MENA’s 50 Best 2026: Khufu’s Takes No. 1 as Dubai Holds Three of the Top Four
Khufu’s, beside the Giza pyramids, became the first Egyptian restaurant to top the Middle East and North Africa list. Kinoya, Trèsind Studio and Orfali Bros, all in Dubai, followed.
On 3 February, at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi, Khufu’s was named the Best Restaurant in the Middle East and North Africa at the fifth edition of the 50 Best list. It is the first Egyptian restaurant to take the No. 1 place, The National reported. Dubai restaurants followed in the next three positions, and Beirut’s Beihouse entered at No. 5.
The top ten
- Khufu’s, Giza: contemporary Egyptian cooking within the Giza Pyramid Complex, led by executive chef Mostafa Seif.
- Kinoya, Dubai: ramen and izakaya dishes from chef Neha Misra, and the UAE’s best restaurant of 2026.
- Trèsind Studio, Dubai: a modern Indian tasting menu from Himanshu Saini, now on the Palm Jumeirah.
- Orfali Bros, Dubai: named the region’s best in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and winner of the Best Pastry Chef award.
- Beihouse, Beirut: reimagined Lebanese cooking from chef Tarek Alameddine; the Highest New Entry.
- Kuuru, Jeddah: Nikkei cooking and the best restaurant in Saudi Arabia.
- Sufret Maryam, Dubai: Levantine heritage dishes with modern technique from Salam Dakkak.
- Jun’s, Dubai: fusion cooking by Kelvin Cheung.
- Manāo, Dubai: Thai flavours by Abhiraj Khatwani and Mohamad Orfali.
- Moonrise, Dubai: a 12-course tasting menu served to 15 diners per sitting, from Solemann Haddad.
Dubai holds seven of the top ten. Orfali Bros has since gone on to win two Michelin stars, as our report explains.
The map
The UAE supplied 25 of the 50 places, ahead of Morocco with six and Egypt with five; Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Jordan each had three, Kuwait two, and Qatar, Bahrain and Tunisia one. The list spans 14 cities and has 16 new entries.
Within the Gulf, Kuuru was named best in Saudi Arabia, ahead of Marble at No. 12 and Myazu at No. 45, both in Riyadh. Idam by Alain Ducasse, at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, was No. 44 and the best in Qatar. Cantina in Kuwait City, a Mediterranean restaurant with an Italian focus, was No. 18 and the best in Kuwait; Matbakhi in Kuwait City closed the list at No. 50. We profile the wider Gulf names in our regional feature.
Special awards
- Best Pastry Chef: Omar and Wassim Orfali, Orfali Bros.
- Chef’s Choice, the only peer-voted prize: Himanshu Saini, Trèsind Studio.
- Best Female Chef: Sara Aqel, Dara Dining by Sara Aqel, Amman.
- Highest Climber: Reif Kushiyaki, Cairo, up 27 places to No. 20.
- Sustainable Restaurant: Farmers, Marrakech.
- One To Watch: Middle Child, Dubai.
- Icon Award: Salam Dakkak of Sufret Maryam.
Sources & fact-check6
- MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 winners listThe National, 3 February 2026
- Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026: the list revealedMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 30 January 2026
- Khufu’s — The Best Restaurant in the Middle East & North Africa 2026MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 2026
- Khufu’s in Egypt named No.1 on Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 listBBC Good Food Middle East, 4 February 2026
- Khufu’s in Egypt named No.1 at Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026AAP (50 Best press release), 4 February 2026
- Manāo — listingMENA’s 50 Best Restaurants (the50.com), 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.
