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Dubai chocolate has conquered social media and dessert menus, but Starbucks’ take on the trend falls short of the flavor that made it famous.

The craze began in late 2023 as content creators sampled a Dubai-made chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream and toasted kataifi. Its popularity quickly spread, inspiring everything from chocolate-covered strawberries to specialty shakes.

Major chains, including Shake Shack, Crumbl and Starbucks, have since embraced the trend. Starbucks joined the rush in early January with two drinks: the Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha and Iced Dubai Chocolate Mocha.

Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha: 2/5

The matcha version combines a standard matcha base with chocolate cold foam and a brown butter topping. While its green-and-brown appearance evokes Dubai chocolate, the signature pistachio flavor is nearly absent.

The matcha and generic-tasting chocolate foam also fail to complement each other. Despite an attractive presentation, the drink lacks the thoughtful flavor combination needed to capture the original dessert.

Iced Dubai Chocolate Mocha: 2.5/5

The mocha fares slightly better, pairing a pleasantly sweet coffee base with pistachio cold foam and a brown butter topping. The foam works well with the mocha, but its nuttiness tastes closer to hazelnut than the distinctive pistachio filling associated with Dubai chocolate.

The result is enjoyable but ordinary—more like a regular mocha topped with vanilla cold foam than a convincing interpretation of the viral treat.

Both drinks borrow the Dubai chocolate look without delivering its defining flavors. Starbucks will need a stronger pistachio presence and a more distinctive recipe if it wants its next social media-inspired offering to match the hype.