At ALBA Street in Social District, Dubai Mall. ARCHIVE

If street food wore designer sneakers, it would be ALBA Street at Social Distrikt in Dubai Mall. Tucked in the center of this experiential food space, ALBA Street dishes out casual Japanese eats with a cool, modern twist—served in super aesthetic takeout boxes you’ll want to repurpose as your new lunch kit. Our top pick? The A5 Wagyu Burger. It’s Dh90, but absolutely worth it—one of the best we’ve had in Dubai. We paired it with a king crab handroll (melts in your mouth!) and sampled their neat boxes of sashimi, sushi, and nigiri. Even the drinks were extra—we sipped on a Milk Oolong Mango Lemonade, which might just be our new obsession. We ended on a sweet note with creamy matcha ice cream. It’s a little on the luxe side for “street food,” but honestly, it’s more like “fun dining”—an experience you won’t forget. Don't miss it What: ALBA Street Where: Social Distrikt, Dubai Mall Timings: Sun–Thurs 11am–11pm, Fri–Sat 11am until midnight A condensed version of this story also appears in the Expat Media Special Edition magazine
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