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A Must-Do Exoerience for Locaks and Visitors! We had such an amazing experience with a private tour with Arva. After living here for 8 years, I joined our book club group for this tour and gained so much inside knowledge of the city. Arva made the whole tour so enjoyable and we saw the city of a new point of view. We walk, ate, listened and laughed along the way. By far one of the best!!! Love love every minute of it.read moreread less
Rathsany D.18/05/26We thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's Food Souk Tour with thanks to the excellent guidance and historic story telling by Noonread moreread less
Alexander B.30/04/26 - DO NOT book this tour. This tour is overpriced given the horrible service and quality of food are relatively poor compared to the other food tours I’ve been.Just read through their online guidebook and watch some YouTube videos. There’s nothing interesting you can get from the tour. You can just order and try the food by yourself. It will cost 7x cheaper than what they charge you.Dubai traffic is really bad and unpredictable during their tour time. A 20 min ride can take more than double the time. We were late and had to wander extra 30 min around the street because we couldn’t reach the host. She would not spare a minute to respond to messages even though she’s only entertaining 1 other guest. When we finally reach an alternative contact and found the tour, our host basically told us to leave and don’t bother her 1 other guest. She basically told us that we missed most things already and might as well leave, and she's quick to dismiss and said she couldn’t refund us.We spent so much time trying to find them. Instead of sitting us down quickly and helping us order food and catch up with things, is this really the attitude you want to give your guests who just ran around an unfamiliar street to find you.Her attitude is unaccommodating and they won’t save/ pack you food to catch you up with things. All they say is that there’s nothing they can do about it. The other food tours I’ve been on has much better service than this one. Also, her storytelling was sub par, I genuinely don’t understand the hype and price-to-value of this tour.read moreread less
Eunice L.25/04/26Excellent authentic food tour of Old Dubai. My husband and I took the tour Dubai creekside and Souk Tour at the start of our trip to the city. It provided us with an insight into the foods and cultural mix that is Dubai. Well planned, covering many different food and drinks, you will be very full by the end of the tour.read moreread less 
Dawn C.28/02/26 - Essen satt, viele Geschichten - mit Wermutstropfen Die "Dubai Souks, Food & Culture Walking Tour" war wirklich sehr schön. Sie hat uns gut gefallen. Sie ist sehr professionell gemacht und sehr lebendig. Achtung: man kann gar nicht alles essen was man so "auf dem Weg" gereicht bekommt (so viel ist es). Der einzige Wermutstropfen - wir haben im dem Gewürzsouk dann bei dem empfohlenen Händler auch Gewürze gekauft, und die waren leider dreimal so teuer als diejenigen, die wir danach gekauft haben.read moreread less Karola21/02/26Camila was an amazing tour guide with lots of local food knowledge and entertaining tales. Would recommend this tour 100%. Thank you for a lovely experience.read moreread less
Anna L.20/02/26 - Highly enjoyed Noorin’s private tour with my family. She was engaging and friendly and knowledgeableread moreread less Kimberly K.18/02/26Last week my wife and I had the pleasure to join another couple to do the souks and creekside walk with our guide Noon. The tour starts in the spice souk, a bit out of the more touristy areas, where Noon regaled us with some history of the UAE, Dubai and the soukhs. Very quickly we had our first of 4 stops at a streetside (or soukh side) food and drink vendor. We were very surprised that Noon only ordered food and got it delivered just around the corner at some benches where we sat down to enjoy the food. Here Noon explained to us the little game of 'spingo' we would be playing when she would take us to a spice vendor to give some explanations on some of the different spices, what they are used for and what to look for. Following this we passed by the gold souk and stopped for some more food at a local bakery, all deliciously fresh. We then made our way out of the souks to cross to the bur dubai side of town on an abra. On this side we made our way around the more Indian side of the town with a stop to eat some pani puri and some chai snacks (a very generous portion). From here we walked around the textile souk with a stop at the old temple and a chai tea. We ended our walk with a ball of ice-cream for the 'spingo' winner and a certificate commemorating our 3 and 1/2 hour tour eating our way around the various soukhs of old Dubai. All in all a superb experience, led by our very competent and fun guide Noon, which we would most definitely recommed.read moreread less Stephen P.17/02/26
- A fantastic way to visit the old Dubai souks while sampling some of the great food on offer Last week my wife and I had the pleasure to join another couple to do the souks and creekside walk with our guide Noon. The tour starts in the spice souk, a bit out of the more touristy areas, where Noon regaled us with some history of the UAE, Dubai and the soukhs. Very quickly we had our first of 4 stops at a streetside (or soukh side) food and drink vendor. We were very surprised that Noon only ordered food and got it delivered just around the corner at some benches where we sat down to enjoy the food. Here Noon explained to us the little game of 'spingo' we would be playing when she would take us to a spice vendor to give some explanations on some of the different spices, what they are used for and what to look for. Following this we passed by the gold souk and stopped for some more food at a local bakery, all deliciously fresh. We then made our way out of the souks to cross to the bur dubai side of town on an abra. On this side we made our way around the more Indian side of the town with a stop to eat some pani puri and some chai snacks (a very generous portion). From here we walked around the textile souk with a stop at the old temple and a chai tea. We ended our walk with a ball of ice-cream for the 'spingo' winner and a certificate commemorating our 3 and 1/2 hour tour eating our way around the various soukhs of old Dubai. All in all a superb experience, led by our very competent and fun guide Noon, which we would most definitely recommed.read moreread less StPotter17/02/26Lots to learn about Dubai while tasting and smelling Great fun walking tour with local food freshly prepared and explained. Lots of culture and history too our guide was fabread moreread less DoddsieD11/02/26
