There is only one "original" Dubai chocolate bar, and it is almost certainly not the one you saw on sale in Pakistan. The bar that started the trend is made by Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. Everything else is Dubai-style chocolate, and that is fine, because a well made Dubai-style bar is a genuine product in its own right. The real problem is fakes: counterfeit "Fix" packaging, bars with almost no pistachio, and unlabelled bars with no expiry date sold at premium prices.
This guide shows you how to tell the three apart in under a minute, with a 10-point check you can run in a shop or the moment a parcel arrives. If you just want a safe place to start, every bar in our Dubai chocolate collection is a sealed, labelled import with a printed expiry date.
Original, Dubai-style and fake: the three kinds of Dubai chocolate
Most confusion comes from treating "not original" as "fake". They are different things.
| Original | Dubai-style | Fake or misleading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who makes it | Fix Dessert Chocolatier, Dubai | Established chocolate makers and importers, including Nestle with KitKat Pistachio Kunafa | Unknown sellers, sometimes copying Fix branding |
| Where you find it | Limited sale in the UAE | Shops and online stores, with full labels | Social media pages, market stalls, unbranded listings |
| Labelling | Full brand packaging | Brand name, ingredients, batch code, expiry date, importer details | Missing, handwritten or stickered over |
| Filling | Pistachio cream with toasted kataifi | Pistachio cream with kataifi, quantity varies by price | Little or no pistachio, colouring, soft filler |
| Is it a fair purchase? | Yes, if you can get it | Yes, when the price matches the size and quality | No |
The original: what Fix actually makes
Fix Dessert Chocolatier was founded in Dubai around 2021. Its pistachio and kunafa bar, called "Can't Get Knafeh of It", went viral in 2023 after a tasting video reached tens of millions of people. The bar is thick, filled with pistachio cream and toasted kataifi pastry, and sold in limited quantities, which is part of why it became so hard to get.
Because supply is so limited, a seller in Pakistan offering stacks of "original Fix" bars at a normal price deserves a hard second look, especially if the packaging copies the Fix name or design. If you want the story of how the bar went viral, read our explainer on what Dubai chocolate is.
Dubai-style chocolate is not fake
Once a food trend gets big enough, the idea stops belonging to one brand. Kunafa itself is a centuries-old dessert from the Levant, and pistachio chocolate existed long before Fix. When a recognised manufacturer makes a pistachio kunafa bar and labels it honestly, you are buying a real product. Nestle's KitKat Mini Pistachio Kunafa Chunky is a good example: a big brand, full labelling and a version of the idea built on the familiar KitKat wafer.
What matters is whether the bar matches what the label and the price promise. That is what the checks below are for.
The 10-point check: how to spot fake Dubai chocolate
Run these in order. The first four take seconds and catch most fakes before you even open the bar.
1. Look for a printed batch code and expiry date
Every genuine packaged chocolate has a batch or lot code and a best before date, printed or laser etched into the wrapper. Handwritten dates, a sticker covering the original date or no date at all are the clearest warning sign there is.
2. Check for the importer's details
Imported food sold in Pakistan normally carries the importer or distributor's name and address, often on a sticker alongside the original label. An imported-looking bar with no trace of who brought it into the country is a risk.
3. Read the ingredient list
Ingredients are listed by weight, from most to least. In a good bar, chocolate and pistachio sit near the top. If sugar, vegetable oil, palm fat, cashew or "pistachio flavour" come before pistachio, you are paying pistachio prices for filler.
4. Compare the weight and the price
Pistachio is expensive in Pakistan. Even making the bar at home costs PKR 900 to 1,410 per bar in ingredients, as our homemade Dubai chocolate recipe shows. A large "original" bar for a few hundred rupees cannot contain much pistachio. Our Dubai chocolate price guide lists every legitimate option by price per 100g, so you know what normal looks like.
5. Check the shell for gloss and snap
Properly tempered chocolate is glossy and snaps cleanly. A dull, soft or bendy shell means the chocolate was never tempered, was made with cheap compound coating, or has been through heat.
6. Look at the filling colour
Real pistachio cream is a muted, slightly olive or brownish green. A bright, neon green that looks like food colouring usually is food colouring.
7. Look at the cross section
Break the bar. You should see a generous filling layer, not a thin smear, and visible strands of golden kataifi pastry through it.
8. Listen for the crunch
The toasted kataifi should crunch audibly. Soft, chewy or doughy filling means old stock, moisture damage or a bar made without properly toasted pastry. The crunch is the whole point of Dubai chocolate.
