You did not plan to spend thirty minutes watching chocolate bars snap open on TikTok at midnight. And yet, here you are, craving something green, nutty, and expensive-looking. Welcome to the pistachio knafeh rabbit hole.
The Pistachio Dubai Chocolate craze has been one of the most stubborn food trends in recent memory, and Metro Manila did what it always does: adopted it, localized it, and made it more interesting. From chocolate bars and gelato to doughnuts and chewy marshmallow cookies, the pistachio-kataifi-chocolate combo has found a permanent home in the local dessert scene. This guide covers everything you need to know and exactly where to go.
Dubai Chocolate Spots in Metro Manila
For the Chocolate Bar Experience
- Bueno Barks (Quezon City)
- Aperitif (Multiple outlets, Metro Manila)
- Lulu and Co (Online via Shopee)
- Auro Cafe (Multiple locations)
For Something Cold
- Manila Creamery (QC / Makati / Manila)
- Marcelo’s Microcreamery (The Marketplace)
For Doughnuts and Pastries
- Czaczacza Cafe (SM malls across Metro Manila)
- Nomu Cafe (Metro Manila)
For the Dubai Chewy Cookie
- Slide Coffee (Alabang / Paranaque / Makati)
- Sweet Tones by Toni (Quezon City)
- Kukido Handcrafted Cookies (Quezon City)
- Miguela’s (Quezon City)
- Zuri Cravings (Manila)
So What Even Is Dubai Chocolate?
The bar that started it all is the “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” by FIX Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai: a thick Belgian milk chocolate shell filled with pistachio cream, tahini, and crispy kataifi. Kataifi is shredded phyllo pastry, the same used in knafeh, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert with a creamy filling and a golden, crispy base. The snap of the thick chocolate shell revealing that bright green, golden-stranded cross-section is the exact moment that broke everyone’s algorithm.
Food and Wine officially named pistachio the flavor of 2025, directly crediting the Dubai Chocolate trend for the global boom in pistachio-flavored everything, from lattes and pastries to perfumes.
Korea Then Made It Chewier
Just when you thought the trend had peaked, Korea changed the format entirely.
The Dujjonku (두쫀쿠), literally “chewy cookie” in Korean, was created by Kim Na Ra of Mond Cookie in Gimpo-si, South Korea. A regular customer suggested stuffing her chewy cookie base with Dubai Chocolate’s pistachio-kataifi filling. The exterior is melted marshmallows and cocoa powder wrapped around a frozen ball of pistachio cream and butter-toasted kataifi, then dusted in cocoa powder. Fair warning: the name is misleading. The texture is closer to a mochi or a graham ball than anything you would pull out of a cookie jar, with that same nostalgic pull of a chocolate marshmallow pie from childhood.
The trend exploded after K-pop idol Jang Wonyoung of IVE was spotted eating one, sending demand so high that South Korea reportedly faced a marshmallow and pistachio shortage. By early 2026, Metro Manila shops had already caught on at much friendlier price points.
Why Filipinos Cannot Stop Buying These
If you have ever asked a relative abroad for a pasabuy, you already understand the appeal. The first wave arrived through OFWs and resellers, with bars going for P1,700 to P1,850 each with nationwide shipping. Metro Manila did not wait long. Local bakers and cafes started making their own versions almost immediately, putting the pistachio-kataifi-chocolate combo into bars, doughnuts, cakes, jars, gelato, croissants, and cookies. The chewy cookie is just the latest chapter of the same story.
For the Chocolate Bar Experience
Bueno Barks (Quezon City, pre-order via Instagram)
What to order: Crunchy Kataifi Chocolate Bar in Pistachio or Biscoff
Price range: Mid-range
Bueno Barks has been crafting inventive chocolate barks since 2019, long before knafeh was a search term most Filipinos knew. Their kataifi bars come in pistachio and Biscoff variants, with a choice of milk, dark, or white chocolate. Pre-order forms open every Friday at 6 PM via their Instagram Stories only, bars are never on hand, so set a reminder and be ready.
Aperitif (Multiple outlets across Metro Manila)
What to order: Golden Knafeh Bar
Price range: Mid-range
Aperitif’s Golden Knafeh Bars blend milk and dark chocolate with pistachio puree and premium knafeh, finished with 24K gold dust and gold leaf, making them one of the better gifting options in the metro. If you are putting together a dessert box that needs to look the part, this is your safest pick. Bars require a one-day lead time for orders.
