Aldi is cashing in on the Dubai chocolate trend with an affordable version of the popular sweet that may tempt those unwilling to fork out more than $20 for a bar.

The 122-gram MilanGo Dubai-style chocolate block is being sold in Australian Aldi supermarkets for $7.99, as one of the German-owned chain’s “special buys”, meaning it will only be around for a couple of weeks – or “while stocks last”.

Which may not be long, going by the early reviews on TikTok.

“The milk chocolate’s awesome, the pistachio’s super strong, the kadayif is crunchy – it’s exactly what it’s meant to be,” declared @nictoriouspapi.

@lianidam gave it 10 out of 10: “This is a good-looking bar – the packaging, the green, I’m loving it all… it’s thin but it tastes exactly like the Dubai chocolate, maybe even more wholesome and better.”

A couple of other Dubai chocolate fans suggest the kadayif (filo) isn’t quite as crispy as it could be and at least one TikToker who’s never tried it before found it too sweet. But overall the verdict seems to be that the Aldi chocolate is good value for money.

@sugar_nstamps #dubaichocolate #aldi #fyp #chocolate #specialbuys @ALDI Australia ♬ Ayra Starr x Sarz x Ckay Afrobeat Amapiano Guitar vibe Type Beat – Type beats to the world

Given that Dubai – or “Dubai-style” – chocolate is the flavour du jour among social media sweet lovers and usually costs between $20 to $40 a bar, it’s not surprising the Aldi special has created a stir.

The original Dubai chocolate bar was launched by Fix Dessert Chocolatier in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 and is called Can’t Get Knafeh of It.

Fix said it was inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern dessert knafeh, “reimagined with a modern twist”, with the bar featuring a pistachio and tahini cream and crispy shredded kadayif (or kataifi) filo pastry encased in milk chocolate.

The chocolate surged in popularity a year or so after it hit the market when it went viral on TikTok.

The user who sparked the trend is said to be Maria Vehera, whose 2023 video of herself eating a Can’t Get Knafeh of It bar has racked up more than 120 million views. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of #DubaiChocolate videos on TikTok.

For those who don’t get what all the fuss is about, fans of Dubai chocolate rave about the multisensory experience – the combination of a creamy filling and crunch of the kadayif within good-quality chocolate.

Fix’s bar has sparked myriad replicas, mostly sold as “Dubai-style” chocolate and based on a variation of the original recipe (not always with the tahini). One of the most readily available in Australia is Swiss chocolate maker Lindt’s milk, dark and white chocolate version, sold for around $20 for a 145-gram bar.

Other versions can be bought online, with Taste.com.au recently declaring little-known brand Naheda’s Choice Dubai chocolate – costing $34.75 for a 200-gram bar – the winner of its blind taste test.

So why is it so pricey?

That’s the million-dollar question. Fix Dessert Chocolatier’s original bar is hand-made and looks expensive – the colourful packaging is enticing and it has the appearance of a gourmet product ­­– but the same isn’t true of all the knock-offs.

While shipping and ingredient costs may be partly responsible for the high price of other Dubai-style chocolate bars, it is also likely due to its popularity. And this shows no signs of abating – earlier this year the high demand even saw some supermarkets in the United Kingdom limit the number of bars customers could buy.

Data from global market research company NielsenIQ has shown that unit sales of pistachio-filled chocolates in the United States were up 1234 per cent in the 2023-24 financial year compared to the previous year, while unit sales of all chocolates fell less than 1 per cent.

Associated Press reported this week that the Dubai chocolate craze – which has sparked other spin-off sweet products incorporating the same ingredients – has even contributed to a pistachio shortage.

“The primary reason for the pistachio shortage is an explosive surge in demand fuelled by the viral ‘Dubai chocolate’ TikTok trend, compounded by underlying supply constraints,” said Iranian nut producer Keinia, noting that global pistachio prices had surged by about 30 per cent in 2025.

As for where it all began, Fix co-owner Sarah Hamouda has said that her mother used to make knafeh and she craved the flavours when she was pregnant. The Dubai chocolate bar she and husband Alani created has helped their business grow from just one employee to 50, although Alani told the BBC earlier this year they were concerned the “copycat” bars were damaging their brand.

“It’s all handmade, every single design is done by hand,” he said.

“We use premium ingredients and the process is not like making other bars – you’ve got the baking, moulding the chocolate to the design and with the filling itself. Even the pistachios are hand-picked and processed.”