Manila Building Satwa Dubai: Location, Shops & Nearby Places
Manila Building Satwa is a well-known commercial building in the Satwa–Al Bada’ part of Dubai, especially recognised for Filipino food, cargo services and community-focused businesses. Jollibee is one of its most useful landmarks, while several Philippines-focused cargo companies also use the building as a Satwa branch or office.
The main difficulty is not finding businesses there but understanding the different names used online. Current sources variously call the property Manila Building, Manila Centre and Beljafla/BELJAFLA, while its area may appear as either Al Satwa or Al Bada’. Those differences can all point to the same local building cluster rather than three separate destinations.
For wider neighbourhood context, the Al Satwa Dubai guide explains the surrounding area before you focus on this specific building.
Quick Answer
Manila Building Satwa is the building commonly associated with Manila Centre and Beljafla (Manila) Building near the Satwa–Al Bada’ boundary. Jollibee’s official UAE site lists its branch at Manila Centre near Iranian Hospital on Street 12A, while LBC calls its Satwa branch Beljafla (Manila) Building.
The building is known for Filipino-oriented food and services, including Jollibee and several cargo companies. For navigation, search the exact business or use “Manila Building, Al Bada’/Satwa” rather than entering only “Manila Building Dubai”, because map and address labels are not fully consistent across current sources.
Where Is Manila Building Satwa?
Manila Building Satwa is located in the area where Al Satwa and Al Bada’ meet in central Dubai. Current map data places Manila Building in Al Bada’, while several businesses inside continue to use Al Satwa in their official addresses.
That difference is important because a person searching only by neighbourhood can think there are two different properties. In practice, businesses such as Jollibee, LBC and Pinas Express use Satwa wording, while property and mapping platforms may classify the same building under Al Bada’.
Jollibee’s current official listing gives one of the clearest navigation references: Manila Centre, near Iranian Hospital, Street 12A, Al Satwa, Dubai. Iranian Hospital is therefore a useful landmark when confirming that you have found the correct Manila Building rather than another similarly named place in Dubai.
Manila Building, Manila Centre and Beljafla Explained
The different names are one of the most useful things to understand before travelling there. Current sources connect these names closely enough that they should not automatically be treated as separate buildings.
| Name seen online | How current sources use it |
|---|---|
| Manila Building | RTA/map references and cargo businesses |
| Manila Centre | Jollibee’s current official branch address |
| Beljafla (Manila) Building | LBC’s current Satwa branch wording |
| BELJAFLA | Current building name in a Dubizzle property record |
| Al Satwa | Common business-facing neighbourhood label |
| Al Bada’ | Current map/property-area classification |
LBC gives particularly useful evidence because its official branch page directly writes “Beljafla (Manila) Building” for its Satwa location. A current Dubizzle commercial listing separately identifies the building name as BELJAFLA while showing the map location as Manila Building in Al Badaa.
Jollibee, meanwhile, uses Manila Centre for the same local cluster. Together, these sources explain why a taxi, map result, business website or property listing may use a different name without necessarily referring to a different destination.
Why Do Some Addresses Say Satwa and Others Al Bada’?
The simplest explanation is that public-facing business addresses and map/property boundaries do not always use the same neighbourhood label. Manila Building is strongly associated with Satwa’s commercial and Filipino community, while current mapping data places the property itself under Al Bada’.
MSM Cargo illustrates the overlap clearly. Its current address describes its head office as Manila Building, same building as Jollibee Satwa, Al Badaa Satwa, Dubai, combining both neighbourhood names in one address.
This is why neither label should be dismissed as automatically wrong. If you are trying to understand the surrounding roads before travelling, the Al Satwa Road guide gives more context on the nearby commercial street network.
The safest navigation method is still to search the exact tenant or business name. That removes most of the uncertainty created by area boundaries.
What Shops and Services Are in Manila Building?
The building’s strongest current commercial themes are food, cargo/logistics and Filipino-oriented services. It should not be treated as a fixed shopping mall directory because smaller commercial units can change tenants, relocate or close over time.
