Dubai bakery piehaus debuts Counter Culture Series with an Emirati-inspired Eid pie
piehaus, the phyllo-focused bakery at Alserkal Avenue, has launched a new collaboration platform called the Counter Culture Series. The initiative pairs the bakery with regional chefs, creatives and cultural figures to produce limited-run pies that reinterpret local flavours. The first release, timed for Eid Al Adha, is the Chebab Pie, created with Emirati pastry chef Sahar Al Awadhi.
What the Chebab Pie is and who made it
The Chebab Pie adapts the traditional Emirati chebab, a thin, golden pancake usually flavoured with cardamom and served with dates. At piehaus, the concept has been translated into a hand-stretched phyllo pastry: saffron- and fresh ground cardamom-infused dough envelops a filling of cream cheese and date syrup. The bakery recommends pairing the pie with karak tea, reinforcing the dessert’s local reference points.
The collaboration brings together Sahar Al Awadhi, described in regional coverage as one of the UAE’s leading pastry chefs, with piehaus’ culinary lead Milan Jurkovic and founder Stasha Toncev. piehaus says the series is intended to turn personal stories and cultural memories into menu items that reflect Dubai’s multi-layered food scene.
Availability, format and pricing
The Chebab Pie will be available at piehaus’ Alserkal Avenue location from 26 May to 7 June. It will be offered for dine-in and takeaway and comes in single-serve and family-sized formats. According to the bakery, the single Chebab Pie is priced at AED 52, karak tea at AED 18, and the family-sized pie at AED 220. Family pies can be pre-ordered with 24 hours’ notice.
Positioning within Dubai’s food landscape
piehaus opened in 2025 and quickly gained attention for its phyllo-centric menu. The brand was recognised in Time Out Dubai’s 2026 restaurant awards, a nod that may help amplify its collaborative efforts. The Counter Culture Series aligns with a broader trend in Dubai where smaller operators and independent chefs use limited-time offerings to experiment with heritage-driven concepts and reach new audiences.
Such collaborations serve multiple purposes: they generate publicity, allow culinary teams to test hybrid flavours without overhauling core menus, and create products timed to cultural moments such as Eid. For consumers, limited runs offer a sense of discovery and occasion, particularly during peak hospitality periods when diners are seeking both familiarity and novelty.
Implications for heritage-led menus and creative partnerships
Reworking a traditional item like chebab into a contemporary format poses practical and cultural questions. Translating a soft pancake into a layered phyllo parcel requires adjustments to texture and sweetness profiles to preserve recognisable flavour notes while fitting the bakery’s structural approach. If executed well, such reinterpretations can introduce heritage ingredients to diners less familiar with the original dish, while giving established patrons a fresh perspective.
For piehaus, the Counter Culture Series also functions as a brand-building tool. By collaborating with locally known chefs and creatives, the bakery positions itself as a platform for cultural exchange rather than solely a product-led outlet. For participating chefs, short-run collaborations provide visibility and an experimental space outside their primary venues.
Practical details and where to try it
The Chebab Pie will be sold at piehaus, Warehouse 22a, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. Operating hours for the outlet are weekdays from 9am to 6pm, and weekends from 9am to 9pm. During the Eid period piehaus has extended hours. Interested diners should pre-order the family pie at least 24 hours in advance to secure availability during the limited release window.
As Dubai’s food scene continues to emphasize collaborations and cultural storytelling, projects like piehaus’ Counter Culture Series reflect a wider movement toward menus that foreground local ingredients and memory-driven concepts. The Chebab Pie marks the first step in a series the bakery says will roll out through the year, bringing additional creative partnerships to the city’s bakery and dessert ecosystem.