The asado is the most important Argentinian meal, full stop. It is to Sundays in Buenos Aires what a Sunday roast is to England, except larger, longer, more communal, more meat-forward, and far more religiously observed. To call it a "barbecue" is to commit a small national insult. A barbecue is something Americans do quickly with gas and ketchup. An asado is a five-hour ritual involving wood fires, ten different cuts of beef, chimichurri made fresh that morning, Malbec by the bottle, and a particular kind of Sunday afternoon conversation that doesn't exist anywhere else on earth.
Dubai has three or four places that do something close to a real asado. None of them is in a backyard in suburban Buenos Aires, which is the only place a real asado actually lives. But several get the spirit right, and one or two get the technique right. This guide covers the tradition, the cuts, where to experience asado in Dubai, and how to run your own at home with cuts you can buy at Spinneys.
What An Asado Actually Is
An asado is hosted by a designated asador — the grill master, usually a man, almost always a relative or close friend, who builds the fire, manages the coals, and personally cooks every cut. The asador is the centre of the social structure of the meal. He arrives 90 minutes before guests, lights the fire, drinks the first beer, and stays at the grill for four hours while everyone else eats, drinks and talks at the long table behind him.
The fire is hardwood charcoal — never gas, never briquettes, and ideally quebracho (a dense South American hardwood) or oak. The grill itself is a parrilla — a flat metal grate that can be raised and lowered over the coals. The seasoning is coarse salt only. Sauces (chimichurri, salsa criolla) are added at the table.
The Asado in 5 Stages
1Picada & Choripán (1pm)
While the fire builds, guests arrive and graze on a picada — cured meats, hard cheese (provolone, Argentine ricotta), olives, and bread. The first proper food off the grill is chorizo sausage in a crusty bread roll with chimichurri — the choripán. This is the appetiser. Wash down with Malbec or beer.
2Achuras — Offal (1:30pm)
Optional but traditional. Mollejas (sweetbreads, the most prized cut), riñones (kidneys), chinchulines (intestines), and morcilla (blood sausage). For Western Dubai palates, the mollejas are the best gateway — crispy outside, creamy inside, served with lemon. Asado at The Palace and Gaucho both do excellent mollejas.
3Big Cuts (2:30pm)
The main event. Asado de tira (cross-cut short ribs), vacío (flank steak), entraña (skirt steak), tira de asado (rib plate), bife de chorizo (sirloin), and possibly tira ancha (thicker rib). Plated communally, not individually. Carved at the grill. Eaten with chimichurri, salsa criolla, and bread.
4Sides & Salad (4pm)
Eaten during the meat course, not before. Ensalada criolla (chopped tomato, onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil) and a simple green leaf salad. Bread baskets continuously refilled. Provoleta (grilled provolone cheese with oregano) sometimes comes here.
5Dulce de Leche & Coffee (5pm)
Dessert is dulce de leche-based — flan with dulce de leche cream, alfajores (dulce de leche-filled biscuits), or queso y dulce (slice of hard cheese with sweet pumpkin paste). Coffee follows. The asado ends when everyone leaves, usually around 6pm.
The 9 Cuts: A Glossary
7 Places to Experience Asado in Dubai
1. El Asador Sunday Brunch (City Walk)
The closest format to a real asado in Dubai. Sunday 1pm–4pm, AED 295 dry / AED 395 with house wine. Free-flow parrillada with chorizo, mollejas, asado de tira, vacío, entraña and chimichurri. Live tango on first Sundays.
Book: 1 week ahead.
2. Asado at The Palace — Parrillada (Downtown)
The Parrillada Asado for 2 (AED 580) or 4 (AED 1100) is a single-course sharing platter that recreates the third stage of asado on one plate. Beef quality the city's best. Format restaurant-paced rather than asado-paced. Pair with Catena Zapata Malbec by glass at AED 78.
Book: 2 weeks ahead, lakeside table.
