Waterfront Market (Arabic: سوق الواجهة البحرية) is a fish, meat, fruit, and vegetable market in Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The market, which has been functioning since 2017, is recognised as the largest food market in Dubai with over 800 traders trading over 800 tonnes of fresh food everyday. It is located on the Deira Corniche near Hamriya Port at the junction of Al Khaleej Road and Abu Hail Road. The market covers over 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2) and replaces the old Deira Fish Market. The market, developed in 2017 and operated by Ithra Dubai, is widely known as the region's most significant seafood and fresh produce market. The market serves as a significant contributor to Dubai's food economy, sustainability, and cultural tourism. Goods include dates, fish, fruit, honey, meat, spices (e.g., baharat, dukkah, ras el hanout, saffron, and za'atar), and vegetables. There are restaurants on the waterfront at the market. The market supports sustainable fishing and farming. It is a major contributor to Dubai's food economy, sustainability goals, and cultural tourism, attracting millions of visitors and professional chefs each year. By 2022, the market had had 50 million visits since 2017.
History The Waterfront Market (Arabic: سوق الواجهة البحرية) in Deira, Dubai, is a modern embodiment of a long-standing tradition in seafood and food trade. While it opened in 2017, it carries forward and reinvents the legacy of the original Deira Fish Market (1958–2017). Deira lies on the Dubai Creek, a historic waterway that has been important for Dubai's growth as a trading hub. Over the centuries, dhow traffic, pearl-diving, fishing, and coastal trade were central to its economy. The Deira Fish Market, inaugurated in 1958, was for decades the central hub for sourcing fresh catch in Dubai and the Gulf. It was a social and economic gateway where fishermen, traders, and consumers converged. Fish was delivered directly out of boats, often early morning, and traders would display a wide variety of species, from local species like hammour and kingfish to more exotic catches, in a lively and noisy atmosphere. In 2017, the market moved to its current modern location as part of the "Waterfront Market" with its state-of-the-art urban facility with the charm of a traditional marketplace.
Goods and services
The market is renowned for its wide variety of fresh seafood such as kingfish, hammour, Omani Prawns, Jesh (Orange-spotted Trevally and Yellow Trevally), Faskar (two-bar seabream), Octopuses, Oysters, Lobsters and Shari (spangled emperor) trades over 600+ tonnes of seafood with over 500+ traders offering about 260+ varieties of fish. About 70% of the seafood sold in the market is sourced from the waters of the UAE, and the rest is imported globally. n addition to fresh fish, there is a section dedicated to dried fish, which is packaged in bags. As of 2022, the market is home to 435 stands offering raw meat (lamb, goat, cattle, camel, and chicken), 43 stalls of dried fish, and 18 stalls offering live fish and crustaceans, operating with strict safety and hygiene compliance. The market is known for premium cuts from multiple countries, making it a go-to market amongst the international community of Dubai. The Waterfront Market also offers some exotic and unique items such as quail eggs and ostrich eggs.
Apart from meat and seafood items, the markets also offer a wide variety of fruits such as jujubes, figs, pineapples, etc., from and around the UAE. The market houses fresh fruits and vegetables from over 80 local farms, providing a boost to the local agrarian sector. Further. it offers over 160 varieties of produce procured from all over the world through its mammoth strength of over 300 traders. The market also offers Middle Eastern spices such as saffron, dukka (duqqa), ras el hanout, and baharat. Recently, the market has been reported to have added a dedicated cheese and dairy area and specialty coffee roasteries. A wide collection of honey and dates is another attraction of the market. In recent years, the market has garnered the attention of mango lovers due to its wide collection of mangoes at competitive prices during the peak summer months.
Operations
The market holds the distinction of being the largest fish market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with around 400 traders selling their catches every day. The market is open for 24 hours a day, with local fishermen unloading their catches at a dedicated facility within the market, and a live fish auction takes place between 11 pm and 6 am. As an attempt to promote the participation of small businesses and independent fishermen, small boats have been granted free entry to sell fish around the clock. The market was in the news for opening a dedicated dock for docking traditional fishing boats known as dhows. Although the supermarket section of the market is usually closed at night, the fish, meat, spices etc. are available around the clock with temporary shutdowns for cleaning purposes. Additional sections include a dairy and cheese zone, bakeries, coffee roasteries, and a growing number of specialty seafood dining concepts.
Culinary experiences
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