and flavor.
TOP 6: Korea's Best Dubai-Style Snacks Right Now
TOP 1 — Lotte Chaltteok Pie "Dubai-st Pistachio Flavor"
The one that sold out across all of Korea in a single week.
This is the gold standard. Lotte took their classic Chaltteok Pie — a chewy, mochi-style rice cake coated in chocolate — and filled it with pistachio cream and kadaif. The result hits every note at once: the snap of the dark chocolate shell, the sticky chewiness of the rice cake, the crunch of kadaif, and the richness of pistachio. It's been described as Korea's "mochi-meets-Dubai" moment, and nothing else quite matches it. The fact that it sold out nationwide within days of launch tells you everything.
Lotte took their classic Chaltteok Pie and filled it with pistachio cream and kadaif. Curious about other iconic Lotte snacks? → See our Best Lotte Snacks guide.
TOP 2 — Crown Dubai Style Choco Hiem
The closest thing to an actual Dubai dessert in a snack aisle.
Crown's Choco Hiem is a beloved Korean wafer cookie — crispy layers, chocolate center, easy to eat in one or two bites. The Dubai version swaps the standard chocolate cream for pistachio cream, keeping the familiar crunch while delivering a noticeably different, nuttier flavor profile. It's the most "authentic" experience in terms of flavor proximity to the original concept: crispy, pistachio-forward, and satisfying without being heavy.
TOP 3 — Crown Corn-pi-cho Pistachio (Limited)
The wildcard that actually works.
Corn snacks coated in pistachio chocolate sounds like a gimmick — and it kind of is. But somehow the combination of the light, airy corn puff and the rich, slightly sweet pistachio chocolate coating just clicks. The contrast of textures is unexpected and addictive, and the limited-edition status makes it feel urgent. A solid entry point if you're Dubai-style-curious but not fully committed.
TOP 4 — Haitai Butter Ring Dubai Style (Pistachio & Almond)
Familiar, elevated, and effortlessly snackable.
The Butter Ring is a staple in Korean snack culture — a simple, buttery ring cookie that's been around for decades. The Dubai version adds almond bits and coats one side in pistachio white chocolate, giving a classic cookie a modern identity without overcomplicating it. Subtle, refined, and ideal if you want the flavor trend without an intense experience.
TOP 5 — Haitai Jayusigan Mini (Pistachio & Kadaif)
The unexpected swap that gets you.
Jayusigan is Korea's answer to the chocolate wafer snack — usually filled with standard chocolate cream. The Dubai Mini version replaces that chocolate with pistachio and kadaif filling, creating a small but notable shift in the eating experience. It's different enough to surprise you, familiar enough to feel comfortable. The mini format also means it's easy to keep going without noticing.
TOP 6 — Haitai Homerun Ball Dubai Style (Pistachio & Caramel)
Mini chocolate bars, maximum danger.
Homerun Ball is an iconic Korean snack — small, round, bite-sized chocolate balls. The Dubai edition fills them with real pistachio and kadaif, plus a caramel twist in place of the usual filling. They're crunchy, rich, and dangerously easy to finish in one sitting. The caramel addition sets this apart from the rest of the lineup — it's not trying to be purely pistachio-forward, and the balance works in its favor.
Three of the six snacks on this list — Butter Ring, Jayusigan, and Homerun Ball — are made by Haitai, one of Korea's longest-running snack brands. → See our Best Haitai Snacks guide.
The Bigger Picture — And a Reason to Act Now
The Dubai chocolate trend is a case study in how a single viral moment can reshape an entire product category. What started as a $19 handmade bar in Dubai — produced 25 at a time — became a global flavor template that Korea turned into mass-market snacks sold in every convenience store in the country.
It's also a reminder of how Korea's snack industry operates: fast, iterative, and deeply in tune with what makes something shareable. The pistachio-kadaif combination worked not just because it tasted good, but because it had a story, a visual, and a texture hook that translated instantly across languages and borders.
One caveat, though: this global craze has a side effect worth knowing. The world is running low on pistachios. Prices have risen, and some manufacturers are already struggling to source enough raw material to keep up. The second generation of Dubai-style snacks is already here — but if you've been meaning to try them, don't wait too long!
New to Korean snacks and not sure where to start? → Check out our Top 7 Korean Snacks You Must Try.