Lulu and Co (Metro Manila, available via Shopee)
What to order: Knafeh Pistachio Chocolate Jar
Price range: Mid-range
Not everyone wants to bite through a thick chocolate shell. Lulu and Co’s knafeh chocolate in a jar gives you all the pistachio-chocolate-kataifi goodness in spoonable form. Filipinos already have a soft spot for dessert jars, and this one earns its place in that format. Order via their Shopee page and check their Instagram for restocks.
Auro Cafe (Multiple locations, also available via Lazada and Kultura stores)
What to order: SNA’AP Dubai Chocolate Bar by Chef Nouel Catis
Price range: Mid-range
Filipino-Dubai pastry chef Nouel Catis, the man behind the original viral bar at FIX Dessert Chocolatier, partnered with Auro Chocolate, an award-winning Davao-based chocolatier sourcing directly from Filipino cacao farmers. The bar uses Auro’s single-origin milk chocolate as the shell and stays true to Catis’ original pistachio-kunafa filling. The fact that it uses Filipino cacao makes it a genuinely meaningful buy. Available at all Auro Cafes, Kultura stores nationwide, and via Lazada.
For Something Cold
Manila Creamery (UP Diliman QC / Bel-Air Makati / Sampaloc Manila, available via manilacreamery.com)
What to order: Pistachio Chocolate Knafeh Gelato
Price range: Mid-range
Manila Creamery’s Pistachio Chocolate Knafeh Gelato is a smooth pistachio base blended with white chocolate pistachios, crispy kataifi, and chocolate hazelnut ganache. Every textural note the trend is known for shows up here, and eating it cold after wandering around a food hall for twenty minutes makes it taste even better. Check their Instagram before ordering as flavors rotate.
Marcelo’s Microcreamery (The Marketplace, expanding to Robinsons and Shopwise)
What to order: Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate Ice Cream
Price range: Mid-range
Marcelo’s Microcreamery, another Nouel Catis collab, this time with a local brand known for Filipino-inspired flavors like Latik-Latik and Chocolate Champorado. Their Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate pint folds kataifi crunch through a rich pistachio-chocolate base. A good one to keep stocked at home for when the craving hits at 11 PM and no cafe delivery is fast enough.
For Doughnuts and Pastries
Czaczacza Cafe (SM North EDSA, SM San Mateo, SM Masinag, SM Marikina, SM Grand Central)
What to order: Pistachio Knafeh Doughnut or Knafeh Chocolate Pistachio Cake
Price range: Budget-friendly
Czaczacza was one of the first local cafes to make the Dubai Chocolate flavor profile genuinely their own. Their pistachio knafeh doughnuts are packed with crispy kataifi, pistachio, and tahini, coated in Belgian chocolate, and dense enough to split between two people. They have also leveled up with a Knafeh Chocolate Pistachio Cake: layers of chocolate cake and knafeh filling, covered in chocolate mousse and topped with pistachio nuts and dried flower petals. Bring it to a potluck and you will spend the rest of the night answering questions about where you ordered it. Order via Facebook or Instagram for Metro Manila delivery.
Nomu Cafe (Metro Manila)
What to order: Knafeh Pistachio Croissant
Price range: Mid-range
Nomu Cafe stuffs a buttery, well-laminated croissant with pistachio-kataifi cream and tops it with chocolate sauce and crunchy pistachio nuts. A good late morning order, especially if you are already sitting down with a coffee and want something that actually justifies the visit. Check their Instagram for branch locations and current availability.
ALSO READ: How Drinking Coffee Can Impact The Way You Shop
For the Dubai Chewy Cookie
Slide Coffee (Molito Alabang / SM Southmall Paranaque / YMCA Makati)
Price range: Mid-range
Slide Coffee, one of the first cafes to serve the Dujjonku across multiple branches. Their version has a generous pistachio-packed center with crunchy knafeh, pistachio butter, and whole pistachio bits. An Espresso Pistachio Cream comes paired with the original Dubai Chewy Cookie, and a Pistachio Matcha Latte with a Matcha Chew Cookie. You get dessert and a drink in one order. Check their Facebook page for branch hours before heading out.
