I wanted to open a kiosk in one of the malls in Dubai, but don’t know where to start.  Shall I contact the malls first or shall I try obtaining a license first?  Please can you advise where to start.

You could contact the malls directly to see if they can give you any information however you will need to get a trade license first.  Please check out the government website link that gives you all the information you need to start a business here in Dubai.