Which Dubai chocolate is the best? We tested versions of the viral sweet treat ranging from £4 to £32 – and one bar reigned supreme

It took just one woman sinking her teeth into a chocolate bar oozing with gooey green filling to send the internet into a sugar-fuelled frenzy last year – but is Dubai’s viral chocolate all it’s cracked up to be? 

Since TikTok got a taste of Dubai chocolate, appetite for the treat has skyrocketed – with influencers and foodies alike claiming to have travelled thousands of miles and shelled out hundreds just to get their hands on the crunchy bar. 

The viral chocolate first gained notoriety in 2024 when a Dubai-based chocolatier, inspired by her pregnancy cravings, began inventing filled chocolate bars to satisfy her sweet tooth.

Sarah Hamouda launched her brand Fix Dessert Chocolatier in 2021, later inventing the pistachio cream and filo-pastry filled pudding which went on to land global acclaim after TikTok Maria Vehera posted a video sampling the treat in all its crunchy glory. 

Maria’s original video triggered a global obsession, as thousands began posting ASMR videos sinking their teeth into the thick chocolate bars, leaving a flurry of salivating foodies desperate to sample it for themselves. 

The viral bar is inspired by a Middle Eastern dessert called Knafeh and are filled with pistachio cream, tahini and Kataifi pastry – a pastry made from shredded filo dough.

On TikTok alone, billions have searched for the cocoa treat with hundreds sharing recipes and offering their thoughts on the viral bar.

And brands from across the globe have leapt on the trend, with the likes of Nestle, Lidl and Lindt having rushed to made their own versions.

But Dubai chocolate doesn’t come cheap, with even affordable options such as those available from Lidl, selling for an eye-watering £3.44 for just 122g of product.

Elsewhere, Selfridges have had their shelves cleared after fans flocked to the department store in a desperate bid to score the crunchy treat, where prices range from £5 to £27.

So popular are the chocolate bars that a number of sellers had their entire stock sold almost instantly, with a Lindt version having cleared within just 72 minutes on TikTok shop.

Dozens of TikTokers shared clips queuing up outside supermarkets in the early hours of the morning in the hopes of getting their hands on the retailer’s spin on the viral chocolate when it was released last week. 

As it becomes one of the internet’s most sought after foods, FEMAIL has put to the test three popular variations to the bar to ask the all important question – is it worth the hype?

Four MailOnline reporters have put three Dubai chocolate bars to the test to see if they can decipher which is the most expensive. 

Lidl – £3.99

Influencers all across the country raced to their nearest Lidl in the early hours of the morning last week in an bid to get their hands on the supermarket’s hotly anticipated Dubai chocolate. 

At just £3.99, Lidl’s option is by far the cheapest of those we sampled, a factor that appeared to show up in the quality of the chocolate.

Trainee reporter Emily wasn’t convinced it was totally up to what had been proffered online, noting that it was lacking the distinctive crunch of the Kataifi pastry.

‘It has a bit less of the pastry I think,’ she noted, adding that it was one of the key components and one of the main reasons ‘why people are going crazy online.’

Others were less than impressed.  Sport reporter Henry said Lidl’s version was ‘nothing fancy’.

Dismissing the budget option, Henry said he ‘wouldn’t be getting out of bed early to try that one’.

Elsewhere, trainee reporter Cameron observed the taste was ‘mostly chocolate’ with a hint of a ‘nutty’ flavour inside. 

TV editor Jack noticed Lidl’s chocolate was ‘sweeter’ than its rival varieties, packing a sugar punch that gave away its cheaper price point.

While it it by far one of the cheapest options out there, Lidl’s variation of the Dubai bar was perceptibly inferior in taste, with all four reporters accurately detecting it had a lower price mark.

Godiva – £20

Next up and coming it the mid-range price point of £20 was the Godiva crispy ‘kadayif chocolate tablet’, which boasts an intense pistachio filling sandwiched between decadent layers of smooth Godiva milk chocolate. 

At £20, the Godiva chocolate ‘tablet’ is even more expensive than the original Fix Dessert bar which is $18 or £14. 

It comes as a 180g bar, which is just slightly larger than a standard-size Cadbury’s Dairy Milk bar, which is typically just £1.50.

Oozing opulence, the Belgium-born chocolate bar is elegantly encased in gold foil wrap and accompanying carboard case to mimic the look of a bar of gold.

Putting the pricey chocolate treat under the microscope, MailOnline reporters were impressed to say the least, with some even ranking it as their favourite among the three.

Inspecting the cocoa slab, Emily immediately noticed that it was ‘really nice and filled’, particularly in comparison to its supermarket rival.

But she was less impressed after taking a bite and pointed out the ‘artificial’ flavour compared to Lidl’s cheaper version.

Meanwhile, Henry was completely enamoured by Godiva’s offering, describing it as ‘luxurious’.    

‘You’re getting a lot of bang for your buck with this one,’ he said, pointing to the generously stuffed interior.

‘I definitely think that’s more luxurious, this has got to be the most expensive one,’ he added.

Jack noted that the Godiva variation was reminiscent of a Kinder Bueno, arguably an early iteration of the stuffed chocolate treat. 

‘If you like praline, hazelnut, almond, pistachio, those kind of flavours, I think you’ll really like this,’ he said.

So impressed was he with the chocolate Jack even guessed it was the most expensive of the three. 

The same mistake was made by Henry, who thought the Godiva version was the most expensive of the three.

Läderach – £32

The most expensive on the list, Läderach’s variety comes as a generous slice of fresh chocolate packed with a creamy pistachio filling, hand-crafted crispy baked kataifi threads and roasted nut pieces.

Offering a unique twist on the recipe, the Swiss chocolatiers also include almond gianduja in their filling and top each bar with a swirl of sweet blond chocolate.

However, in comparison to luxurious packaging of its cheaper rivals, Läderach’s chocolate bar was simply bagged in a sheet of plastic.

The luxurious recipe was not wasted on Jack, who instantly swooned after taking a bite of the nutty treat.

‘I have to say, I do think that it’s absolutely delicious,’ said Jack after taking a bite of the crunchy chocolate,’ he said.

Henry was equally impressed and compared it to the high-end brand, Hotel Chocolat. ‘This is good quality’, he said, evidently impressed. But tasting it, he thought it was ‘so grainy’ but still ‘nice’.

‘You’ve got the white chocolate stripe on there,’ he said, pointing to the glossy swirl of blonde chocolate spiralling across the face of the chocolate slab. 

‘The flavour hits – at first I thought it was a bit bland but it’s actually really nice,’ Emily observed. ‘It’s got quite a natural pistachio flavour.’

Cameron also thought the Swiss variety was ‘the most tasty’ compared to the other chocolate bars, correctly guessing the price order of three chocolate bars.

Emily also correctly guessed the price position of each bar. 

Thankfully, there’s now no need to travel halfway across the world to get your hands on Dubai chocolate – but now you’re spoilt for choice in the UK, it’s worth knowing what your money can get you.