Sweet Tones by Toni (Quezon City)
Price range: Budget-friendly
Sweet Tones by Toni is a QC home baker worth following for variety. Options include the classic, a Dubai Chocolate Strawberry version with a strawberry-stuffed center, a Matcha Strawberry variant, and a Biscoff Cheesecake take that swaps the pistachio cream entirely. One of the most affordable options on this list. Message their Instagram to order. GCash accepted.
Kukido Handcrafted Cookies (Matandang Balara, Quezon City, order via kukido.ph or GrabFood)
Price range: Budget-friendly
Kukido’s version has a soft cocoa marshmallow shell and a plush, fudgy interior stuffed with pistachio kataifi filling. They also have a Dubai Chocolate Cookie Pie: a giant 8-inch cookie on a Koko Dough and Milk Chocolate base decorated with kataifi, pistachio bits, and pistachio glaze. Fresh batches go out on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Order at least a day ahead. GCash accepted at checkout.
Miguela’s (UP Diliman area, Quezon City, order via miguelasph.cococart.co)
Price range: Budget-friendly
Miguela’s has earned a reputation as one of the most sought-after stops for Dubai Chewy Cookies in the metro, so much so that securing one feels like getting concert tickets on the day of release. Cocoa-coated marshmallow crust with a vibrant green pistachio-kataifi filling. No gimmicks, just the classic done right. Follow their Instagram for drop announcements because slots go fast.
Zuri Cravings (Manila, order via Facebook)
Price range: Budget-friendly
A solid, low-commitment entry point. The classic Pistachio Kataifi version and a Pistachio with Strawberry variant are both available for those who want a fruity contrast to the richness. A good choice for trying the format before spending more on a full box elsewhere. Send them a message through their Facebook page to place an order.
What Is Coming Next
The pistachio knafeh trend has officially outgrown the “fad” label. What started as a single viral bar has evolved into a full dessert language across Metro Manila: bars, jars, doughnuts, cakes, gelato, croissants, and marshmallow cookies. Local bakers adopted the pistachio-kataifi-chocolate trio steadily and without much fanfare, until one day it was simply part of how people ordered dessert here.
Matcha and Dubai Chocolate mashups are already appearing on Metro Manila menus, and local brands are experimenting with the kataifi crunch beyond chocolate applications. Much like how Filipino bakers eventually made matcha their own with pandan and ube combinations, the knafeh craze is starting to pick up local ingredients and local personality. The pistachio bar that started it all came from a Filipino chef working in Dubai. The next chapter of that story is already being written across Metro Manila, one drop at a time.
FAQs: Pistachio Dubai Chocolate in Metro Manila
Can I order these for delivery?
Most options are available for delivery. Kukido accepts orders via GrabFood and their website. Lulu and Co ships via Shopee. Aperitif delivers through their website. For Sweet Tones by Toni, Miguela’s, and Zuri Cravings, message them directly on Instagram or Facebook to arrange delivery.
Which shops accept GCash?
Kukido and Sweet Tones by Toni both accept GCash. For other shops, message them directly before ordering as most small businesses and home bakers now accept digital payments.
Are there budget-friendly options?
Yes. Sweet Tones by Toni, Zuri Cravings, and Czaczacza Cafe are the most budget-friendly options on this list. For the full chocolate bar experience, Bueno Barks and Lulu and Co sit comfortably in the mid-range.
What is the difference between knafeh and Dubai Chocolate?
Knafeh is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with kataifi pastry and a creamy or cheesy filling. Dubai Chocolate packs that same kataifi crunch into a premium chocolate bar with pistachio cream and tahini. They share the crispy pastry element, but Dubai Chocolate is the modern, snackable version that went viral on TikTok.
How much does the original Dubai Chocolate bar cost in the Philippines?
Imported bars from FIX Dessert Chocolatier typically cost P1,700 to P1,850 per bar through local resellers with nationwide shipping. Local versions are significantly more accessible, ranging from budget-friendly to mid-range depending on the shop and format.
Is the pistachio knafeh trend here to stay?
At this point, yes. Pistachio was named the flavor of 2025 by major food publications, and the Dubai Chewy Cookie has already given the trend a second wave heading into 2026. With local bakers continuously evolving the format, it is not going anywhere.
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