Dubai¡¯s food scene is exploding and currently offers some of the most cosmopolitan cuisines on the planet. While some of the world's most famous chefs have restaurants here, young chefs are pushing the boundaries of traditional cuisine and creating completely new experiences. The booming scene has meant that the city now has its own Michelin Guide! So, here¡¯s a list of our favourite Michelin-starred restaurants in Dubai, so each meal on your vacation is a memorable one!
Set within the W Hotel at Palm Jumeirah, this bright, funky, and spacious restaurant by renowned chef Massimo Bottura offers a great view along with a refined dining experience and has been rewarded with a Michelin star. You could find a spot near the windows overlooking the beach or you could be seated across from the open kitchen, and voila, you¡¯d be transported to the Italian Riviera of the 1960s. For your inner gourmand, the Ala Carte menu serves treats like Merluzzo, which is an Antarctic wild cod served with mashed potatoes, leeks, and black caviar. And if you¡¯re in for experimenting, then the 5-Course Tasting Menu is meant for you.
To immerse ourselves in and explore the food scene in Dubai, Chef Shilarna Vaze, aka Chef Chinu Vaze, headed out into the city, and we followed her. After an exhilarating trail of Michelin-starred restaurants across Dubai, Chef Chinu ended her search for some of Dubai¡¯s best food at 11 Woodfire, where she relished fusion treats, all made on woodfire. Exploring more, she also enjoyed Japanese dishes at 3Fils and Indian fusion food at Carnival by TresInd, which are also featured in Dubai¡¯s Michelin guide. "Dubai is a place where everyone's dreams are coming true," summed up Chef Chinu at the end of it all, and we couldn't agree more¡ªafter all, all foodies¡¯ dreams are made of exquisite multiple-course meals!
Imagine a menu especially customised by the chef around emotions and experiences, and every bite of a multiple-course meal reflecting the same. That is something one can safely expect from Stay by Yannick Alleno at One & Only The Palm. A 4-course menu led by emotions is curated by Yannick at this 2 Michelin-star restaurant to make it a gourmet experience. And, if that wasn¡¯t all, another special 6-course "experience" menu is in the offing and aims to please every food connoisseur. On each of them, what is a given is the gastronomic experience with French treats like langoustine cannelloni, artichoke tart with truffles, and more. And it¡¯s an experience that¡¯s unmissable.
Don¡¯t we all love an exclusive experience, curated just for a select few? Every curious foodie will undoubtedly respond in the affirmative. In Dubai, for an exclusive experience like no other, Hoseki at the Bvlgari Hotel is the restaurant to be. At this minimalist, elegant, and sophisticated 1-Michelin-star Japanese restaurant, the Omakase tradition is celebrated. The tradition means "I leave it to you," and the sixth-generation sushi master Masahiro Sugiyama expects the nine guests to turn their palates over to his whims. Masahiro Sugiyama and his team then take these selected few on an exclusive Japanese gourmet experience that is so intimate that no two meals can be alike!
Have you ever experienced a place that is part museum and part traditional restaurant? Well, at Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant in Dubai, that is exactly what a curious foodie would find and enjoy. Offering the best of Emirati hospitality in an air-conditioned covered courtyard, this Bib Gourmand restaurant celebrates Emirati tradition in every way. With the team dressed in traditional robes serving up carefully prepared Emirati dishes such as Chicken Machboos, Al Khayma Bedouin Lamb Kebabs, Tharid, and many more, a foodie¡¯s palate and soul are certainly going to love it.
The first time any of the foodies tasted something delicious, it was made by their mothers. And this just goes to show how food knowledge is passed down through generations of women. When this thought and years of traditional culinary knowledge come together at a restaurant, it is bound to be a magical experience to remember. This is exactly what foodies are in for at Fi'lia, a Michelin-starred, Bib Gourmand Award-winning restaurant that honours the culinary knowledge passed down from generations of Italian women. Offering an impressive view from the 70th floor of the SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences, one can relish the simplicity of Tomatino and Saffron Arancini and then dive right into mains like Pollo Arrostito and Polpette at Fi'lia. And, to finish things off sweetly, one can dig into the Pavlova or the Fi¡¯Liamisu!
Marrying gastronomy with sustainability in the most experimental way, LOWE is a Michelin Green Star restaurant that offers an unforgettable culinary journey. With a laid-back vibe in a trendy setting, this restaurant brings together local, fresh ingredients with a will to celebrate community spirit. And it does all of it while sticking to its aim to generate zero waste. Their open kitchen, centred on a charcoal grill, rotisserie, and wood-fired oven, serves up a rustic food experience with dishes like spicy tuna toast with gochujang, lamb merguez muffin, rice congee with fried chicken, and many more!