9. Smell and taste
You should smell roasted pistachio and chocolate. A strong artificial, almond-essence or vanilla smell suggests flavouring. On the palate, cashew and peanut taste sweeter and blander than pistachio, so a filling cut with cheaper nuts tastes flat.
10. Judge the seller
Be careful with sellers who only take orders by direct message, cannot tell you the brand or expiry date, offer no returns, or claim to have unlimited stock of the "original Fix" bar. A legitimate store lists the product, its size, its price and its ingredients openly.
Real pistachio filling vs cheap filler
| Check | Real pistachio filling | Cheap filler |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Muted olive or brownish green | Bright, uniform neon green |
| Ingredient list | Pistachio near the top | Sugar, oil or other nuts before pistachio |
| Smell | Roasted, nutty | Sweet, artificial or almond-essence |
| Texture | Thick cream with crisp kataifi | Thin, oily or soft |
| Taste | Rich and slightly savoury | Mostly sugar |
| Price | Reflects the size and the nut content | Suspiciously low for the size |
Homemade bars sold online: fake or fine?
Many home bakers in Pakistan make Dubai-style bars, and some make excellent ones. A homemade bar is not fake if it is sold honestly as homemade. The questions to ask are practical: when was it made, what is in it, how was it stored, and how long will it stay crunchy. Homemade bars have a short shelf life because the kataifi absorbs moisture within days, especially in humid cities like Karachi. Buy them for a party or for the same week, not for storage.
What heat does to a genuine bar
Sometimes a genuine bar looks like a fake because it has been damaged by heat. A pale, streaky shell is bloom, caused by temperature swings, and a soft filling can come from humidity. Both are common in Pakistani summers. Our guide to storing chocolate in Pakistan's heat explains how to tell heat damage from a bad product and how to keep bars crunchy at home.
Where to buy genuine Dubai chocolate in Pakistan
Buy from a seller who lists the brand, size, ingredients and price openly, and who can tell you the expiry date before you pay. At Kicks.pk, every Dubai chocolate product is a sealed, labelled import stored away from heat in Islamabad:
- The Kunafa Viral Dubai Chocolate pack of six (240g) at PKR 1,349, our most popular sharing pack.
- The 25-piece Viral Dubai Chocolate Kunafa box at PKR 2,495 for parties and dessert tables.
- The KitKat Mini Pistachio Kunafa Chunky 166g at PKR 4,890, the branded option for gifting.
- Pistachio cousins such as Lindt Lindor Pistachio and Bolci Pistachio Croquant in imported chocolates.
Prices last checked October 2026. The live price is always on the product page.
What to do if you think you bought a fake
- Take clear photos of the packaging, label, batch code and the cross section.
- Do not eat a bar with no expiry date, an off smell or signs of mould, which looks fuzzy and spotty, unlike the smooth film of bloom.
- Contact the seller with your photos and ask for the brand, importer and expiry date.
- Next time, buy from a store that publishes this information before you order.
Skip the guesswork. Every bar in our Dubai chocolate collection is sealed, labelled and dated, from the PKR 1,349 kunafa six-pack to the KitKat Pistachio Kunafa 166g. Same working day delivery in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, next working day to most cities, cash on delivery nationwide. For ready-made gifts, see snack boxes and gift boxes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dubai chocolate sold in Pakistan real?
Most Dubai chocolate in Pakistan is Dubai-style, made by other manufacturers, rather than the original Fix bar. Dubai-style chocolate is a genuine product when it is honestly labelled and priced.
Who makes the original Dubai chocolate?
Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. Its pistachio kunafa bar, "Can't Get Knafeh of It", went viral in 2023 and is sold in limited quantities.
How can I tell if Dubai chocolate is fake?
Check for a printed batch code and expiry date, importer details, pistachio high in the ingredient list, a natural green filling, a glossy shell that snaps and a crunchy kataifi layer.
Why is fake Dubai chocolate so cheap?
Because it replaces most of the pistachio with sugar, oil, colouring or cheaper nuts, and often uses compound coating instead of real chocolate.
Is KitKat Pistachio Kunafa real Dubai chocolate?
It is a genuine Dubai-style bar made by Nestle under the KitKat brand. It is not the original Fix bar, but it is a properly made and labelled product.
Why is my Dubai chocolate white on the outside?
That is usually bloom from heat or temperature changes. It is safe to eat, though the shell loses its gloss and snap.
Is homemade Dubai chocolate fake?
No, as long as it is sold honestly as homemade. Ask when it was made and eat it within days, because the kataifi softens quickly.