Okay, the Dubai chocolate trend has officially entered its warehouse-club era. Häagen-Dazs just dropped brand-new Dubai Style Chocolate Mini Ice Cream Bars, and for now, the only place you can get your hands on a box is Costco. We repeat: Costco-exclusive. If you’ve been making TikTok knafeh dupes in your kitchen for the last year, you can officially retire the shredded phyllo and let the ice cream aisle do the work.
It’s been well over a year since Dubai chocolate first went viral, and if anything, the demand has only gotten stronger. A single shop’s chocolate-coated take on knafeh — that gooey Middle Eastern dessert built on crispy kataifi, pistachio and sugar syrup — has since inspired copycats from major candy brands, coffee chains, and now, apparently, one of the most recognizable names in premium ice cream. When a 66-year-old brand like Häagen-Dazs decides a trend is worth building an entire new product line around, that’s usually a sign it’s here to stay for a while.
What’s Actually in the Box
Each box holds 20 individually wrapped mini bars, and every single one is built like a tiny dessert flex. It starts with Häagen-Dazs’ relaunched pistachio ice cream, gets studded with crunchy toasted kataifi (that’s the shredded phyllo pastry that made the original Dubai chocolate bar famous), and then the whole thing gets dunked in a rich milk chocolate shell. Basically, it’s the viral knafeh-chocolate mashup, shrunk down to a one-bite popsicle you don’t need a reservation to enjoy.
“We wanted to bring consumers a globally inspired experience that invites them to slow down, take their sweet time, and savor every bite.”— Rachel Jaiven, Head of Häagen-Dazs Marketing
Why Dubai Chocolate Refuses to Quit
If you feel like you’ve been hearing about Dubai chocolate for approximately forever, that’s because you have. What started as one Middle Eastern chocolate shop’s knafeh-inspired bar has now been copied, riffed on, and reinvented by everyone from Starbucks to Crumbl. Häagen-Dazs jumping in confirms what we’ve been saying since Costco’s Viral 3D Fruit Ice Cream took over everyone’s freezer this summer: the warehouse club is basically ground zero for the next viral snack, whether it’s frozen treats or Krispy Kreme-rivaling croissant donuts. This one just happens to come from a 66-year-old ice cream brand instead of a TikTok kitchen.
Where (and When) to Grab a Box
Here’s the fine print worth knowing before you make a special trip:
- Sold in boxes of 20 mini bars, priced between $15.49 and $15.99 depending on your warehouse.
- Rolling out to Costco freezer sections nationwide, though Texas and the Southeast are getting theirs a little later.
- Shoppers have already started spotting boxes in the wild, so stock is moving fast at some locations.
- Not available at other grocery stores right now — this is a Costco-only release, at least for the time being.
Translation: if your local Costco has it, don’t overthink the purchase. Between this and the shrinking window on Costco’s $22.99 Strawberry Streusel Cheesecake, the bakery and freezer aisles are both having a moment, and neither one is going to last through August.
Worth the Cart Space?
For a brand-new, globally inspired flavor from a premium ice cream brand, $15.49 to $15.99 for 20 individually wrapped bars is a genuinely solid per-bite price, especially compared to what a single Dubai chocolate bar can run you elsewhere. Toss a box in the freezer for movie nights, or bring it to your next potluck and watch it disappear before the burgers are even off the grill. The portion size is also doing a lot of quiet work here — because these are minis, it’s a lot easier to grab “just one” instead of committing to a full-size bar, which makes the whole box feel a little less indulgent even though, let’s be honest, you’ll probably still eat three in one sitting.
Have you tracked down a box yet, or is your Costco still sold out? Let us know in the comments — and check back with GroceryGoodies for the next viral grocery find worth the trip.
Photo credits: Image 1 — Häagen-Dazs. Image 2 — Häagen-Dazs via Parade.
