DUBAI: What was once a landscape dominated by shawarma, manakish and other classics is now expanding into a hybrid space, shaped by multicultural influences, social media trends and a generation that grew up with global tastes but strong regional identities.
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From Dubai’s weekend food trucks to Riyadh’s concept kitchens and Bahrain’s fusion cafes, Arab street food 2.0 is emerging as a movement where comfort dishes, global mashups and creator-driven recipes coexist.
Among the clearest examples of this shift is SmokinBarrel, founded by Abu Dhabi-based chef Marwan Charaf, whose slow-smoked meats and regionally inspired tacos have become a Gulf pop-up staple.
“SmokinBarrel started out of pure curiosity. I had a steel barrel in my garden and wanted to experiment with wood-fire cooking, and the rest is history,” he told Arab News.
