Costa

AED 18–25 gets you a solid coffee fix in T1

This Costa sits airside in Dubai T1 departures and quietly soaks up the overflow when the main Starbucks queue snakes into the concourse. It’s post-security, price tier is mid-range ($$), and the Google rating hovers around 3 out of 5, which matches the “fine, not special” tone of most reviews.

You’ll find standard Costa drinks here: cappuccinos, flat whites, and iced options in the AED 18–25 band, roughly what every branded café at DXB charges. Food is the usual pastries and pre-made snacks; reviews say the coffee quality is consistent enough, but milk texturing on lattes and cappuccinos goes hit-or-miss during rushes.

Seating runs to a reasonable cluster of tables just off the main Terminal 1 departure flow, with travellers calling out “plenty of plugs” and power strips near several seats. That matters if you’ve got a 3–4 hour layover and need to charge a laptop and phone without fighting for a lone outlet at the gate.

Regulars say their move is to walk past the first massive coffee line they hit in T1 and head straight here, where the queue typically runs 5–10 minutes shorter at peak. A few turn a corner table into a mini office, nursing one cappuccino for an hour while they clear email between long-haul segments.

Watch out for slower table clearing during banked departures; multiple reviews mention dirty cups stacking up on 3–4 tables at once. Late at night or very early morning, the pastry case can look picked over, so don’t bank on a specific croissant at 02:00. If you care about foam texture, ask for a “extra hot, dry foam” cappuccino and send it back if it arrives lukewarm.

Tip: order, grab a seat near a power outlet first, then return to the counter for napkins and sugar so you don’t lose your spot during busy waves in T1.