- Highly recommend this company! I just got back to the US from Dubai and went on the frying pan adventures Old City food walking tour with guide Ketaki. She was awesome and accommodated my situation seamlessly (I had just gotten over an infection so I needed frequent rest breaks and couldn’t eat much). I still had a great time on the tour and learned so much about Dubai history and culture.read moreread less Christina S.10/02/26We had a wonderful experience with Ketki trying local Dubai foods in the old town area. We explored parts of Dubai that were not very well known and we learnt lots of interesting things about the history of Dubai. The food was great and we had a good timeread moreread less Michael J.07/02/26
- Amazing experience, hidden gemsread moreread less K A.03/02/26Great Food Tour! Camila was an amazing tour guide and I learned a lot about the cuisines we tried. We tried a variety of foods from iraqi Masgouf to Kunafa which were all amazing. I would definitely recommend this tour.read moreread less Anmol M.03/02/26
- If you are looking for a food tour to enhance your time in Dubai look no further than Frying Pan Adventures. From handling my food intolerance to wonderful storytelling to a parting gift, our guide Ketki was fabulous. Oh and yeah, the food was pretty good too! 😁read moreread less Lisa C.29/01/26We had great time with our guide Camila around food tour in Al Rigga area. Very authentic, with exciting new food spots and a touch of history—but most importantly, the food was incredible. The falafel place was a standout, and we probably had the best kunafa. I would definitely recommend Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage for all the new comers as well as long time Dubai residents.read moreread less Lilia S.28/01/26
- Fun and delicious tour Fabulous insightful and delicious tour. Fun, friendly guide. Loved it! We learnt a lot about Emirati food and culture and had a lovely afternoon.read moreread less Susie G.19/01/26Highly recommend the Frying Pan Adventures food tours for anyone visiting Dubai. the Middle Eastern tour did not disappoint - fantastic guide and amazing food experiences. thank you Camilla.read moreread less Katherine G.14/01/26
- We did the Dubai Souks and Creekside Food Walk back in December the night before flying home and was a truly excellent way to end our trip. The headphones worked really well enabling everyone to be able to hear everything that was said and to participate in conversations without yelling over the crowd. We loved the food we were given and we made sure we had a small lunch beforehand as the food was very generous! Walking around the souks and old Dubai we learnt much and experienced more than when we had visited them on our own. The locals were friendly and we had both locals and international tourists on the tour and they all really enjoyed it. The guide went out of her way to include us all and make sure we were all having a good time. Fabulous!read moreread less Liz M.09/01/26Fantastic Food Tour in Dubai! This was a wonderful food tour in Old Dubai. I have participated in over 20 food tours in my life, and this is definitely in the top 5! The food was interesting, delicious and varied. The details were smoothly handled by our friendly guide Camilla. I loved learning the stories behind each Middle Eastern dish we encountered. Camilla did a great job contacting all the restaurants/shops in advance and she even handled some tough dietary restrictions. I would love to return to Dubai and try another one of their tours. Highly recommend for families!read moreread less Andrea07/01/26
Our Team
We’re a local crew of food lovers that loves peeling back the layers of Dubai through its diverse food and communities.
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Google & TripAdvisor Reviews
Founders
Arva Ahmed
Co-Founder & CEO
Hi, I’m Arva, and I’ve been chasing flavors and food stories across Dubai for over a decade. Funny enough, my food journey didn’t start with a bang—it was more about the simple joys, like my mum’s legendary gulab jamuns, fast food hot dogs, and the shawarma from our local cafeteria. Little did I know, growing up around my mum, a trained nutritionist, would spark a deep curiosity about food that I’d later embrace wholeheartedly.
Before starting Frying Pan Adventures, I dabbled in finance and earned an MBA—worlds away from food tourism—but it gave me the tools to build something I’m truly passionate about. These days, I geek out over Middle Eastern and Central Asian bakeries (carbs are my happy place!) and love creating tours that bring Dubai’s hidden food gems to life. Watching our guests experience the bold, historic flavors of Old Dubai for the first time is pure magic. And behind the scenes? I’m all about collaborating with my amazing team to keep learning, exploring, and building new adventures. Life’s never boring when there’s always something new to taste or a story to tell!
Farida Ahmed
Co-Founder & General Manager
Hi, I’m Farida, and my love for food and culture began at home, where my mom’s storytelling transformed a simple bowl of kichdi—a comforting rice and lentil dish—into a journey through family memories. Those stories of her childhood in Hyderabad, where Sunday cod liver oil was followed by this nourishing meal, taught me how food connects us to our personal histories.
