The Best Mediterranean Food in the United Arab Emirates
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The best Mediterranean food in the United Arab Emirates, according to the experts: The 50 and the Michelin Guide have both weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Gaia comes out on top, and the good stuff runs deepest in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
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Mika and ťazal 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. Gaia
Mediterranean
The ice counter piled with market-style seafood is the centrepiece of this Mediterranean restaurant in DIFC, where you pick your fish and decide how you want it cooked. The room goes full Greek taverna, all white tones and monochrome walls, with terrace seats that make Dubai feel briefly like the Aegean. Chef Izu Ani's place on MENA's 50 Best Restaurants list hasn't quieted the room down any, and the crowd on a Tuesday looks much like the crowd on a Saturday.
The awards
- The 50 #33 · MENA's 50 Best Restaurants
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Rank 2. Mika
Mediterranean
Perched on Yas Marina with a terrace made for Abu Dhabi winters, Mika is a Mediterranean restaurant that earns its Michelin Bib Gourmand by doing the small things carefully: bread baked in-house, salmon cured on-site, limoncello made from scratch. The menu leans toward the Riviera, bright and unfussy, and the tiramisu named for Nonna arrives with the quiet confidence of something that has never once disappointed anyone.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
A Tie
Two places have the exact same Score, so they share #2. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #2 Mika (this place) 74.256
- #2 ťazal 74.256
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Rank 2. ťazal
Mediterranean
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
A Tie
Two places have the exact same Score, so they share #2. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #2 Mika 74.256
- #2 ťazal (this place) 74.256
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Rank 4. Nammos
Mediterranean Seafood
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
A Tie
Two places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Nammos (this place) 71.400
- #4 Tahini 71.400
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Rank 4. Tahini
Mediterranean
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
A Tie
Two places have the exact same Score, so they share #4. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #4 Nammos 71.400
- #4 Tahini (this place) 71.400
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Rank 6. CÉ LA VI
Mediterranean
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 CÉ LA VI (this place) 68.544
- #6 Mina Brasserie 68.544
- #6 Novikov Abu Dhabi 68.544
- #6 Oii 68.544
- #6 Paradiso 68.544
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Rank 6. Mina Brasserie
Mediterranean
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 CÉ LA VI 68.544
- #6 Mina Brasserie (this place) 68.544
- #6 Novikov Abu Dhabi 68.544
- #6 Oii 68.544
- #6 Paradiso 68.544
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Rank 6. Novikov Abu Dhabi
Mediterranean
The open kitchen at this Mediterranean restaurant in The Galleria Mall is ringed by a counter dressed with seasonal ingredients, which is either decor or a menu hint, probably both. It's a spacious, smartly laid room where a pianist plays all day, giving lunch the slightly cinematic quality of a movie set in somewhere nicer than a mall. The pasta is made fresh daily, and the fish and gazpacho earn their place on the menu.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 CÉ LA VI 68.544
- #6 Mina Brasserie 68.544
- #6 Novikov Abu Dhabi (this place) 68.544
- #6 Oii 68.544
- #6 Paradiso 68.544
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Rank 6. Oii
Mediterranean
Floor-to-ceiling windows face the Al Qana Marina, and the shaded terrace spills out toward the water beyond. Oii is a casual, all-day Mediterranean spot that runs from a wide breakfast spread into colorful small plates, salads, and larger dishes as the day progresses. The cooking leans bright and punchy, grilled octopus with mojo rojo setting the register. The name means "hi" in Portuguese, which about captures the mood.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Mina Brasserie 68.544
- #6 Novikov Abu Dhabi 68.544
- #6 Oii (this place) 68.544
- #6 Paradiso 68.544
- #6 Riviera by Jean Imbert 68.544
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Rank 6. Paradiso
Mediterranean
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Novikov Abu Dhabi 68.544
- #6 Oii 68.544
- #6 Paradiso (this place) 68.544
- #6 Riviera by Jean Imbert 68.544
- #6 Taparelle 68.544
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Rank 6. Riviera by Jean Imbert
Mediterranean
The terrace looks out over a small marina of luxury yachts, which sets the tone pretty efficiently. This Mediterranean restaurant on the fourth floor of The Lana channels the French Riviera, from the sun-bleached dining room to a menu that drifts between Provence and Italy. Jean Imbert's name is on the door, and the kitchen leans into the showmanship, finishing the tuna tartare tableside. Pack something that wouldn't embarrass you on a superyacht.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Oii 68.544
- #6 Paradiso 68.544
- #6 Riviera by Jean Imbert (this place) 68.544
- #6 Taparelle 68.544
- #6 terra 68.544
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Rank 6. Taparelle
Mediterranean
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Oii 68.544
- #6 Paradiso 68.544
- #6 Riviera by Jean Imbert 68.544
- #6 Taparelle (this place) 68.544
- #6 terra 68.544
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Rank 6. terra
Mediterranean
A marina view at the quieter end of Al Qana sets the tone for this relaxed Mediterranean restaurant, where the music is good enough that dinner stretches longer than planned. The kitchen travels the full coastline: burrata, croquettes, raw dishes, wood-fired pizza, pasta, and meats from the Josper oven. It's the kind of place that doesn't try too hard, which in Abu Dhabi counts for something.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Eight places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Oii 68.544
- #6 Paradiso 68.544
- #6 Riviera by Jean Imbert 68.544
- #6 Taparelle 68.544
- #6 terra (this place) 68.544