A 2026 peer-reviewed study on expatriate place attachment in Dubai specifically describes Manila Building and its surroundings as containing Filipino restaurants, thrift shops, salons and remittance centres. The study identifies this cluster as part of Al Satwa’s importance as a cultural hub for Filipino expatriates.
For practical use, it is better to separate long-term building identity from individual businesses. The building may remain a Filipino commercial anchor even as particular restaurants or retail units change.
Jollibee at Manila Centre
Jollibee is one of the most recognisable current tenants and one of the easiest ways to confirm the building. The chain’s official UAE website lists Jollibee Al Satwa at Manila Centre near Iranian Hospital and currently shows the branch as open 24 hours.
If Jollibee itself is your destination, use the dedicated Jollibee Satwa guide because Satwa now has more than one Jollibee-area reference. Searching only “Jollibee Satwa” without checking the address can therefore send you to the wrong branch.
Manila Centre is useful as a building landmark, but current opening hours should still be rechecked on the restaurant’s own page before a special trip because business schedules can change.
LBC Express
LBC is another strong current building identifier. Its official branch locator lists the Satwa branch at Unit G-6, Beljafla (Manila) Building, Al Satwa, directly linking the Beljafla and Manila names.
This makes the building useful not only for food but also for Philippines-focused logistics and parcel services. Someone searching for “LBC Manila Building Satwa” is therefore looking for a genuine current branch rather than an old directory reference.
Because cargo counter timings and service conditions can change, use LBC’s current branch information when the service itself is the reason for your visit.
Pinas Express Cargo
Pinas Express Cargo currently lists its Satwa branch at Shop #20, Manila Building, Al Satwa, Dubai. Its official contact page also publishes branch-specific contact details and operating hours.
The presence of multiple Philippines-focused cargo businesses in the same building area helps explain why Manila Building has practical significance for Filipino residents. People can combine a cargo visit with food, shopping or other errands in the surrounding commercial area.
The specific shop number is useful if Pinas Express is your destination, but it should not be treated as a universal entrance reference for every business in the building.
MSM Cargo
MSM Cargo currently identifies its head office as Ground Floor Shop 14, Manila Building, adding that it is in the same building as Jollibee Satwa. Its address uses both Al Badaa and Satwa, which is another good example of the neighbourhood-label overlap.
This independent confirmation strengthens the building identity because it connects the Manila Building name, Jollibee landmark and Satwa/Al Bada’ wording in one current business source.
Cargo businesses can change counter schedules or collection arrangements, so visitors should check current service information before carrying large boxes to the branch.
Are Old Manila Building Shop Lists Reliable?
Not always. Building-level local guides become outdated quickly when restaurants and smaller businesses close, relocate or change names.
For example, older pages still contain La Mesa at Manila Building, but current Zomato data marks the restaurant as permanently closed. Gerry’s Grill also has an old Manila Building listing that is now marked permanently closed.
This is why the page should not promise a “complete list of shops”. A better approach is to use current official tenant sources for important businesses and treat old directories as historical evidence rather than proof that a shop is still open.
If you are travelling for one particular restaurant, salon, retailer or cargo counter, verify that individual business shortly before leaving.
Why Manila Building Matters to Dubai’s Filipino Community
The building has cultural significance beyond the individual shops operating inside it. A 2026 academic study identifies Al Satwa as a Filipino cultural hub and specifically says Manila Building and its surrounding area contain Filipino restaurants, thrift shops, salons and remittance centres.
The study explains that these businesses help expatriates recreate familiar routines from the Philippines, giving the neighbourhood a strong sense of cultural familiarity and belonging. This provides a stronger basis for describing Manila Building as a Filipino community anchor than simply using informal labels such as “Little Manila”.
Older Gulf News reporting also documented Satwa’s long-standing importance to Filipino residents, highlighting Filipino food, products and specialist local businesses in the area. That historical context matches the cultural pattern still identified in current research.
