Where FooDiva Dines In Dubai: A 2026 Restaurant Guide

Welcome to my annual Dubai restaurant guide, the eleventh edition, with a personal headline of where I dine out.

This is NOT one of those contentious ‘best of’ lists, but simply a round-up of the restaurants I have chosen to frequent socially, for my reviews, or for my dining experiences over the last year – and that I hope to continue to visit.

Whether you’re a UAE resident or a visitor, I have crafted this guide as a bucket list round-up to inspire your next breakfast, lunch or dinner. That’s how I use it.

With Dubai’s unbearable traffic coupled with prioritising a healthy lifestyle, I promised myself that I would be very selective on where I dine out over the last year – and when I do, mostly on weekends – so this guide is by no means exhaustive.

As always, all 40 featured restaurants are homegrown, locally developed concepts serving every cuisine under the sun, including several new openings and new entries.

These predominately chef-led and owner-operated, independent establishments tick every box in equal measure – food, service, interior, atmosphere, location and value for money – in line with my no-freebies editorial policy where I always pay the bill.

Sometimes I don’t even snap photos – typically an indicator of a bloody good time!

They have all consistently impressed across the whole à la carte dining experience, allowing you to eat as much or as little as you want, according to your budget. And hence you won’t find tasting menu concepts here.

A handful of restaurant experiences disappointed, and needless to say, don’t feature.

Entries are categorised by licensed (with alcohol) and unlicensed (dry/ sans booze), sub-divided into districts, and then alphabetically.

Those who sign up to my newsletter for a full paid subscription, will receive this guide as a downloadable PDF, as well as my personal Google Maps link with all 40 restaurants mapped out – and as the year progresses, updated with new discoveries.

If you’re after bespoke tips and foodie itineraries, then check out the FooDiva restaurant recommendations service or my Restaurant Whisperer Substack subscription offer. To experience some of these restaurants with yours truly as a host, I curate dining experiences. For other handy tips, My Little Pink Lifestyle Book is regularly updated.

I am keen to know your haunts, so please feel free to share – and we can all expand our restaurant repertoire.

LICENSED

Bluewaters Island

Alici: An Amalfi-inspired seafood restaurant made for leisurely lunches on the upstairs terrace. The three anchovy ‘alici’ dishes are must-eats – marinated, deep-fried, or with spaghetti – as is the sea urchin pasta. All paired with picture-worthy views and a striking coastal décor. Walk off lunch or dinner with a stroll across the pedestrian footbridge from Bluewaters to JBR Walk soaking up the scenic skyline.

The Spaniel: A British brasserie for old-school classics like chicken Kiev oozing with garlic butter, Scotch egg, and steak tartare – as well as all-day weekend roasts.

Dubai Marina

Bistro Des Arts: This quintessential Parisian bistro on Dubai Marina’s promenade offers a genuine taste of classic French fare with go-to plates of escargots, steak tartare and crêpes Suzette.

Tamoka: Latin-American meets Caribbean restaurant Tamoka, with, very importantly, pork on the menu. Don’t miss the melted provolone with ‘nduja. A dedicated, slick team runs this hotel-operated show at Ritz-Carlton JBR Walk.

The Beam: Chef Nick Alvis’ expansive European brasserie in the Royal Meridien JBR. The starters, in particular, are utterly compelling. Venison tartare with smokey egg yolks and anchovies, I am eyeing you up.

JLT

Lana Lusa: I am delighted this Portuguese gem has opened a licensed branch in JLT at the So Uptown hotel, closer to my end of town. Helmed by a Lisboeta chef Helio Lino, you can eat your heart out on bacalhau…and pasteis de nata.

Mythos: Greek restaurateur-siblings Fay and Alex Economides own this Grecian white-washed taverna. Long-standing head chef Ilias Kokoroskos with his wife Eva as general manager, both also from Greece serve traditional meze, pork included, paired with a well-priced Hellenic wine list. There’s a second licensed branch with a gorgeous terrace at City Walk, sans pork though. I have cut down on ordering in over the last year, but if I do, the sibling, Kilikio at Depachika is my go-to for healthy Greek fare.

