Every year, food trends sweep across social media, sparking obsessions ranging from avocado toast to pickles. These crazes often start with a simple post, quickly gaining traction as foodies worldwide rush to try the latest edible sensation. There’s a “fear of missing out” going on.
In 2024, and still happening now in 2025, the food world is talking about the Dubai Chocolate Bar, thanks to TikTok and Instagram influencers. It’s a candy bar filled with ingredients like pistachio cream and knafeh — a traditional Arab dessert that’s made with spun pastry dough.
It’s sweet, it’s crunchy, and it’s just as much fun to look at as it is to eat.
Getting ONE OF THESE Locally
At the moment, there’s a limited number of these candy bars available around the globe, but, hey, we have Tucson Chocolate Factory to satisfy our internet sensation cravings.
Armando Bezies, owner of the local chocolate factory, is currently making both milk chocolate and dark chocolate Dubai Chocolate Bars. They’re vegan, made with an in-house pistachio cream, and available for purchase online.
Coming in at $25 each is what these “unbelievably crispy” chocolate treasures are going for online. In this case, you’re supporting a local business doing big things in the city.
Also, you can find Tucson Chocolate Factory’s Dubai Chocolate Bars at Bella’s Gelato Shoppe (2648 E. Speedway Blvd.) — get one of these jabbed into your gelato!
How it All Started
Armando’s chocolate-making adventures started during the 2020 pandemic — he first started experimenting with toffee.
He didn’t expect it would lead to opening his own chocolate factory, but in true Tucson spirit, his love for local ingredients, combined with creativity, turned that passion into a thriving operation.
Armando isn’t just sourcing chocolate — he’s making it from scratch. After his supplier retired, he took matters into his own hands, roasting heirloom cacao at home in a coffee bean roaster and handcrafting his signature small-batch confections.
The hard work has paid off, too.
He’s able to incorporate flavors of the region, like lemon agave and prickly pear caramel, both of which have become customer favorites. Tucson offers a lot that Armando can use: ingredients like citrus, dates, and locally sourced honey.
Each truffle, bonbon, and single-origin bar is a nod to the desert and the dedication it takes to make chocolate from the ground up.
Tucson Chocolate Factory’s treats can be found at local markets, select retailers, and online. Grab one of the Dubai Chocolate Bars before the word spreads.
For more information, like pop-ups and releases, visit tucsonchocolatefactory.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
