From Jeddah to Doha: Five Cities Beyond the Main Gulf Headlines
A city-by-city guide to where the Gulf’s newer dining stories are unfolding, from a Red Sea Nikkei kitchen to a pizzeria in Abu Dhabi’s fish-market quarter and a frankincense-scented festival in Salalah.
Most coverage of Gulf dining follows the same two tracks. This guide takes a different one: five cities with their own food stories this autumn, chosen for places and events that our sources have verified. Reconfirm any booking directly, as menus and seasons change.
Jeddah
Kuuru. Jeddah’s Nikkei restaurant ranked No. 6 in MENA’s 50 Best 2026 and was named the best in Saudi Arabia. It sits in Al Khalidiyyah, with a live cooking station in the middle of a room finished in wood and blue accents. The 50 Best page points to tuna toast, black cod with yuzu teriyaki and a raw bar.
Kaia. On the Corniche, this open-air venue began its new season on 1 October. Its small plates draw on Peru, Hawaii and Japan as well as the local Red Sea coast, and its drinks menu includes mocktails. Reservations are required, according to the venue’s site.
Bib Gourmand picks. In the first Michelin selection for Saudi Arabia, announced in Riyadh on 13 February, Samia’s Dish and The Lucky Llama were the two Jeddah restaurants to win the value-focused award. Yaza, run by chef and owner Hakim Bagabas, won the Service Award.
Doha
Idam by Alain Ducasse. The tasting-menu restaurant on the museum’s fifth floor has terrace views over West Bay and a wall of Murano glassware. The signature is a beetroot course built around Qatari-grown roots, with pike roe and a kimchi made from the leaves.
Alba. At Raffles Doha, this Italian restaurant was promoted to a Michelin star in December, and its chef, Cristhian Serraino, won the guide’s Young Chef Award.
Berenjak Al Maha. The Persian kebab house, an import from London, is a Bib Gourmand in Doha’s guide, which lists 44 restaurants in all.
Abu Dhabi
3 Fils. The Abu Dhabi branch of the Dubai favourite opened in 2025 in The Abu Dhabi Edition hotel, overlooking the Al Bateen marina, with modern Asian dishes and Japanese influences. Michelin named it Opening of the Year in October, and it ranked No. 42 in MENA’s 50 Best.
Marmellata Bakery. In the waterfront Souk Al Mina, this no-reservations pizzeria, ranked No. 16, is led by Raj Dagstani, formerly of Thomas Keller’s operations team in New York, with his sons. Its menu leans on UAE-grown ingredients, including mushrooms from Below Farm and figs from Liwa.
Erth. Inside the Qasr Al Hosn complex, this one-star restaurant cooks modern Emirati food; the Michelin Guide recommends finishing with the Liwa date batheeta.
Kuwait City
Cantina. Chef Basmah Marouf opened it in November 2023. It ranked No. 18 and was named Kuwait’s best, with pappardelle bolognese, pici cacio e pepe and a whipped ricotta starter on the 50 Best page.
Matbakhi. Chef Sawsan Da’ana’s modern Palestinian and Levantine restaurant, at the Avenues Mall, entered at No. 50. The 50 Best page recommends the mussakhan and om ali.
Muscat and Salalah
Al Baleed Culinary Festival, Salalah. The fifth edition is due to run throughout November at Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara. An Omani four-hands dinner on 7 November is the first listed event. Frankie Wong cooks on 12 and 13 November, Marco Van Rutten on 19 and 20, and Osman Sezener on 24. Pastry chef Nouel Catis hosts an Omani pastry stand from 25 to 28 November.
Karibu, Muscat. Reintroduced at The St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort, according to an October 2025 Oman Observer feature, the restaurant follows the Spice Route between Zanzibar, India and Oman, with themed evenings from curries to charcoal-grilled Omani seafood.
Levant, Muscat. Muscat Daily reported its November 2025 opening at Panorama Mall, with a menu led by Syrian chef Sammer and dishes that include black hummus and samka harra.
The names above are a starting point, not a ranking. For the trend behind them, and why museums, hotels and festivals keep appearing as anchors, read our regional feature. For where Kuuru, Idam, Cantina, Marmellata Bakery and 3 Fils sit on the region-wide list, see our MENA’s 50 Best report.
Sources & fact-check13
- KuuruMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 2026
- Kaia Jeddah | Now OpenKaia Jeddah, October 2026
- 3 Special Awards Announced at the MICHELIN Guide Restaurant Celebration Saudi Arabia 2026AAP (MICHELIN Guide press release), 14 February 2026
- One New Star Shines in the MICHELIN Guide Doha’s Second EditionAAP (MICHELIN Guide press release), 10 December 2025
- IdamMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 2026
- Marmellata BakeryMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 2026
- 3 Fils Abu DhabiMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 2026
- Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi: 3 restaurants retain one-star; full list of winnersKhaleej Times, 23 October 2025
- CantinaMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 2026
- MatbakhiMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 2026
- Why Oman is emerging as the Gulf’s quiet culinary powerOman Observer, 9 October 2025
- Levant: a new era of fine Levantine dining arrives in the heart of MuscatMuscat Daily, 17 November 2025
- Al Baleed Culinary Festival 2026Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara, 2026
Every name, number and date in this story was checked against the sources above before publication. Spotted something wrong? Tell us — we correct errors openly. See our editorial standards.
