Can You Bring Food in Global Village?

When traveling it can be difficult to navigate your dietary requirements at times. Will the restaurants and the place you’re going have the kind of food you like to eat? Or maybe you have serious dietary restrictions such as gluten intolerance or a dairy allergy. If you’re planning a trip to the Global Village you may be wondering…

Can you bring food in Global Village? General consensus on the web is that yes, you can bring food into the Global Village. Upon perusing the park rules and regulations, there is no mention of outside food not being allowed in the park.

Keep reading to find out about some rules you will have to follow when entering the Global Village and about the food options at the Global Village.

Can you definitely bring your own food?

Yes. You can definitely bring your own food to the Global Village. Not only is there no mention of it not being allowed in the park rules and regulations, there are also many online testimonies from people who have brought their own food to the Global Village.

For example, on the Trip Advisor forum, this was one of the responses to question of whether or not outside food was allowed in Global Village:

“Yes. There are no restrictions in taking your own food. On weekends, it may be a good idea to carry food especially if you have small children with you” (https://www.tripadvisor.com/FAQ_Answers-g295424-d2038312-t5083246-Hi_Just_need_to_ask_Outside_food_allowed_here.html)

A reviewer on another Trip Advisor forum had this to say regarding food at the Global Village:

“… it’s not authentic and we didn’t eat there as there weren’t many places to sit with takeaway food and we didn’t like the look of the restaurants. It gets really busy at the weekend so if you do go then, get there when it opens to avoid big traffic and people queues” (https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g295424-i872-k12294666-Global_village_and_food_alcohol-Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html).

Even though many people come to the Global Village to try the delicious food, you may have good reason for bringing your own food. I’ll discuss those reasons further in the following paragraphs.

Why would I bring my own food?

Bringing your own food is a smart way to save some money when you are visiting the park. Since the entry fee to the Global Village is relatively inexpensive (15 AED = 4 USD) most of your expenses from a day at the park will come from the things you buy while you are there.

Going to the Global Village should be an all-day affair as there is so much to see and many of the best shows happen in the evening. If you are there for a number of hours, chances are you’re going to get hungry and you’re going to want to eat something.

There are so many amazing food options at the Global Village but if you are traveling on a budget you might find it cheaper to bring your own snacks. Another reason for bringing your own food could be that you have a dietary restriction or a food allergy.

Especially when it comes to food allergies you don’t want to take any chances! Sometimes a language barrier could prevent you from adequately communicating your allergy to a food vendor.

Another good reason for bringing food with you is if you are traveling with young children. If your child needs to eat often, you’re going to end up spending quite a bit of money feeding them throughout the day.

Or what if they are a picky eater? As I said before, there are countless food options at the Global Village but there is still no absolute guarantee that they will have something that your child likes to eat.

One last reason to bring your own food would be to avoid line ups – particularly if you are visiting the park on a busy weekend. Line ups can be especially tedious if you have children with you so why not do yourself a favour and avoid the hassle altogether?

So, to summarize, here are some good reasons for bringing your own food to Global Village:

  • You have a dietary restriction such as glucose or lactose intolerance
  • You have a food allergy
  • You are visiting the park with young children who need to eat often or are picky eaters
  • You want to save a bit of money  
  • You want to avoid line ups

How much money would I really be saving?

Here’s a sampling of what you can expect to pay for different food items from the restaurants and kiosks at the Global Village:

  • Cheese Wheel pasta (AED 30 or about 8 USD) – delicious cheesy pasta that gets its cheesiness by being stirred around in a giant wheel of cheese
  • Skirt Burger (AED 25 or about 7 USD) – an amazing burger garnished with crispy cheese that forms a “skirt” (hence the name “skirt burger”)
  • Zombie Doughnuts (AED 10 or about 3 USD) – delicious doughnuts with a scary twist
  • Leaning Tower of Mozzarella (AED 30 or about 8 USD) – get ready for a whole lot of cheese!
  • Lassi (AED 16 or 4 USD) – an Indian yogurt-based drink that comes in all sorts of yummy flavours like mango, strawberry, and more!

So, when you consider these prices you can see that by bringing your own food to Global Village you might be saving quite a bit of money. This is especially true if you are traveling with a family.

Imagine how quickly the cost of food can add up when you are buying an 8-dollar meal for five people, and surely you’ll try some dessert or a beverage as well. You’re probably looking at a minimum cost of about 65 USD to feed a family of five.

What am I missing out on?

Before making the decision to bring your own food to the Global Village in Dubai, take a moment to consider what you might be missing out on. Food is – in my opinion – one of the best ways to get acquainted with other cultures.

The whole purpose of the Global Village is to give people a taste of what other cultures are like, and if you don’t sample some food you might be missing out on a pretty big part of the experience!

Some of the countries that you can sample food from at the Global Village are:

  • India
  • China
  • Egypt
  • Japan
  • Lebanon
  • Morocco
  • Iran
  • Pakistan
  • Syria
  • Turkey
  • Thailand
  • And more!

No worries if you decide not to have anything to eat while at the Global Village though, there is plenty of shopping that will allow you to get a glimpse into other cultures as well. Would you believe that there are over 3,500 awesome shopping venues at the Global Village?

Where can I eat my food?

You might be wondering where exactly you can eat the food that you bring into the Global Village. There are some great open, grassy areas that can be a perfect place for a picnic. While you sit and eat you can look around and enjoy all that the Global Village has to offer.

Regardless of whether you decide to bring your own food or try some of the food at the Global Village, one thing’s for certain – the Global Village is definitely a feast for the eyes!

Related Questions

What are some popular attractions at the Global Village?

There is so much to see at the Global Village, but here’s an idea of some of the highlights that are worth checking out:

  • The Parade of Tolerance
  • The Fireworks show
  • The Ripley’s Believe It or Not! exhibit
  • The awesome arcade and skill games in the Carnaval section
  • One of the amazing music and dance shows on the main stage

What are some of the other rules and regulations for visiting the Global Village?

Although you are allowed to bring food into the Global Village there are a number of things that you are NOT allowed to do:

  • Bring wheeled devices such as roller skates, skateboards, hover boards, bicycles, and tricycles into the park
  • Bring luggage/suitcases into the park
  • Engage in public displays of affection such as kissing and hugging while at the park
  • Wear revealing clothing that does not cover the torso (including shoulders) and legs (including knees) – this goes for both men and women

The rules and regulations for the Global Village in Dubai can be found here: https://www.globalvillage.ae/about-us/park-rules-regulations/. It’s definitely a good idea to read over the rules before your visit so that you don’t encounter any unpleasant surprises!

Are pets allowed in Global Village?

Pets, unfortunately, are not allowed in the Global Village. If you show up with your pet, don’t expect to be allowed into the Global Village.

Why are public displays of affection forbidden at the Global Village?

Public displays of affection are forbidden throughout most of the UAE for cultural/religious reasons. You could end up facing serious consequences if you don’t adhere this rule while you are visiting Dubai.

Public displays of affection include holding hands, hugging, kissing, and being touchy in general.