A FooDiva dining bucket list: 26 top Dubai restaurants (2019)
For the last four years, I have shared an annual guide of my favourite restaurants in Dubai. I am doing so once again, but this time with the title of “FooDiva’s top Dubai restaurants.” These are not just my faves, but places I feel YOU should be dining at, whether you’re a resident bored of your usual hang-outs and looking for inspiration, or a visitor with a bucket list. My 26 top places to eat here, all regular haunts, where I happily spend my dirhams. And should become your top choices too.
It also coincides with the arrival of a new global guidebook – Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery (don’t you love the name?!) – celebrating 490 inspirational restaurants from 45 countries including the UAE. A 50 plus strong editorial team including the likes of Giles Coren, and food writers around the world, moi aussi, have contributed. The criteria?
“Exemplary restaurants offering outstanding food; quality in service and atmosphere; and that care for the environment, sourcing of food, customers, staff and the community.”
In May last year, I was asked to select five restaurants here in the UAE of which I picked a series of home-grown concepts that live up to the criteria – in alphabetical order: 3 Fils, Baker & Spice, Boca, BB Social Dining and Folly. They were asked to complete detailed surveys, which were then vetted by a global editorial team and myself. The book can be purchased online here – and at local bookshops. Hopefully, something to compete with Michelin and World’s 50 Best 😉
The book only focuses on five restaurants here though, so enter my Dubai guide, which showcases another 21 that I also feel are bloody good restaurants, the majority of which are locally developed owner-operated concepts. It’s harder to tick the sustainable box given so much produce has to be imported, but we are seeing a sea change (excuse the pun) where provenance now sits much higher on the procurement agenda. Hopefully we’ll get to the stage one day, where like the UK, USA and Australia, we might have our very own country-specific guidebook. Now there’s a challenge for Dubai’s dining scene.
My aim with this guide is to help you decide where to eat, by giving you a dining bucket list of some kind. These are places I choose to visit when I am not reviewing newbies on the block with family, friends and visitors – or solo – covering licensed (with alcohol) and unlicensed venues. And where you won’t necessarily see any social media posts from me. Yes I do put my phone away on occasion 😉 They are all consistently good in my opinion across all aspects of the dining experience. It’s not just about the food, even though delicious fare is a given. In many cases, it’s a charming waiter, or a buzzing vibe, that have me returning for second helpings. Often, it’s about places that manage to inject fun into dining, where I know I am gonna have a bloody good time. And because of all these reasons, I have included some in my consumer and corporate #DineAroundDubai events, and in a brand new twist, a #ThreeChefsDinner experience on the 25th February.
You may notice the lack of recent new openings in this guide. That’s because I’ve not had the opportunity to return since my initial review. For these please check out the restaurant review section here.
So here are FooDiva’s 26 top restaurants, cafés and eateries in Dubai – categorised by licensed and unlicensed; subdivided into districts; and subsequently alphabetically. Where restaurants have been officially reviewed on FooDiva, hyperlinks are included. Otherwise the name clicks through to the establishment’s website. Enjoy reading and more importantly, eating 🙂
Any of your own go-to spots to add to this guide? Feel free to chip in with your feedback either here or on social media with the hashtag #FooDivaLoves.
LICENSED
JLT and Dubai Marina
- Asia de Cuba: one of the few imported concepts I adore here. Probably something to do with the fact it boasts pork on the Cuban-Latino menu 😉 Wholesome comfort dishes oozing flavour.
- Bistro des Arts: this locally developed concept on Dubai Marina Mall’s promenade transports you back in time to an intimate quintessential Parisian bistro offering a genuine taste of simple and authentic French cuisine. Breakfast, a Frenchie brunch, as well as lunch and dinner menus.
- JB’s Gastropub: this gastropub does exactly what it says on the tin, with a menu that differentiates from mundane pub grub by serving quality, flavoursome dishes that are well presented in a relaxed, convivial setting.
- Mythos: a slice of Santorini in Dubai behind the Armada Bluebay hotel in JLT impresses with its no-frills simplicity and charm across both food and decor.
Palm Jumeirah
- Ibn Al Bahr: the Club Vista Mare development on Palm Jumeirah’s eastern shoreline boasts many restaurants. My top pick is this Lebanese seafood restaurant run by fishermen. Choose your fish from the daily catch on display, along with the cooking style, and enjoy it on the terrace overlooking the sea.
- Little Miss India: a hit on many levels, from delicious value-for-money soul food high on flavour without too much overpowering spice, and slick, well-informed service, to the prime Palm Jumeirah location (Fairmont) and impressive truck art décor with a welcoming vibe. A Dubai restaurant with a high 4.5 out of 5 FooDiva knife rating.
Barsha and Umm Suqeim
- Brunswick: Tom Arnel has kicked out the sports bar (excuse the pun) and revamped Brunswick to a bistro with a compelling and more female-friendly menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Folly: it’s hard to beat this sundowner spot at Souk Madinat overlooking the waterway and Burj Al Arab with creative cocktails. Aside from the setting on multiple terraces, co-founders and chef patrons Nick and Scott have injected a dose of fun to Dubai’s fine dining scene, throwing out traditional multi-course tasting experiences. Instead, the playful menu boasts 20+ ‘pick and mix’ dishes.
