The Best Chinese Food in the United Arab Emirates
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The best Chinese food in the United Arab Emirates, according to the experts: the Forbes Travel Guide, the Michelin Guide, and The 50 have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Hakkasan comes out on top, and the good stuff runs deepest in Dubai.
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Shanghai Me and Dai Pai Dong hold the next two places. The Michelin Guide shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with The 50 next.
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Rank 1. Hakkasan
Chinese
Lattice screens, booth seating beside a backlit blue bar, and a soundtrack loud enough to count as a second course: this is Hakkasan's version of a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant. The global chain's Dubai outpost leans into the party-venue energy without apologizing for it, serving reimagined Cantonese classics alongside a few Dubai-only additions. The room is moody and deliberately glamorous, and service keeps pace without breaking a sweat.
The awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide: Forbes Four Star
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
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Rank 2. Hakkasan
Chinese
The sultry, low-lit dining room inside Emirates Palace signals immediately that this is not a casual Chinese restaurant. Hakkasan holds a Michelin star for its Abu Dhabi outpost, serving the same refined Cantonese menu the brand is known for globally: Peking duck, Chilean sea bass, and a Saturday dim sum service that draws the faithful in numbers. The wine list runs deep for a Chinese restaurant, and the service knows the menu well enough to actually help.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
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Rank 3. Shanghai Me
Cantonese Sushi
The name promises Shanghai, but the menu wanders the whole continent, from Cantonese dumplings to a dedicated sushi and sashimi section. This is a pan-Asian restaurant done with Art Deco bones and a prohibition-era sense of theater, moody enough that the rosy lighting flatters everyone at the table. The banana tree terrace and zodiac cocktails keep things flirtatious. A place where the second date is equally plausible as the tenth anniversary.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
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Rank 4. Dai Pai Dong
Cantonese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Dai Pai Dong (this place) 68.544
- #4 Demon Duck by Alvin Leung 68.544
- #4 Hutong 68.544
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 68.544
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Rank 4. Demon Duck by Alvin Leung
Contemporary Chinese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Dai Pai Dong 68.544
- #4 Demon Duck by Alvin Leung (this place) 68.544
- #4 Hutong 68.544
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 68.544
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Rank 4. Hutong
Sichuan
A wishing tree wrapped in red ribbons anchors the dining room at this Silk Road-themed Chinese restaurant in DIFC, where the menu travels from Northern China through Xinjiang and into fiery Sichuan territory, because the chef happens to be from there. Lanterns string the terrace, lunch skews corporate, and dinner loosens up considerably. The flaming whole Peking duck is the move for anyone marking an occasion.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Dai Pai Dong 68.544
- #4 Demon Duck by Alvin Leung 68.544
- #4 Hutong (this place) 68.544
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 68.544
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Rank 4. Mimi Mei Fair
Chinese
A seat on the terrace puts the Burj Khalifa directly overhead, which is either romantic or completely distracting depending on your company. Inside, this Chinese restaurant splits between a Regency-style parlour and a darker, club-like library room. The classic menu runs from dim sum to sweet and sour chicken, and a set tasting menu exists for anyone who'd rather not negotiate. The team is charming and happy to guide you through it.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Demon Duck by Alvin Leung 68.544
- #4 Hutong 68.544
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair (this place) 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 68.544
- #4 Shang Palace 68.544
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Rank 4. Mott 32
Cantonese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Hutong 68.544
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 (this place) 68.544
- #4 Shang Palace 68.544
- #4 Tang Town 68.544
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Rank 4. Shang Palace
Cantonese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 68.544
- #4 Shang Palace (this place) 68.544
- #4 Tang Town 68.544
- #4 XU Dubai 68.544
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Rank 4. Tang Town
Cantonese
Tucked onto a mezzanine in Dubai Mall's Chinatown quarter and easy to miss from the main flow, Tang Town is a dimly lit Cantonese restaurant where the mood runs deliberately low and unhurried. The menu leans into prime ingredients, pairing Peking duck with caviar and Wagyu across a broad spread of Cantonese and Sichuan dishes. Come evening, the small centre stage hosts Chinese dance performances, which is either exactly your thing or quietly charming either way.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 68.544
- #4 Shang Palace 68.544
- #4 Tang Town (this place) 68.544
- #4 XU Dubai 68.544
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Rank 4. XU Dubai
Modern Cantonese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Mimi Mei Fair 68.544
- #4 Mott 32 68.544
- #4 Shang Palace 68.544
- #4 Tang Town 68.544
- #4 XU Dubai (this place) 68.544