UAE
Michelin stars, new arrivals and the neighbourhoods where the Emirates’ next tables are opening.
17 stories
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.
Yannick Alléno’s Two New Dubai Concepts Put One&Only The Palm in Focus
Coastal-Italian Casea 101 is scheduled to open on 19 October, with the L’Abysse omakase counter expected alongside it, though the resort has yet to confirm that date.
Gymkhana Lands in DIFC, and Hikiniku To Come Heads for Al Quoz
London’s two-Michelin-star Indian restaurant opened at Gate Village in September. A halal wagyu hamburg counter is next, though there is no report yet that it has opened.
A New Generation of Emirati Dining Is Taking Shape in Dubai
Athar, at Chef’s Society in City Centre Mirdif, and Abra, coming to Etihad Museum, add newer voices to a cuisine long served in heritage settings.
The Palm and Jumeirah: Where Dubai’s Autumn Openings Are Landing
From One&Only The Palm to the beachfront strip, the season’s biggest new restaurants cluster by the water. Here is what is scheduled, with dates as announced.
Orfali Bros and the Rise of Dubai’s Distinctive Culinary Voices
Two Michelin stars in the 2026 Dubai guide and No. 4 in MENA’s 50 Best 2026, a year after topping the list. How three brothers from Aleppo built a restaurant that cooks from memory and travel.
Dubai’s 2026 Michelin Guide: A City Competing at the Highest Level
Twenty starred restaurants among 122 selected, across 38 cuisines. The fifth edition shows a guide that has nearly doubled in size since its 2022 debut.
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.
How Dubai Chocolate Became More Than a Viral Dessert
What began as a chocolate-and-kunafa bar has become a category of its own, with cookies, croissants and cheesecakes built around kunafa textures. Proof that regional ingredients can travel without losing their identity.
Americana’s 59% Profit Jump and Taco Bell’s Return to the UAE
The region’s largest restaurant operator reported a 59.2% rise in first-half net profit to $147.2 million, then announced that Taco Bell will come back to the UAE after 14 years.
Gulf Restaurant Investment: Acquisitions, Expansion and a Changing Market
From Saudi franchise buyouts to a London portfolio worth at least £1 billion bought by an Abu Dhabi group, the past 18 months of Gulf restaurant dealmaking show where capital is heading and what it is paying for.
The Franchise Pipeline Connecting London, Dubai and Riyadh
London restaurant brands now reach the Gulf through licences, franchises and local partners, and the route no longer runs in one direction: some arrived in Riyadh before Dubai.
Cloud Kitchens, Virtual Brands and the Next Restaurant Operating Model
Delivery-only kitchens let Gulf operators add brands without adding dining rooms. The model is spreading, but commissions, discovery costs and new regulation show where its limits lie.
Al Khayma, Al Fahidi: Where Desert Meets Coast in Old Dubai
A restored house, a courtyard around a tree and a Bib Gourmand: Emirati cooking at the heart of Dubai’s oldest surviving neighbourhood.
Emirati Machboos: The Rice Dish That Carries a Culinary Heritage
Fragrant rice, warming spices and the depth of loomi, the dried lime of Gulf kitchens. A coastal fish machboos for six.
Beyond Riyadh and Dubai: The Restaurants Shaping the Wider Gulf
Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Doha, Kuwait City and Oman are building dining reputations of their own, often around a heritage site, a museum, a hotel or a festival.
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.