Palm Jumeirah

Chez Wam: Named after the French slang for chez moi, Chez Wam is French chef Hadrien Villedieu’s playground for modern French cooking with a nod to Japanese influences. Atop the St Regis Gardens Palm Jumeirah.

TagoMago: The lighthouse-style design ensures a serving of breeze at this stellar Spanish tapas restaurant. Don’t miss the orange-stuffed olives; the Gilda bluefin tuna à la San Sebastián’s pintxo bars; the squid ink paella; AND the flan dessert.

The Maine Beach House: Seasoned restaurateur and Dubai kid Joey Ghazal’s sixth branch of his popular restaurant concept inspired by America’s ‘New England’ coastline. A joyous al fresco lunch setting (with no blaring playlist on a Sunday) at the Vista Mare beach-fronted complex.

Umm Suqeim

Flamingo Room: You can’t visit this African restaurant by the Tashas group at Jumeirah Al Naseem without ordering the calamari Mozambique – one of Dubai’s most iconic dishes. Mixed with squid heads in a lemon butter peri-peri sauce – and topped with a mound of shoestring fries.

Taverna Greek Kitchen: This Greek restaurant lives up to its taverna name with a casual, rustic décor and expansive boardwalk. Greek chef Thodoris Rouvas ensures classic, authentic dishes including the slow-barbequed lamb shoulder and a fresh fish display – all at a wallet-friendly price point.

Barsha

CQ Brasserie: The OG in JLT is now overtaken by its new opening sibling in Barsha Heights (at the Grand Millennium Hotel) because it’s slightly closer to me and boasts a terrace. Oh and the menu is identical. Signature steak frites of course..and even a kir royale with crème de cassis freshly pressed on the spot.

Xu: An independent Chinese by the Rikas Group at Kempinski MOE. The crispy shrimp cheung fun and Peking duck are mandatory orders.

Dubai Hills

Moli by Shi: Another Chinese option for you in a different district. Go here for the duck, choosing one of two cooking styles – roasted Peking presented table-side, or the crispy Cantonese bird.

Reif Japanese Kushiyaki: Singaporean chef-restaurateur Reif Othman’s licensed restaurant. Reif is a creative soul, constantly adding new dishes to his tick-your-own-order menu.

Business Bay & Downtown Dubai

Cocina Tres: Independently operated modern Mexican restaurant with a fun vibe at Pullman Dubai Downtown. The tortillas for the tostadas and tacos are freshly made daily inhouse, hand-ground from Oaxacan heirloom corn.

Girl & the Goose: Nicaraguan chef Gabriela Chamorro turned her sell-out supper clubs into an independent restaurant at Anantara Downtown reimagining Central American cuisine, a first for Dubai.

Time Out Market Dubai: A food hall in Souk Al Bahar with 17 best-in-class Dubai concepts, whilst a terrace overlooks Burj Khalifa and the magical fountains.

City Walk

Nola: The upscale City Walk sibling of the OG in JLT. New Orleans, Southern-style fare. Your three course meal should kick off with baked filo-wrapped Camembert, followed by maple-syrup-marinated lamb chops, and culminate with pillowy, sugar-dusted beignets.

DIFC

Avli: A cavern-cum-temple to modern Greek dining. A test of any Greek kitchen is the execution of feta saganaki – and Avli’s, with crisp honey-drizzled filo is the city’s best, rivalling those in Greece. I taught myself to bake it – no mean feat.

Boca: A restaurant that embraces a sustainability ethos across the whole operation. A Spanish and broader Med menu built around local ingredients pairs with a wine list dedicated to natural, organic and biodynamic bottles, with many from the Middle East’s wine-growing countries.

La Nina: An Iberian-cum-Latino menu at this ICD Brookfield Place restaurant. Creative fare that is fuss-free, delivering on style AND substance. Save room for the flan-meets-crème caramel dusted with 12-month aged Manchego.

Yubi: The licensed Japanese handroll bar by chef and co-owner Reif Othman famed for his Reif Japanese Kushiyaki brand. As per Mr S, “Why would anyone go to Zuma when you can come here for a more affordable and fun experience.”

Wafi

The Nine: Go here for a Sunday roast lunch with protein of your choosing. Prime rib-eye of beef. English Dingley Dell pork with a cracker of a crackling. Giant Yorkies. Cauliflower cheese croquettes. And a triumph of an apple pie.

