MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants is a prestigious ranking that celebrates the rich and diverse culinary landscape of the Middle East and North Africa. Since its inception, the list has served as a benchmark for gastronomic excellence, spotlighting the region’s top dining establishments and the chefs behind them. This year, the culinary stars of the restaurant industry gathered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for the fourth edition of the awards, where restaurants from 11 cities across the region were recognized as the 50 best dining destinations. Honoring innovation, authenticity, and quality, the list highlights not only fine dining but also the creativity of homegrown concepts, elevating the global reputation of MENA’s food scene. Each year, it reflects the evolution of the region’s culinary identity, from traditional flavors passed down through generations to bold, modern interpretations that push boundaries.
The impact of this recognition extends far beyond the restaurants themselves, playing a crucial role in positioning the region as a global food destination. Culinary excellence is more than just outstanding dishes—it drives tourism, fosters cultural exchange, and boosts local economies. By celebrating the artistry and dedication of chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals, MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants contributes to a thriving industry that continues to attract food lovers from around the world. As the competition grows fiercer each year, the list not only rewards established icons but also shines a light on emerging talent, ensuring that the region’s dining landscape remains dynamic and ever-evolving.
Dubai’s culinary scene is thriving, with the unveiling of MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants once again confirming its dominance. The city leads the rankings, with homegrown favourite Orfali Bros Bistro securing the top spot for the third consecutive year.
The Orfali brothers from Aleppo, Syria, have created a genuinely unique dining experience in multi-cultural Dubai, guiding their unpretentious bistro to the top of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking for the third consecutive year. Opened in 2021, the impact of Orfali Bros Bistro during its short lifetime to date cannot be underestimated.
There are three brothers, all of them in the kitchen. Oldest brother Mohammad is the head chef, primary communicator and driving force in this family affair. An established TV cook and restaurant chef in the Middle East, he has taken ingredients, techniques, traditions and influences from across the world and used them to create his own take on Arabic cuisine. While Mohammad runs the savoury kitchen, two younger brothers, Wassim and Omar, hover one storey above in their own pastry world. Both are classic pâtissiers in the French mould, but with contrasting approaches, leading to a stellar selection of pastries, buns, éclairs and desserts that pepper the menu.
What to order: It’s especially challenging to choose a dish from their menu as everything seems unique, which means doing a repeat visit to the restaurant. For first timers, try the favourites such as the shish barak a la sgyoza (beef dumplings with a Middle Eastern twist), salmon with miso and creamy tahini, and OB cheeseburger.
Retaining its second-place position is the ever-popular Trèsind Studio. Chef Himanshu Saini weaves stories with the intricately-plated and expertly-spiced degustation menus at this modern Indian fine dining spot. Found in St. Regis Gardens, this insider haunt seats just 20 at a time and presents a multi-hour extravaganza that unfolds with theatrical flourish.
What to order: Tresind Studio offers a degustation menu. A standout dish from a truly top tier selection is the turbot. At the heart of the dish is a slow-cooked turbot, complemented by a silky pâté of caramelized cauliflower. Delicate raw cauliflower shavings and an earthy black truffle thokku help bring balance. The dish is finished with cauliflower varuval, which is created with fragrant spices, creating a curry of golden perfection and evoking the breezy coastline and the region’s rich culinary heritage.
Neha Mishra has been successfully spearheading her own Japanese restaurant since 2021. Loyal fans flock to Kinoya for a taste of her take on izakaya. Taking the everyday ramen and transforming it to a foodie revelation, everything here – right down to the noodles – is handmade with love, following closely-guarded recipes.
What to order: Try the Chef Special Ramen, a slow-cooked clear chicken broth with dashi, seared chicken, katsuboshi salt, and burnt garlic oil drizzled on top.
A rite of passage for the culinary crowd, Ossiano at Atlantis The Palm qserves up an immersive, multi-course degustation offering in a grand gold and blue-hued setting, with floor-to-ceiling aquatic views. Specialising in seafood, the plates are as astounding as the surroundings.
What to order: Kokotxas, an emblematic fishermen and sailor dish of the Iberic peninsula, using the “bacalhau” – Portuguese for codfish. The crew of Vasco de Gama themselves relies on bacalhau while they make their way to India around Africa, all the way from Lisbon. The dish is glazed with a black sesame and black garlic sauce, enriched with smoked Bordier butter from Brittany. It is garnished with roasted teardrop peas, sea grapes and Kristal caviar.
Drawing on celebrity chef Kelvin Cheung’s French training, Canadian roots and Asian heritage, Downtown Dubai-based Jun’s has a prime location and proven pedigree. Expect North American comfort food, combined with Asian flavours, served up in an upmarket, chic setting.
What to order: Try the butter poached lobster tossed with a fragrant Macanese curry sauce served in a crispy pani puri shell and filled with an agua de chile tableside. Macanese curry is a staple in the Hong Kong cafe culture and was one of the Cheung family’s favourites to make in North America to bring back a taste of home. It gives the Pani Puri, inspired by Chef Kelvin’s favourite snack from the bustling streets of Bombay, a delightful explosion of flavours, from China and Portugal, that continuously evolve with a mix of acidity, gentle heat and sweetness. Take note, this is meant to be eaten in one bite!
Set at the summit of the luxurious apartment complex Eden House, twelve-seater Moonrise is a feast for all the senses as the restaurant itself is a sleek glass box with views of the city at all sides. Serving a set multi-course degustation menu, with no exceptions or tweaks to the order of service, chef Soleman Haddad heads up a young, dynamic team whose passion shows on the plate and is the reason behind their position.
What to order: One of top dishes on the set menu is Moonrise’s Grilled Cheese. This dish pays homage to the very first thing Chef Solemann ever cooked at 4 years of age, the humble grilled cheese sandwich. Made from locally baked Hokkaido milk bread, a sauce crafted from 36 month aged parmesan, a little Thai black garlic for sweetness and finally, topped with a slice of truffle for texture.
Boasting Mediterranean flavours and local ingredients, this cool European restaurant in DIFC is known for super-creative dishes with a big emphasis on sustainability. The interiors of this award-winning restaurant are minimal and chic and extend a modern vibe to the space. The ingredient combinations are exciting and inventive, and there’s a strong push on vegan food too.
What to order: One of the recommended dishes at BOCA is the raw kingfish served with pure harvest tomato gazpacho, with broad beans, corns, salicorna, and cucumber. It tastes as good as it looks!
Starting as a collection of recipes handed down through generations, Bait Maryam has quickly transformed into a staple choice for unpretentious and authentic Middle Eastern meals. To chef Salam, the venue serves a slice of home, as it is named after her mother and inspired by many dishes and keepsakes from her childhood.
What to order: Kabab Hamoudi is a heartfelt recipe created by Chef Salam’s son, lovingly nicknamed Hamoudi. The dish features tender kebab rolled in homemade bread, served with smoky moutabbal and a slow-cooked tomato sauce. As one of the restaurant’s best-selling dishes, it preserves the rich culinary traditions of their ancestors while embracing the creativity of the current generation.
Other restaurants that made it to the list are Row on 45, Zuma, LPM Dubai, Gaia, 21 Grams, 11 Woodfire, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mimi Kakushi, TakaHisa, and Smoked Room.
