Dubai’s year in food
The MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2026 has officially landed and the city has much to say about it.
This edition, which was revealed at Atlantis The Royal on 6 October in a glitzy ceremony, is the city’s biggest edition yet, featuring 122 restaurants across 38 cuisines. The Selection saw 19 new entries and 16 exits – the total number coming up to nearly double the size of the guide’s very first edition, proving that Dubai isn’t just keeping up with the world’s great food cities, it’s becoming one of them.
A Second Star For Orfali Bros
Dubai’s beloved Orfali Bros is having a major moment.
The homegrown favourite has been promoted to two MICHELIN Stars, just two years after earning its first. What started as a brilliant neighbourhood spot has evolved into one of the city’s most exciting culinary destinations, with dishes inspired by the brothers’ Aleppian, Armenian and Turkish roots.
Elsewhere, Dubai’s top-tier restaurants continue to hold their ground. FZN by Björn Frantzén and Trèsind Studio retain their coveted three MICHELIN Stars, while Il Ristorante-Niko Romito, Row on 45 and STAY by Yannick Alléno keep their two-Star status.
The New Entries
Two fresh faces have entered the MICHELIN club this year.
Birch impressed inspectors with its ingredient-led contemporary menu shaped by Chef Arslan Berdiev’s travels and Turkmen heritage, while KIGO earned praise for its elegant Japanese cooking, from Sushi Omakase at the counter to refined Kaiseki menus.
Translation: your must-book restaurant list just got longer.
Great Food, Friendlier Bills
Not every MICHELIN-approved meal needs to involve a special occasion budget.
The Bib Gourmand category, which celebrates exceptional food at great value, welcomed four new names this year: Italian favourite Middle Child, Asian hotspot S.E.A Bistrot, Syrian-inspired Three Bros, and hand-roll specialist YUBI Dubai.
The Special Awards
Beyond the stars, several names also took home MICHELIN’s special awards.
Alserkal’s wood-fired darling Window won Opening of the Year, Ninad Jani of Avatāra picked up Sommelier of the Year, while KIGO’s Akinori Tanigawa and team were recognised for outstanding service. Rémy Marquignon of Ossiano was named Young Chef of the Year, and Zahra Erfanian Azmoodeh at Carbone Dubai received the Exceptional Cocktails Award.
The Community Speaks
While several of the entries were welcomed and celebrated as rightfully deserved, discourse has erupted within the Dubai culinary community over some of the names that were added or retained in the list. 11 of the restaurants recognised are currently closed, and have been for several months owing to the regional conflicts.
A debate has ensued, one about whether this makes sense – several tastemakers and experts have expressed that these spots on the guide should have been given to restaurants that have poured everything into staying open throughout the disruption. Another aspect is the uncertainty with the closures, given many of the shuttered names don’t yet have a reopening date.
Questions have been raised about what signal of credibility this is sending to diners who trust the guide for recommendations, especially since this edition of the ceremony comes at the end of a difficult year for the sector. The conversation is still hot and it will be worthwhile to see what comes next for both the guide and the closed restaurants amid the scrutiny.
Find the full guide here
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Deeply passionate about food, culture and community, Manaal loves telling extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Besides sniffing out a tale to tell, her favourite things to do include binging true crime documentaries, chasing cats on the streets and curating a good outfit.