The building is therefore useful both as a practical commercial destination and as part of a wider community cluster that has developed over many years.
What Is Near Manila Building?
The building sits among several useful Satwa and Al Bada’ landmarks. Iranian Hospital is one of the easiest navigation references because Jollibee officially describes Manila Centre as being near the hospital.
Current map data also places West Zone Supermarket close to the building, while the RTA Satwa area map labels Manila Building within the wider Al Satwa Bus Station zone.
These landmarks are more useful than publishing an exact “X-minute walk” because the practical route depends on road crossings, the building entrance and the tenant you are visiting. A short map distance does not always equal the same walking time.
Satwa Roundabout is another useful wider-area reference, but Manila Building should not be described as if it sits directly on the Roundabout.
How to Reach Manila Building by Bus
Al Satwa Bus Station is one of the strongest public-transport references for this area. RTA’s current station map includes Manila Building in its local-area mapping and also shows Al Satwa and Al Bada’ around the station.
For detailed station information, use the Al Satwa Bus Station guide. The exact route you should take depends on where you are starting, so it is better to use RTA’s live journey planner than copy a static bus-route list into a building guide.
Once you reach the Satwa area, search the individual tenant for the final part of the journey. That is especially helpful because different businesses in the property use slightly different street and neighbourhood wording.
Is There a Metro Station at Manila Building?
There is no Metro station inside Manila Building or directly attached to it. Visitors coming by Metro normally need to combine the rail journey with a bus, taxi or walking connection depending on their starting point and the route available that day.
Current map data places the building in central Dubai with public-transport connections around the Satwa and Al Bada’ area rather than directly at a Metro entrance.
For this reason, searching the exact destination in a journey planner is more useful than relying on a generic “nearest Metro” answer. The quickest route can change depending on where you begin.
Food and Other Places Around Satwa
Manila Building has strong food associations, but many well-known Satwa restaurants sit elsewhere in the neighbourhood. A restaurant described as being “in Satwa” should therefore not automatically be assumed to be inside Manila Building.
If you want more options before or after visiting the building, the guide to food around Satwa Roundabout covers the wider area. That keeps this page focused on the building itself instead of duplicating a complete restaurant guide.
Always check the restaurant’s current address before travelling. Satwa, Al Bada’, 2nd December Street and other nearby streets can all appear in local dining searches.
Driving, Parking and Finding the Correct Entrance
Driving to Manila Building Satwa is possible, but the exact business pin is more useful than relying on one street description for the whole property. Jollibee currently uses Street 12A, while MSM Cargo uses 2 A St. in its address.
Rather than treating one of those formats as universally correct for every unit, search the individual business you need. Different commercial units can be described differently across company websites and navigation systems.
Parking availability should also not be guaranteed. The building sits in an active commercial area, so the easiest parking situation can vary by time and by which side of the property you approach.
For a short visit during a busy period, taxi or public transport may be simpler than trying to park immediately beside the tenant.
What to Check Before Visiting
Before travelling, confirm the exact tenant name and current status. This is especially important for restaurants because several older Manila Building listings remain indexed even after businesses have closed.
Check the current business page for opening hours, branch details and contact information. If an old directory conflicts with a business’s current official website, the current first-party source should normally take priority.
When using a map, include Satwa or Al Bada’ with the building name, or search a known tenant such as Jollibee, LBC, Pinas Express or MSM Cargo. That reduces the risk of choosing another Manila-named result elsewhere in Dubai.
Final Answer
Manila Building Satwa is a prominent commercial building associated with Dubai’s Filipino community and the Satwa–Al Bada’ area. Depending on the source, you may also see the property called Manila Centre or Beljafla/BELJAFLA Building, while current businesses use both Satwa and Al Bada’ in their address descriptions.
Current well-supported tenants include Jollibee, LBC Express, Pinas Express Cargo and MSM Cargo. For the easiest visit, search the exact business or use Iranian Hospital and Al Satwa Bus Station as wider local references rather than relying on one building-name spelling or neighbourhood label alone.
