Dubai’s Best Restaurants You Should Definitely Explore in 2023

The eclectic eating scene in Dubai mostly serves the city’s sizable expat population and travel-loving tourists. But there are several restaurants in Dubai that will sate the appetites of those seeking genuine regional fare with Emirati, Lebanese, Persian, and Arabic flavors.

In Dubai, there is a diverse range of local dining establishments, from quaint cafés where you can fill up on delectable bread, pastries, and dates with a classic Gahwa Arabic coffee to those serving aromatic stews or hearty breakfast plates in traditional-themed settings. Here is a list of the best restaurants in Dubai that provide delectable regional food and provide unique dining experiences.

• Siraj Restaurant

Siraj Restaurant’s sparkling design elements and setting in Dubai’s renowned Souk Al Bahar transport customers into an Arabian Nights-style environment. After perusing the market and its colorful selection of carpets, handicrafts, and jewelry, those who were hungry may rest and refuel at Siraj while dining and taking in views of the Dubai Fountain on the Burj Khalifa Lake.

Siraj’s menu features mouthwatering dishes, including camel tenderloin, lobster kibbeh, mouhalabieh (Lebanese milk pudding) with honey, and arayes lamb (minced lamb on Arabic bread), all of which focus on classic Emirati cuisine with modern flourishes.

Location: Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Daily from noon to 1 am

Phone: +971 4 513 6207

• Al Ustad Special Kebab

For more than 40 years, Al Ustad Special Kabab has been a popular dining destination in Dubai. This kebab restaurant, which is located in Bur Dubai close to the famed Al Fahidi neighborhood, is well-known for its sizable kebab khas, which are chicken or mutton kebabs marinated in yogurt and served with rice.

Being one of the top restaurants in Dubai, it is owned and operated by three Iranian brothers, who have decorated it with old memorabilia and pictures of all the notable individuals who have dined there throughout the years.

Location: Near Sharaf DG Metro Station, Al Mussallah Rd, Al Hamriya, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Monday–Thursday and Saturday–Sunday from noon to 4 pm and from 6.30 pm to 1 am, Friday from 6.30 pm to 1 am

Phone: +971 4 397 1933

• Arabian Tea House

With its skylight-roofed eating area bursting with plants, flowers, and cheery turquoise and white furnishings, Arabian Tea House offers a tranquil retreat from the busy city life. Breakfast trays are a popular option here, and options include a kid’s tray, an Emirati platter, and a savory Egyptian platter.With bench-style seating and big tables, this is a location where you can relax while sipping a cup of gahwa, an Arabic-style coffee, and enjoy sociable family meals or group meetings.

Location: Bastakiya Opposite Al Mussala Post Office, Al Fahidi St, Bur Dubai, Al Fahidi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Thursday–Friday from 9 am to 11 pm, Sunday–Wednesday from 9 am to 10 pm (closed on Saturdays)

Phone: +971 4 353 5071

• Al Fanar Restaurant and Cafe

In a setting meant to transport you back to a period when Dubai was a tiny desert village of tents and fishermen’s huts, Al Fanar Restaurant and Café is the place to find traditional Emirati cuisine. Indeed, the kerosene lanterns used to illuminate conventional mud-packed homes inspired the name of Al Fanar, one of the top restaurants in Dubai. The menu offers a variety of meals, including Saloona Lahan Badaweya and Arabic and Emirati breakfast trays with raqaq, khameer, and chebab bread (mutton stew).

Location: Ground Floor, Dubai Festival City Mall, Canal Walk, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Saturday–Wednesday from 9 am to 10 pm, Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 11 pm

Phone: +971 4 232 9966

• Bu Qtair

You won’t need to spend much time perusing the menu at Bu Qtair because there are only 2 options to try: fried fish or fried prawn. Similar to how they were when Bu Qtair first started as a straightforward street food shack in the 1980s, both are made with curry sauce and served with paratha bread.

Today, diners can enjoy their lunch at Bu Qtair’s new site, which features larger but basic air-conditioned dining rooms outside with views of the harbor.

Location: Old 32B Street, Fishing Harbour 2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Daily 11.30 am to 11.30 pm

Phone: +971 55 705 2130

• Logma Restaurant

Locals frequent Logma Restaurant, one of the top restaurants in Dubai, for its contemporary takes on traditional Emirati and Khaleeji (Gulf) cuisine. Breakfast options at Logma include khameer and chebab, which are Emirati pancakes (flatbread with date syrup and cheese). Lamb machbous and chicken biryani are two additional popular meals.

A few Logma restaurant locations can be found in Dubai, and the one in The Dubai Mall offers views of the Dubai Fountain to go along with your lunch.

Location: The Dubai Mall, Fashion Avenue, L3 New Fashion Avenue extension, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Daily from 10 am to midnight

Phone: +971 800 56462

• Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Visitors can frequently partake in a delicious series of dinners at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding to learn more about Emirati culture through the cuisine and dining experiences. The center, which is located in Al Fahadi, one of Dubai’s oldest neighborhoods, puts on a lavish feast for guests to assemble around and converse with the host about the history and customs of the UAE.

Every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday at 9 a.m., cultural breakfasts are served. On Saturdays at 10.30 a.m., brunches are hosted. 

Location: Al Mussallah Rd, Al Fahidi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Phone: +971 4 353 6666

• Al Mallah Cafeteria

When Al Mallah Cafeteria first started in 1979, it was just a small juice stand. Now, it’s one of the best restaurants in Dubai to get Lebanese food like shawarmas, falafels, and mixed grills. It still provides a delectable selection of juices and vibrant mocktails like the cherry-red Tahiti. There are more Al Mallah locations in other Dubai neighborhoods, such as Al Seef and Deira.

Location: Al Dhiyafa Rd, Al Hudaiba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Saturday–Wednesday from 7 am to 2.30 am, Thursday from 7 am to 3 am, Friday from 9 am to 2.30 am

Phone: +971 600 522521

• Zaroob

Lebanese and Arabic cuisine is produced in an open kitchen and at live cooking stations at the Zaroob restaurant. While the food is presented in a modern manner, the bright, cheerful environment with lanterns and colorful steel shutters evokes a street food alley atmosphere. The best part is that Zaroob is open around-the-clock to sate your appetites whenever they arise.

Located at Jumeirah Tower on Sheikh Zayed Road, Zaroob Restaurant also has outposts at Dubai Marina and the Golden Mile on the Palm Jumeirah.

Location: Shop 1, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: 24/7

Phone: +971 800 927662

• Maraheb Restaurant

For its mandi, a Yemeni meal of meat and rice with a mixture of spices usually cooked in an underground pit, Maraheb Restaurant has amassed a large following in Dubai. There are various meat options, but lamb mandi is the most well-liked. At Maraheb, one of the top restaurants in Dubai, customers can also select from a variety of breakfast items, salads, juices, and desserts, such as kunafeh with cheese and cream.

Location: Al Safa, Al Safa 2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Open: Daily from noon to midnight

Phone: +971 4 346 9996

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