The best restaurants in Dubai
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The message of the Dubai food scene is: go while you can. This is an emirate obsessed with what’s new and what’s next, so even exceptionally good restaurants can fail, simply because the masses have moved on to the latest opening — of which there are many. Michelin-starred, Netflix-featured chefs continue to set up shop here and it is relatively easy to book tables at their Dubai outposts, often with as little as a day’s notice, when it would take weeks or even months on their home turf. Obviously, though, do check availability, just in case that little spot you fell in love with last time has closed down. From upscale tasting menus in the Burj Al Arab to supersized steaks from a social media star's restaurant, Destination Expert Sarah Hedley Hymers shares her favourites.
The Palm Jumeirah
Ossiano
This seafood specialist is billed as Atlantis The Palm’s underwater restaurant thanks to sharing a glass wall with the resort’s 11-million-litre aquarium, which houses 65,000 marine animals. The resulting blue hue casts a cold light over the venue, and the air-conditioning can be chilling, but wrap up and push the boat out for the Experience Menu: four, five or seven skillfully crafted seafood and meat courses by Chef Gregoire Berger. Any guilt about watching your dinner’s cousins swim by will soon be washed away by the caviar-topped rainbow trout floating in cauliflower velouté.
Contact: 00 971 4 426 2626; atlantisthepalm.com
Opening times: Sun-Fri, 6.30pm-11.30pm; Sat, 7pm-10.30pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £££
Best table: Ask for one right by the aquarium for a close-up of the sharks and stingrays
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Little Miss India
Rammed full of curiosities, including a vintage gramophone, eclectic Indian artworks and ceremonial jewellery in display cases, this intriguing restaurant tells the tale of its fictitious founder, Mohini Singh, through her treasures. A bejazzled Bedford truck, parked directly through the exterior wall, has been converted into a bar. Request a table in Mohini’s herb garden, parlour or open-plan dining room where the kitchen pumps out aromatic puffs of steam. Order the smoked lamb chops, served in a mason jar that, when popped at the table, releases another fabulously fragrant cloud right beneath your nose.
Contact: 00 971 4 457 3457; fairmont.com
Opening times: Daily, 6pm-11.30pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Best table: Any of those in the parlour
Dubai Marina
Marina Social
Jason Atherton quickly scored a Michelin star for his flagship restaurant, Pollen Street Social, in London's Mayfair, and his growing empire now includes Marina Social, which is elegant and soothing with olive and grey tones set against warm-hued woods, overlooking Dubai Marina. British expats seek comfort in this haven’s elevation of homely dishes, including fish and chips (fat, square-cut and artfully stacked like Jenga pieces), with a familiar bottle of Sarson’s vinegar on the side. The restaurant also does gourmet 'Sunday' dinners (served on Saturday, as the UAE weekend starts on Friday) that are loaded with crispy roast potatoes, fluffy Yorkshire puddings and meats slow-cooked in a Josper; it's good value at AED 117 (£25).
Contact: 00 971 4 446 6664; marinasocialdubai.com
Opening times: Sun to Wed, 6pm-10.45pm; Thurs, 6pm-11.45pm; Fri, 1pm-4pm, 7pm-11.45pm; Sat, 1pm-10.45pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Best table: When the climate is mild, book one on the terrace
Rüya
Sweet dreams are made of cheese, and Rüya’s two-cheese pide — a Turkish flatbread boat framed with a crisp crust and crowned with the glistening orb of a warmed egg yolk just waiting to be popped — is going to fill your nights with illicit cravings. Rüya actually means dream in Turkish, which suits the backdrop of this enticing Anatolian cuisine. There’s a vertical garden on the terrace, flames flickering in a central floor-to-ceiling pide oven and exotic trinkets, tiles and filigree pendant lights that imbue an intimate souk atmosphere.
Contact: 00 971 4 399 9123; ruyadubai.com
Opening times: Sun to Wed, 6pm-1am; Thurs, 6pm-2am; Fri, 12pm-4pm, 6pm-2am; Sat 12pm-4pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
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Umm Suqeim
Nathan Outlaw at Al Mahara
A good way to access Dubai’s extremely opulent sail-shaped 'seven-star' Burj Al Arab, is to book a table at one of its restaurants. Al Mahara, the theatrical-looking first-floor dining room wrapped around an aquarium, has had a menu makeover courtesy of British chef Nathan Outlaw, a master of seafood. Fat, hand-dived scallops roasted in the shell with seaweed and lime butter, as featured on the AED 980 (£207) five-course tasting menu, perfectly demonstrate how well Outlaw grasps the art of elevating flavours from the ocean.
