Riyadh and Dubai Are Writing the Next Chapter of Middle Eastern Dining
Two cities are shaping the conversation around food in the Middle East — but they are doing it in very different ways.
Two cities are shaping the conversation around food in the Middle East, but they are doing it in very different ways. Riyadh is accelerating its transformation into a destination for ambitious international concepts and homegrown talent. Dubai, already one of the world’s dining capitals, is pushing further into culinary recognition and high-profile openings.
Riyadh: a market in a hurry
In Saudi Arabia, Chotto Matte was named Restaurant of the Year at the What’s On Saudi Arabia Awards 2026 in September — a headline result in an increasingly diverse restaurant landscape, where global operators, regional groups and Saudi-led concepts all compete for the same diners.
The international arrivals keep coming. Chipotle opened its first Saudi restaurant in August with Alshaya Group, at Sidra next to Granada Mall, while London’s Persian grill Berenjak and Cipriani Dolci have chosen Riyadh for their next tables. Behind the openings sits a quieter investment in people: a year-long Culinary Arts Commission programme and a national selection on the road to the Bocuse d’Or final in Lyon.
Demand is not only in the dining room. Delivery apps in the kingdom handled more than 118 million orders in the first quarter of 2026, a reminder that the Saudi restaurant economy is being built on screens as much as on high streets.
The Gulf’s restaurant story is no longer simply about importing prestigious names.
Dubai: competing at the highest level
Dubai’s story is defined in part by Michelin recognition. Orfali Bros advanced to two Michelin stars in the 2026 Dubai guide, unveiled at a ceremony on 6 October, underlining the international stature of a restaurant rooted in the culinary imagination of the region. The guide now counts 20 starred restaurants among the 122 it recommends, across 38 cuisines.
The same picture emerges from MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, where Khufu’s in Giza took the No. 1 spot and Dubai held three of the top four places through Kinoya, Trèsind Studio and Orfali Bros.
The weeks ahead
The next few weeks promise another wave of activity. Yannick Alléno’s coastal-Italian Casea 101 is scheduled to open on 19 October at One&Only The Palm, with his L’Abysse omakase counter expected alongside it, and the seventh Riyadh Season is set to begin on 21 October.
Together, these developments suggest that the Gulf’s restaurant story is no longer simply about importing prestigious names. It is also about local identities, investment, creativity and a new generation of diners demanding more — in Riyadh and Dubai, and increasingly across the wider region.
Sources & fact-check10
- What's On Saudi Arabia Awards 2026: Here are the winnersWhat's On Saudi Arabia, 3 September 2026
- Alshaya Group Brings Chipotle to Saudi Arabia with Riyadh DebutAlshaya Group, August 2026
- Chipotle Saudi Arabia opens first restaurant in Riyadhtbreak, 28 August 2026
- Saudi Arabia’s delivery sector up 49% to hit 118m ordersArab News, 21 April 2026
- The MICHELIN Guide Dubai selection nearly doubles in size in its fifth editionMICHELIN Guide, 6 October 2026
- Orfali Bros earns 2 Michelin stars in 5th edition of Dubai guideArab News, 6 October 2026
- MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026: winners listThe National, 3 February 2026
- One&Only The Palm to welcome new waterfront restaurant Casea 101TradeArabia, 5 October 2026
- 11 of the biggest new restaurants opening in DubaiWhat’s On, 7 October 2026
- Riyadh Season 2026 to begin on October 21 with 10 weeks of entertainmentGulf News, 27 September 2026
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