Before co-founding Frying Pan Adventures, I studied at a hotel school in Switzerland and built my career in hotels and HR, fine-tuning my ability to anticipate needs and create meaningful connections. These skills now help me craft tours that dive deep into Dubai’s rich culinary tapestry. Beyond food, I’m a bit of a geek for word games, traveling for delicious discoveries, and indulging in Korean beauty obsessions.
The best part of my work? Meeting incredible people from all over the world and watching them light up when they experience Dubai through our tours. It’s amazing how food can break barriers, foster connections, and inspire appreciation for our shared humanity. If you’re in town, I highly recommend exploring Dubai’s flavors beyond the usual hotspots—it’s a journey worth taking!
The Team
Noorin Ansari
Tour Leader
Hi, I’m Noorin aka Noon, and my love for food and culture started with my sister, who opened my eyes (and taste buds!) to cuisines I’d never experienced before. That curiosity grew into an obsession with storytelling and food, fueled by cooking shows where chefs shared the origins of their dishes. It wasn’t until I joined Frying Pan Adventures that I truly dove into the rich history and culture behind food.
Before this, I worked in education, but now I get to geek out over dish origins, cats, and true crime (an odd combo, but it keeps things interesting!). My advice for exploring a city like Dubai? Take a food tour. There’s no better way to discover the soul of a place, especially its older, more historic neighborhoods.
What I love most about Frying Pan Adventures is the team—they’re what makes this work so rewarding. And, of course, the food! Seeing guests leave a tour amazed by the flavors, culture, and hospitality is a feeling that never gets old. Sharing those meaningful moments is what this job is all about.
Camila Patrial
Tour Leader
Hi, I’m Camila, and my love for food and culture began in my childhood kitchen, where my mom and grandmother taught me to cook and shared stories of life on a farm, where every meal was made with love and tradition. My dad’s passion for ancient history and travel sparked my curiosity about the world, blending food, history, and storytelling into my journey of exploration.
I studied hospitality and tourism management and gained hands-on experience in restaurants, hotels, and travel agencies, which taught me what travelers really crave—authenticity, connection, and great stories. I also have a deep love for languages, from Portuguese and English to French, Arabic, and now German. For me, learning a new language is like discovering a whole new way to connect across cultures.
My advice for visiting a new city? Stay curious, engage with locals, and go beyond the tourist spots. At Frying Pan Adventures, I love sharing the untold stories of Dubai’s neighborhoods and cuisines, helping guests see the city’s rich diversity beyond its shiny exterior. The most rewarding part of my job is hearing how these experiences give people a deeper connection to Dubai—it’s a joy to be part of that discovery.
Ketki Bhosale
Tour Leader
Hi, I’m Ketki, and my love for food and stories began in childhood, helping my dad make juice and my mom knead dough or chop tomatoes. But the real magic happened at dinner, when my mom would share family tales, folktales, and fairy tales to keep my brother and me still while we ate. Those moments sparked my lifelong fascination with the connection between food, culture, and storytelling.
Before joining Frying Pan Adventures, I studied marketing communications and worked in strategy and content creation—both centered around telling stories and connecting with people. I also geek out over everything from food science and history to philosophy, mental health, and animation (fantasy and sci-fi are my favorite for their relatable yet fantastical stories).
My advice for exploring a city like Dubai? Make local friends and get a little lost—it’s the best way to discover its soul. At Frying Pan Adventures, I love sharing overlooked places and untold stories that help people see the city in a whole new way. Being part of a team of strong women inspires me every day, and meeting fascinating people along the way makes the journey even more meaningful.
Atiya Fatima
Logistics Coordinator
Hi, I’m Atiya, and my love for food started in the kitchen, watching my mom cook with so much skill and joy. She inspired me to appreciate the magic of food and how it brings people together. Before joining Frying Pan Adventures, I studied interior design—not exactly food-related, but both involve creativity and an eye for detail, which I now use to help curate unique food experiences.
I’m obsessed with travel and love discovering new places and cultures. My advice for exploring Dubai—or any city—is to skip the flashy spots and dive into genuine tours and great local restaurants. That’s where you’ll find the real heart of a place.
Being part of Frying Pan Adventures has been life-changing for me. The team’s support has helped me grow in so many ways. Meeting new people and hearing their stories is the best part of what I do—it’s taught me so much about the world and keeps my curiosity alive every day.
Ashley Feldtmann
Personal Assistant to the CEO
Hi, I’m Ashley, and my love for food started in my grandmother’s kitchen, where I spent hours baking and cooking alongside her. She passed down not just her amazing cooking skills but also a deep appreciation for food and the joy it brings.
Before joining Frying Pan Adventures, I studied Psychology and Human Resources. While it may not seem food-related, it taught me communication, empathy, and problem-solving—skills I now use every day to keep things organized and running smoothly behind the scenes.
Outside of work, I love traveling, hiking, reading, and spending time with horses. My advice for exploring a new city? Do your research, step out of your comfort zone, and embrace the adventure.
What I love most about Frying Pan Adventures is being part of a strong, female-led team and knowing that I help create memorable experiences for guests. Learning about new cultures and connecting with people from all over the world only deepens my love for travel and adventure.