3. Bocconcino Argentine Nights (H Hotel, Wednesdays)
A communal-table Argentine pop-up every Wednesday at AED 295 with paired Malbec. Visiting Buenos Aires asador cooks. Limited 40 covers. Best asado-format energy in the city when it runs.
Book: 2 weeks ahead.
4. Gaucho DIFC — Asado Set Menu
The Gaucho Set Menu (AED 395 per head) is essentially a tasting-menu asado — empanada, mollejas, two main beef courses, dulce de leche pancake. Pair with the Catena Zapata Malbec flight at AED 145.
Book: 1 week ahead.
5. Patagonia Steakhouse (Souk Madinat) — Parrillada
Parrillada for 2 at AED 520 — entraña, asado de tira, chorizo, and chicken thigh. Beef quality good but not the best in the city; the waterway terrace setting is the actual reason to come.
Book: 5 days ahead, terrace table.
6. La Cabaña (Al Quoz) — Asado Saturdays
Once-a-month Saturday Asado at this Alserkal Avenue family-run restaurant. Outdoor courtyard, charcoal parrilla, AED 165 per head (no alcohol). The closest atmosphere to a real Buenos Aires asado.
Book: Check Instagram for next date.
7. At Home in Dubai
The most authentic asado experience in Dubai is the one you host yourself. Spinneys MOE has all the cuts (entraña, vacío, chorizo, morcilla), Carrefour MOE sells quality lump charcoal. Total cost AED 350–450 per head with proper Malbec. Allow 5 hours start to finish.
Hosting Your Own Asado in Dubai
For 6 people: 800g vacío (flank), 800g entraña (skirt), 1kg asado de tira (short rib), 6 chorizos, 4 morcillas, plus 1kg mollejas if you like offal. Cuts from Spinneys MOE Latin section — budget AED 1,400 for proper Argentine-import meat. Add 5kg quality lump charcoal (AED 65 at Carrefour), 3 large heads romaine lettuce, 6 tomatoes, 2 red onions, 4 baguettes, 1L red wine vinegar, 6 bottles Malbec (Don Marcelo or Catena Zapata, AED 90–180 each at MMI). Total per head: AED 380–450.
Light the fire 90 minutes before serving. Wait until the coals are grey-white, never red-glowing flame. Salt the meat 30 minutes before cooking, never longer (the salt will draw out moisture). Cook in stages with the most distant cuts furthest from the heat. Total cooking time 2–3 hours for a full asado. Eat outside. Drink Malbec. Talk for hours.
More Argentinian Food in Dubai
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an asado and a barbecue?
An asado is to a barbecue what a wedding is to a dinner party. Asado is an entire afternoon ritual — wood fires lit at 11am, beef cooked low and slow over coals from 1pm, four hours of eating and drinking through to 6pm. Cuts are wood-grilled (never gas), seasoned only with coarse salt, and served with chimichurri.
Where can I experience a proper asado in Dubai?
Three places. El Asador in City Walk runs a Sunday parrillada brunch from 1pm to 4pm — closest format to a real asado, AED 295–395 depending on alcohol package. Asado at The Palace Downtown offers a parrillada for two or four. Bocconcino Argentine Nights every Wednesday is the most asado-like in spirit. For an outdoor wood-fired asado, your best bet is hosting one at home.
Can I host an Argentinian asado at home in Dubai?
Yes. Spinneys MOE and Waitrose Mall of the Emirates stock all the cuts. You need a charcoal grill and lump charcoal. Light the fire 90 minutes before you want to cook. Start with sausages, move to offal, then larger cuts. Asado is cooked at moderate heat (180–200°C surface) for 2–3 hours. Plan AED 350–450 per head for ingredients with proper wine.
What is the proper order of cuts at an asado?
The traditional order is: chorizo and morcilla sausages as choripán first, then achuras (offal) including mollejas (sweetbreads), then the big beef cuts (asado de tira, vacío, entraña, bife de chorizo). Salads come during the meat course. Dessert is dulce de leche flan or queso y dulce.
