Dubai’s Best Food Experiences: Street Food to Fine Dining

Nowadays the saying “everything to eat” can be applied not to Greece but to the UAE and specifically to Dubai. Here you can find high French, homely Italian and street Japanese cuisine. Not to mention the colourful Emirati cuisine. Dubai is particularly good in this respect. Last year it became the first city in the Middle East to feature the Michelin Gastronomic Guide. But in addition to Michelin restaurants there are many tasty and unique places here. And we’ve picked the best for you.

Street Food

Dubai is one of those places where street food is a must. Street food here is original, cheap and very tasty. Most of the fast food places are on December 2 Street, named after the national holiday. But you can find fast and delicious food all over the city.

Top 5 National Emirati Dishes

Emirati cuisine is salty and sweet, sour and spicy. Fish (carp is very popular here) and meat are yummy. Local spices and sauces made from tamarind and pomegranate juice give them a sour taste. Pastries and sweets are popular desserts:

Masgouf

Masgouf is a carp dish. The fish is marinated in tamarind and turmeric then grilled and served under a thin flatbread.

Madruba

Warm chicken pate with lentils or rice is eaten for breakfast with flatbread. The dish is seasoned with local spices: lime, cinnamon, saffron, cardamom.

Maqbous

Maqbous is an Arabic pilaf. In addition to rice and meat, like in most pilafs, nuts and many spices are added. They give the dish a sweet taste.

Balalit

Balalit is a kind of vermicelli. It doesn’t look like traditional vermicelli though. First because it’s sweet, second because it’s fried. And third because it’s served in a savory omelet. The cardamom sauce gives the dish a special touch.

Hamir

Yeast buns and pancakes are served in the Arab Emirates for breakfast and as a street food. They can be savory and spicy or sweet. The second one is like doughnuts and served with date syrup.

Last Exit Food Truck Park

Another trend that is gaining popularity in Dubai recently is food truck parks. The biggest and most famous one is called Last Exit and is located on the highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It has street food from all over the world, from falafel to tacos and pizza. Each zone has its own style: food trucks decorated like American diners and Mad Max. The latter is very popular with tourists.

Restaurants

Now we move on to the list of restaurants. Restaurants in Dubai are world renowned for their food and to visit the best of them will take days. Tourists who want to visit the best restaurants in Dubai usually rent a car for the duration of their stay in the UAE to be able to move from one place to another in comfort while visiting the attractions and eating in the Michelin star restaurants. Car rentals in Dubai are very cheap and the cars are many.

Michelin Green Star

LOWE Restaurant

Since 2020 the Green Star is awarded to eco-friendly restaurants. LOWE in Dubai is one of them. Most of the products for this restaurant are sourced from local farmers and the menu is designed to have minimal waste. For example, leftover yeast dough is used to make the base for the specialty ice cream.

One Michelin Star

Restaurant 11 Woodfire

Dishes cooked over an open flame have been a trend in recent years. The highest pilotage – if the product is not just smoked but gets additional flavor notes. The wood fired grill at 11 Woodfire uses different types of wood for this purpose. Wagyu beef kebab and sea bass baked in tamarind salt crust are the main dishes of the restaurant.

Al Muntaha and Armani Ristorante

Two restaurants are located in the main skyscrapers of Dubai – Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Burj Khalifa. Go to the first one for French fine dining: Saverio Sbaragli is Alain Ducasse’s student here. In the second one for Italian fine dining.

Hakkasan Dubai at Atlantis The Palm Dubai

A classic of Chinese cuisine from Guangdong province. As well as traditional Cantonese-style sea bass, this place makes the most creative dim sum in Dubai, sweet potato and Beijing duck are a must try.

Two Michelin stars

Il Ristorante – Niko Romito

The author of the Il Ristorante concept, three Michelin star winner Niko Romito, combined regional Italian cuisine with modern minimalism. Tortelli with ricotta, as in Emilia-Romagna, is served here with spinach and Manteca butter. And king crab, as in Venice, is cooked all year round not just in season.

Restaurant STAY by Yannick Alléno

Yannick Alléno is the face of modern French cuisine. And not just because he looks like a movie star. Author of Ma Cuisine de Bistro, the book that revived Parisian bistro culture, 14 Michelin stars winner and a regular contributor to glossy magazines, Alleno is also known for supporting local produce and farmers wherever he works. At STAY, a restaurant on Palm Jumeirah Island, creative starters are made from local ingredients. The milk lamb meat, matured for 12 days in a special cave, is a must try.

More to try

If you have your own car https://drive.yango.com/monthly-rentals you can visit other places too, Fifth Flavor Restaurant, Harrie’s Pancake Cafe, Sausage Fabrique butcher shop, Asma Restaurant, Akiba Dori Restaurant, She Burger Restaurant and Sonara Camp, an eco-restaurant in the middle of the sand dunes. Lunch time!