UNLICENSED/ DRY (WITHOUT ALCOHOL)

JLT

Bait Maryam: A Palestinian owner-operated gem in JLT by chef-owner Salam Daqqaq. Traditional dishes from Palestine and the broader Levant region whether breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Palm Jumeirah

Vietnamese Foodies: No one makes a better pho (pronounced like the French word for fire, feu) in town. Eight branches across Dubai, with the outlet at Palm Jumeirah Mall (formerly Nakheel Mall) as my go-to.

Barsha

The Lighthouse: If you’re after healthy Mediterranean fare in Mall of the Emirates away from the white noise of the main thoroughfare, head upstairs to the Apple Atrium. I never fail to order the grilled aubergine with minced lamb.

Umm Suqeim 2

21grams: Founder Stasha Toncev brings her Serbian roots to this charismatic Balkan bistro with both Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa views. The all-day breakfast plates, burek and phyllo pies are legendary.

Al Fannah: Forget Bu’Qtair and instead head next door to this unassuming joint in Umm Suqeim 2 fishing harbour for South Indian seafood. Order the fried prawns, grilled sheri fish and warm, flakey parathas – all incredibly moreish.

Arabian Tea House: Whilst the tourists flock to the instagrammable Bastakiya branch, I prefer the teeny kiosk in Umm Suqeim 2 right on the beach, with the Burj to the left. My go-to dishes are the sumptuous breakfast trays, and lumi-marinated lamb tikka kebabs. The name is a nod to the free-flow black tea served in dainty Arabian glass teacups.

Blu Pizzeria: A teeny menu of solely six wood-fired sourdough Neapolitan pizzas. That’s all you need. At the the Umm Suqeim 2 fishing harbour. Walk-ins only.

Hugo’s Grill: A tiny Argentinian grill house gem on Jumeirah Beach Road with affordable steak cuts.

Lila Taqueria: Chef and co-founder Shaw Lash serves up honest Mexican food, far removed from commercial Tex-Mex cuisine in this teeny gem on the Umm Suqeim 3 end of Jumeirah Beach Road. Tacos are hand-pressed using masa dough, ground daily from native heirloom corn. There’s also a second location with larger premises, Lila Molino at Alserkal.

Sham Farms: Right next door to Hugo’s sits a Syrian butcher-cum-restaurant known for his variations of nayyeh (raw meat), the Levantine version of beef tartare – whether kibbeh, kufta, or my favourite habra (sans bulgur).

Jumeirah 3

Odeon: A gleaming white multi-storey villa on Jumeirah Beach Road houses an Aladdin’s cave of French deli fare, and a restaurant with a rooftop terrace – under the helm of French chef-owner Thomas Duhamel and his wife Morgane. The menu features a collaborative dish with Hani aka Bedouin Foodie of a now-viral French onion soup burger.

Jumeirah 2

3Fils: The game-changing restaurant that set a trend for chef-led unlicensed gems. Small plates of modern Japanese fare in the picturesque, al fresco setting of Jumeirah Fishing Harbour. The same restaurateurs also operate another go-to in the same harbour, Bordomavi for seafood with a twist.

Jumeirah 1

11 Woodfire: Wood-fired cooking in a dining room with the vibe of a licensed restaurant, yet no alcohol need pass your lips.

Iranish: Growing up in Cyprus, I ate Persian fare regularly thanks to my bestie’s mama, and coupled with a visit to Tehran and Esfahan years ago, this fragrant, hearty cuisine is hugely nostalgic for me. Iranish by Iranian chef-owner Amin Ebra in the Wasl 51 complex serves my go-to, classic dishes. Ashe reshteh noodle soup; kashk e badmejoon aubergine dip; and the signature looti polo of skewered lamb kebabs and raw egg yolk, all mixed into saffron rice.

Three Bros: Don’t go here expecting casual, comfort food from the Orfali brothers’ latest baby in the same Wasl 51 courtyard as the OG, Orfali Bros Bistro (which now only offers a tasting menu and hence does not feature here). You won’t find Dubai clichés of burrata, ceviche and truffle oil, but you will find real deal truffle, caviar…and burgers. A refined, fuss-free take on soul food oozing umami flavour.

FooDiva. x