Contact: 00 971 4 301 7600; jumeirah.com
Opening times: Daily, 12.30pm-3.30pm, 7pm-11.30pm
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
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Jumeirah
Nusr-Et Steakhouse Dubai
Proprietor Nusret Gökçe’s (otherwise known as 'Salt Bae') strangely compelling butchery skills made him a social media star. Though he doesn’t make daily appearances at his Dubai steakhouse (he is more likely to be present when celebrity patrons such as Leonardo DiCaprio book a table), the waiters here appear to be modelled on Gökçe and have adopted his skills, so condiments will be sprinkled with panache. With only one fish dish and four desserts, this wood-decked and panelled carnivore’s cabin is the place to meet for meat. Beef cuts from Tomahawk steaks to filet mignon, lamb five ways, burgers, sausages and even meatballs are all served on chopping boards.
Contact: 00 971 4 407 4100; nusr-et.com.tr
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-12am
Reservations: Essential
Prices: ££
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Hoseki
Raw fish fanatics worship at the counter of Dubai’s most exclusive Japanese restaurant, which features just nine seats and set menus created by a sixth-generation sushi chef from Tokyo. Hoseki’s Masahiro Sugiyama delivers multiple small courses omakase-style, meaning he chooses the dishes, made with ingredients arriving daily from Japan. Scene-stealers include the foie gras-like monkfish liver and the delicate Chinese mitten mrab. Hoseki (which means 'gem' in Japanese) is hidden at the Bulgari Resort Dubai, where it is accessible by private lift. The dark quarters once you arrive ensure that the pale wooden dining counter takes centre-stage.
Contact: 00 971 4 777 5307; bulgarihotels.com
Opening times: Tue to Sat, 12.30pm-3pm, 6.30pm-12am
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
Best table: A secret dining room with a single table seating 12 is also available for private parties
Downtown Dubai
At.mosphere
The menu at At.mosphere is as much a magnet as the vista – it's just a few levels down from the Burj Khalifa’s observation decks, on the 122nd floor of the building. Inside, it's decked out like the interior of a luxury yacht, with high-gloss woods reflecting the light of those sky views. One taste of the Malt Cremeux dessert — earthy yeasty notes balanced with tart kumquat marmalade and milk chocolate — will confirm this is the sweetest way to savour the landscape. Take note: entry is via the Armani Hotel Dubai only.
Contact: 00 971 4 888 3828; atmosphereburjkhalifa.com
Opening times: Daily, 7am-11am, 12.30pm-4pm, 6pm-12am
Nearest metro: Burj Khalifa
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
Best table: By the window, unless you’re afraid of heights
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Trade Centre
Trèsind
Trèsind is a portmanteau of très (very) and Indian, and the aim of this restaurant is to elevate the legacy of Indian cuisine. It is succeeding with complex and compelling dishes such as wild mushroom chai with dehydrated mushroom and truffle milk powder, an umami-laden soup. Tasting menus are also available for both vegetarians and carnivores. Mixology is another cornerstone of Trèsind, where regal navy blue walls offset rosewood furnishings, and the team travelled as far as China to locate deserving vessels for their brews, opting for ornate bird baths and elephant pottery to use as glasses.
Contact: 00 971 4 308 0000; tresind.com
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-3pm, 7pm-11.30pm
Nearest metro: World Trade Centre
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Zuma Dubai
This upscale Japanese bar and restaurant is one of the few establishments in the UAE to make it onto the World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list. Zuma Dubai bucks the local trend for brief tenures — at 10 years old, it’s one of the UAE’s most long-standing restaurants. It's set over two floors, with a glass lift, a floating staircase and a lively bar above the dining room, and staff dressed like Robert Palmer’s backing singers guide punters to their preferred zone. Much loved izakaya-inspired menu staples made for sharing, particularly the robata-grilled spicy beef and the black cod, keep them coming back for more.
Contact: 00 971 4 425 5660; zumarestaurant.ae
Opening times: Sat-Wed, 12pm-1am; Thur-Fri, 12pm-2am
Nearest metro: Emirates Towers
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £££
