NEARLY every food brand has hopped on the Dubai chocolate trend – and I tried out the most recent one that has gone viral online.
Made up of a concoction of pistachio cream mixed with shredded filo pastry, all coated in a silky chocolate case – it’s no surprise this choccie bar has taken the world by storm.
Chocaholics across the globe are so enamoured by it that Dubai’s Duty Free sold an eye-watering $22million (£16million) of the bars in just the first three months of 2025.
And now, the viral creation has landed in London’s Borough Market, served in ice cream form.
After clocking the gelato treat on social media – several chocolate-y scoops dripping in lashings of pistachio sauce and served in a pistachio-rimmed cone – I couldn’t resist giving it a try.
Afterall, we are in the midst of a heatwave and what better way to cool off?
The treat hails from a small cafe, Gelateria 3Bis, at the edge of the market, which also sells flakey pastries and baked goods.
I was pleasantly surprised to find no queue on a Tuesday lunchtime in 25C sunshine, but perhaps I should have taken that as a sign of things to come.
Behind the counter were neat slices of apple and almond tart, slathered in a shiny glaze (£3.50); wedges of a crumbly looking walnut tart (also £3.50); and stacks of cannolis with thick ricotta filling oozing out of each case (£2).
They certainly got my stomach gurgling.
“One Dubai chocolate please,” I say.
I practically drooled as the lady leaned into the metal tub to scoop the chocolate-y mixture into my cone, waiting for the pistachio magic to happen.
But then, nothing. That was it – and a rather naked-looking gelato was handed over to me.
Where was my pistachio sauce? Where were the sprinkles I’d seen decadently splashed over the top?
And, more importantly, where was the pistachio and filo filling that makes Dubai chocolate what it is?
After shelling out a staggering £6.50, I walked away realising that this was a classic case of Insta vs reality trickery.
Perhaps I had misordered, I thought. But it couldn’t be that. I’d even mentioned that I’d seen it advertised on the cafe’s Instagram.
Unlike the sensation I’d seen on social media, my two-scoop treat was lacking in decadence.
I’d been asked if I wanted a ‘special cone’, not realising that the pistachio cone I’d seen wasn’t part of this category – it had apparently been placed in a league of its own.
The special cones cost an additional £1.50 and are essentially just a traditional waffle cone dipped in chocolate and then covered in some form of topping like hazelnut or sprinkles.
I’m not sure why the pistachio hadn’t been offered to me, but when I saw the price – over £2 – I was a little relieved.
In terms of flavour, it hit the mark for a decent chocolate gelato: creamy, smooth and indulgent, but not too sweet.
And after tucking in, I did notice the odd fleck of green accompanied by a few pastry shards, but these were minimal and the pistachio flavour did not come through at all.
I didn’t have time to ponder over how little filling was in there, though, as my scoops were melting rapidly.
This is the sign of a well-made gelato, I am told, but this seemed a bit extreme.
Barely a minute had passed and I was already frantically wiping the melt from my hands and arm.
As for the cone, the chocolate rim added a little extra zing to the overall flavour. But I wouldn’t be willing to shell out an additional £1.50 again.
Perhaps I can’t blame it all on the ice cream itself. Maybe the sauce costs extra and the sprinkles do too.
But i couldn’t see it advertised on the boards and the fact that staff didn’t point it out to me when I ordered seems an oversight, not least to say, financially-daft.
I reckon if I’d have had the full shebang I would have ended up forking out close to a tenner.
So, Dubai chocolate ice cream? Let’s not spoil something good.
Especially not for prices like this.
Here are three other ways to enjoy the Dubai chocolate trend.
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