Dubai is one of the most exciting dining destinations in the world. The diversity of cultures that make up the city’s population has resulted in a rich culinary tapestry that incorporates a heady mix of flavors. Some of the world’s top chefs have brought their award-winning restaurant brands to Dubai, and many homegrown concepts showcase local cuisine with a global flair.
Listing the top 10 restaurants in Dubai is no easy task given the breadth of fantastic options that are available all over the city. The eateries that we have listed below, however, are simply a cut above the rest.
Zuma
Zuma was one of the first restaurants to open in DIFC and has been a mainstay of Dubai’s fine dining scene since 2009. In a city where tastes and styles change at a rapid pace, Zuma has outlasted many of its original contemporaries because of its vibrant Japanese and pan-Asian flavors paired with impeccable service. Despite having 70 branches across the world, the Dubai outpost has carved out its own niche and is consistently ranked as one of the best restaurants in the city year after year.
Al Muntaha
When a restaurant is located in as acclaimed a venue as the Burj Al Arab, expectations are bound to be sky-high. And Al Muntaha, which is one of the hotel’s signature restaurants, has been exceeding those expectations by a large margin since it first opened its doors back in 1999. The restaurant has always been recognized for its flavourful contemporary European fare, but it has attained a new level of excellence since chef Saverio Sbaragli took charge of the kitchen in 2021. A series of awards followed, capped off by the restaurant earning its first Michelin star in 2024.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
London’s diners have been wowed by Heston Blumenthal’s unique gastronomic concepts for decades. His restaurants Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal were key players in the city’s evolving culinary landscape and have taken British cuisine to new heights. A restaurant helmed by Blumenthal was long overdue in Dubai and in 2023, the city saw the opening of its own Dinner restaurant at Atlantis the Royal on Palm Jumeirah. All of the classic dishes from the London menu can be found here, along with signature dishes created exclusively for Dubai.
Il Ristorante – Niko Romito
Niko Romito was one of Italy’s rising culinary talents, crafting Italian dishes that used simple ingredients to their full potential. The simplicity of his cooking philosophy is also evident in the name of his award-winning restaurant ‘Il Ristorante’, which has become a staple of all Bulgari hotels across the world. The Dubai edition of Il Ristorante, located at the Bulgari Resort on Jumeirah Bay Island, has won numerous awards and has been ranked among the best restaurants globally. In 2022, it earned the distinction of becoming Dubai’s first restaurant to be awarded two Michelin stars and has maintained those stars for three consecutive years.
Tresind Studio
Since 2014, Tresind has been a pioneer of modern Indian cuisine in Dubai, elevating it beyond the standard curries that most diners have come to expect. Himanshu Saini, the founder of Tresind, is the spiritual successor to legendary chefs like Heston Blumenthal, using molecular gastronomy and unorthodox techniques to craft unique dishes. His second restaurant, Tresind Studio, is a much more streamlined affair featuring a selection of degustation menus inspired by different regions of India. This innovative approach has not only put Tresind Studio on the global culinary map but has also earned the restaurant two Michelin stars.
Jara
Jara is the very first Basque restaurant in Dubai, showcasing a style of Spanish cuisine that is underrepresented in the region. It is one of the newest entries on the list, as part of the recently opened Lana The Dorchester Collection. Martín Berasatagui, the man behind the restaurant, is one of the most decorated chefs in the world and holds the most Michelin stars of any chef in Spain, with a total of 12. Jara has already ignited taste buds with a finely crafted menu and elegant atmosphere, and will no doubt add to Chef Berasatagui’s list of accolades.
Row on 45
Jason Atherton has been a Michelin-starred chef for well over a decade, earning several accolades for various restaurants including his flagship Pollen Street Social, as well as City Social and Maze. Atherton has a long relationship with Dubai as well, going back to 2001 when he worked at Gordon Ramsay’s Verre. Row on 45, the latest of his Dubai restaurants, takes more of a haute cuisine approach in comparison to his previous ventures, offering a chef’s table experience with a mix of European and Asian flavors. Unsurprisingly, Row on 45 has also proven to be a tremendous success, earning two Michelin stars.
Le Dame de Pic
La Dame de Pic is a restaurant that has many unique aspects to it. It is part of The One&Only Za’abeel, a brand-new addition to Dubai’s hospitality scene that opened its doors in the first quarter of 2024. It sits in The Link, a 230-metre bridge between the two hotel towers that holds the record for being the world’s longest cantilever. And it is helmed by Anne-Sophie Le Pic, the most decorated female chef in the world with 11 Michelin stars to her name. Combining modern French cuisine with unique cooking techniques, La Dame de Pic has rightly earned a Michelin star within a few months of opening.
Orfali Bros Bistro
One of the first Michelin-starred restaurants in Dubai when the guide was launched in 2022, Orfali Bros is the joint passion project of brothers Mohammad, Wasim, and Omar. The menu features a lot of traditional Middle Eastern ingredients, infused with international flavours from Mexico to Japan. This unique fusion has earned Orfali Bros near-universal acclaim, maintaining their Michelin status for 3 years in a row and also earning a spot among the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024.
Fi’lia
A trailblazer in Dubai’s culinary scene, Fi’lia is the first restaurant in Dubai where the kitchen is led solely by women. Set on the 70th floor of SLS Hotel & Residences, just outside the Downtown district, Fi’lia focuses on fresh and uncomplicated Mediterranean flavours complemented by stunning views of the city skyline. The female-led focus is cleverly reflected in the restaurant’s drinks menu and lends a unique character to the look and feel of the dining room as well.
Closing Thoughts
With its breadth of global cuisines and a vast array of award-winning restaurants helmed by some of the foremost culinary experts across the world, Dubai has rapidly become a top dining destination. It continues to showcase culinary excellence and, with the presence of its very own Michelin guide, will no doubt continue to raise the bar when it comes to fine dining.