- Il Borro Tuscan Bistro: this concept may have been transplanted from Tuscany, but Il Borro hits the spot with simple, Italian fare focused on quality ingredients with an affordable wine list, including own-label wines from its Tuscan vineyard. Pretty terrace setting overlooking Jumeirah Al Naseem’s Turtle Lagoon.
Downtown, DIFC & D3
- Akiba Dori: a hybrid concept that works. Italy meets Japan with a Tokyo-Neapolitan pizza experience in Dubai’s Design District. Yes there are other dishes to order, but it’s the pizza that will have you drooling. Using a much lighter dough than Neapolitan, it is proofed for 26 hours before baking at a higher temperature (500oC) for a shorter time (45-60 seconds) in a bespoke Japanese wood oven. So feather light, you might find yourself ordering seconds.
- BB Social Dining: this owner-operated townhouse of a restaurant hidden in DIFC feels like a cosy speakeasy, boasting a menu that’s Pan-Asian with a nod to Middle Eastern ingredients. The bao buns (vegan by the way), which are freshly baked in-house every night are Dubai’s best. BB also offers Dubai’s cheapest Champagne by the glass served in an adorable coupe.
- Boca: a homegrown Spanish meets Mediterranean concept where up to 80 per cent of all produce is locally sourced – the only licensed restaurant in Dubai to do so. The sustainable ethos is evident in the powerful flavours that marry tradition with a dash of creativity. You can even eat your meal in the working wine cellar.
- Le Cirque: this New York French restaurant import at Ritz-Carlton DIFC has rejuvenated the hotel’s F&B. Expect a French-Italian-Mediterranean influence to the menu, including a delightful French-style afternoon tea.
Bur Dubai
- Elia: the location in the drab Majestic hotel in Bur Dubai is in stark contrast to the charming Greek restaurant hidden inside, where the food marries traditional with contemporary dishes.
CAFES AND EATERIES
Dubai Marina, Internet City and Barsha
- Baker & Spice: go here for breakfast and order Dubai’s best shakshouka. In addition to the original slow-cooked tomato recipe, there’s a green marrow version too – with ingredients mostly sourced locally. My preferred location is Dubai Marina, but there are also outposts at Town Centre, Souk Al Manzil, Souk Al Bahar and Gold & Diamond Park.
- Common Grounds: Tom Arnel gets a second mention in this guide – all thanks to a menu revamp which has shot Common Grounds to the top of my Mall of the Emirates dining list. The prawn tacos are my go-to dish.
- Jones The Grocer: since the menu revamp with new dedicated menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I am a regular of the original Al Manara location. Oh and for that walk-in cheese room too, which, thankfully, remains unchanged. The steak, artichoke and avocado salad is my go-to dish.
- L’Eto Caffe: a Russian-owned London concept has opened a number of locations in Dubai (my go-to is at Mall of the Emirates). The highlight is the deli bar where diners can choose tasty protein-based dishes and salads, in a similar manner to Baker & Spice.
- Little Greece: a café-cum-deli in the obscure Barsha Mall is, for want of a much-overused term, a hidden gem that more than lives up to its name. Here you’ll find mama’s cooking with simple, wholesome Greek fare focused on the quality ingredients it sells in the shop.
- Rossovivo: head here for the real Italian pizza deal, and without a doubt Dubai’s best and most authentic Neapolitan pizza. Locations at Internet City and Business Bay.
Jumeirah, Downtown & DIFC
- 21 Grams: what is Balkan food? Actually pretty decent wholesome fare full of punchy flavour. Freshly baked goodies are also integral to the menu, including sublime cheese and meat bureks. On Jumeirah Beach Road at the Al Thanya intersection (in the Park Regis Boutique Hotel – unlicensed) operated by a Serbian owner and team. Its intriguing name relates to the weight of the human soul, the latitude of the Balkan Peninsula, and the area code of the owner’s Serbian hometown (Novi Sad).
- 3 Fils: Singaporean chef Akmal Anuar’s own concept, where you can watch him in action from the counter seating ‘chef’s table’. His food focuses on a light Far-Eastern cooking style, using quality, quirky ingredients like glorious uni (sea urchin). When Dubai’s weather is at an optimum, the charming, al fresco Jumeirah Fishing Harbour setting and gorgeous view is another draw.
- Kaftan: Dubai boasts many Turkish restaurants, but not many that manage to elevate Turkish cuisine to a finer, exquisite level in the relaxed setting of a converted Jumeirah villa.
- Refresh: here’s where I get my souvlaki (Greek kebab) fix when am feeling home sick. A busy modern café in DIFC’s Marble Walk. The owner-operators are Greek; hence a few Greek dishes have crept into the broader Mediterranean menu, breakfast included. Well priced with dishes averaging around AED50.
- Slab: my go-to spot at La Mer for very affordable restaurant quality food with a Peruvian twist in an al fresco cafe setting.
- Taipei Dao: the healthiest Chinese-cum Taiwanese restaurant in Dubai I reckon. MSG and GMO free, with all meat grass fed. As a teahouse, the focus on tea extends to the food with many a tea-marinated dish. Renowned for its delicious dim sum.
A bientôt.
FooDiva. x
Sooo many favourites on this list! Excited to go to the ones I haven’t yet been to 🙂
Great to hear Sheetal 🙂 I too use it as a reminder when am thinking of where to dine out.