Food
Savouring Dubai: The Essentials Dining Guide
Dubai insider Nicola Chilton shows us around her favourite local dining haunts, running the gamut from the humble to the hedonistic
This affluent Emirate may be known for its over-the-top glitz and glam, but there’s more to the Dubai dining scene than caviar, truffles and gold-leaf-everything. Local insider Nicola Chilton takes us on a tour of the city’s best eateries and drinkeries, from honest street food to artisanal chocolates and sunset skyscraper cocktails.
For Gourmet Gastronomy: Orfali Bros
The “bros” behind this bijou restaurant are Mohamad, Wassim and Omar, three brothers from Aleppo. In addition to earning a Michelin star in 2024, Orfali Bros sits in the number one spot on the 2025 MENA’s Best Restaurants List – and getting a table here is something to plan long in advance. When you do secure that seat, you’ll be dazzled by a menu that defies labels. Japan meets the Middle East in shish barak à la gyoza dumplings stuffed with Wagyu beef, topped with garlic yoghurt, sujuk oil, pine nuts and mint. Pretty little umami éclairs combine flavours of porcini, marmite, fermented quince, cacao nibs and beef prosciutto. Desserts, like the shimmering sour cherry karaz, are works of art.
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For Honest Eats: Al Ijaza Cafeteria
Al Ijaza Cafeteria has been serving shawarma, sandwiches and juices to an appreciative audience since 1990. Its original – and most iconic – location is in the beachside neighbourhood of Jumeirah 1, where a nightly line-up of cars waits for a fix of the kind of unpretentious street food that everyone here loves. “Cocktails” are made with non-alcoholic mixed juices, shawarma meat comes as a wrap or in club sandwich form, and the adjacent Sugar Bae serves shish pancakes – mini crêpes on a stick covered in sweet toppings. It’s cheap, cheerful, and an insight into a part of Dubai’s culinary culture that is far removed from the gold-leaf and truffle-infused offerings in many of the city’s blingier establishments.
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For Stunning Views: High Society
The vistas from the rooftop restaurant of The Lana hotel are truly breathtaking, featuring views of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, flanked by the towering skyscrapers of Downtown Dubai – and it all becomes even more cinematic at sunset. Refreshment-wise, the menu by chef Jean Imbert meanders through oysters and fish crudo to luxe bar snacks and casual dishes like pizzas, burgers and sandwiches, complemented by cocktails inspired by ancient sun-worshipping cultures, and an extensive wine list. This is an adults-only venue after 5pm, and “front deck” tables come with a minimum spend of AED 1,000 (USD 272), but even if you sit a little further back, the views won’t disappoint.
For Local Flavours: Gerbou
Set within a former 1980s community centre in the Nad Al Sheba neighbourhood, Gerbou is filled with design pieces and objets d’art from the creatives at Tashkeel, an organisation supporting local art and design. But as lovely as the setting is, it’s the food that’s making waves. The menu features oft-overlooked Emirati classics and Indian-infused plates inspired by the two countries’ long history of connection, made with ingredients grown and sourced around the UAE. Dishes like freekeh arancini, falafel curry, chicken machboos and carpaccio of tuna from Ras Al Khaimah draw diners back time and again. Don’t skip dessert: Emirati pastry chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi is behind a menu that ranges from chebab cheesecake to ice creams with flavours like date and yoghurt, gahwa Arabic coffee, and lavender and ghaf tree honey.
For A Great Cuppa: Nightjar
One of Dubai’s favourite homegrown roasters, Nightjar draws a diverse crowd with its no-nonsense mood and really, really good coffee. With responsibly sourced beans roasted on-site, a rota of resident DJs, and a staff of knowledgeable baristas, this is more than your average designed-for-the-‘gram Dubai coffee shop. Nightjar’s flagship location on Alserkal Avenue, a collection of warehouses home to galleries, art spaces, and an independent cinema, is the perfect place to mingle with Dubai’s creative community. There’s draft cold brew and kombucha on tap, but the milkshake-style Jaffa Bomb – with orange cold brew and dark chocolate ice cream – is the ideal indulgence if you’re in the mood for sweetness.
For An Edible Souvenir: Mirzam
In Mirzam’s light-filled factory in Dubai’s Al Quoz industrial district, machines roast, spin and swirl everything that goes into the bean-to-bar chocolate made right here; browse the boutique for a beautiful selection of made-in-the-UAE edible souvenirs. Mirzam’s recipes are inspired by the Spice Route, with chocolate collections featuring ingredients found in much-loved Emirati dishes, as well as plants mentioned in the Quran and flavours sourced along ancient trade routes like orange blossom, rose and saffron. Each item is hand-wrapped in paper featuring illustrations by artists from around the region. They’re perfect gifts – if you don’t eat them all yourself on the plane home.
For An Iconic Experience: Bu Qtair
Since the 1980s, Jumeirah locals have been heading to unassuming Bu Qtair for just two things: fried fish and fried prawns, seasoned with a secret blend of spices. Once a Portakabin with a few plastic stools and chairs set in the sand, Bu Qtair is now a proper – albeit fairly basic – restaurant that continues to draw a crowd of taxi drivers, locals and tourists. There’s no menu here. The day’s catch is laid out in a fridge alongside a bucket filled with prawns, and you point at what you want. Savvy diners go at lunchtime for the workers’ plate of a small fried fish, a heap of rice and a bowl of curry sauce, priced at AED 12. But to make an event of it, go in the evening, join the queue, and order up a feast.
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For Exotic Cuisine: Girl & the Goose
Beginning as a supper club run out of the home of former Emirates flight attendant Gabriela Chamorro, Girl & the Goose now operates as a full-fledged restaurant inside the Anantara Downtown Dubai hotel. Chamorro, born and raised in Nicaragua, describes her cuisine as “a fusion of Mesoamerican and Spanish cultures” with nods to influences picked up on her travels. The menu spans everything from grilled cactus salad and to ceviches, chalupas, Nicaraguan-style empanadas, and Costa Rican gallito tacos. Don’t miss the Omani reef cod with sweetcorn espuma and lemongrass chilli oil, or the gnocchi made from yuca root, served with a rich lobster bisque and topped with lobster tartare.
For People-Watching: SALT Kite Beach
When SALT started serving Wagyu sliders from an Airstream trailer on Kite Beach back in 2014, it was the first venue of its kind in the city. Burger trucks have sprung up like mushrooms ever since, but Salt still holds a special place: the burgers are some of the best in town, and the Kite Beach location remains the most atmospheric. Set on the boardwalk, it also offers some of the best people-watching in the city, with joggers in the early morning, sun-seekers in the afternoon, and a parade of beach fashion to keep you entertained at any time of day.
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For A Night Cap: Rialto Bar
Handsome bartenders in sleek white jackets shake, stir and pour exceptional cocktails at Rialto Bar at the new Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab. It feels like the city’s first proper hotel bar in the tradition of the grandes dames of Europe. Classics are made with care and attention, and self-described Rialto Masterpiece signatures feature ingredients like pine needle-infused whisky, mascarpone- and white-chocolate-washed vodka, and roasted palo santo. There’s also an excellent selection of perfectly balanced zero-proof cocktails that have all the complexity of their harder counterparts, but without any of the alcohol.
[Photo at top via Getty Images]
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