The Best Middle Eastern Food in Dubai
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The best Middle Eastern food in Dubai, according to the experts: The 50, the Michelin Guide, and Eater have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Orfali Bros comes out on top.
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Moonrise and Middle Child hold the next two places. The 50 shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with the Michelin Guide next.
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Rank 1. Orfali Bros
Middle Eastern
Three Syrian brothers run this casual bistro on Al Wasl Road, with a two-storey open kitchen that makes the cooking the whole point of the room. Small plates pull from Syrian tradition, pan-regional Middle Eastern cooking, and whatever else the brothers feel like eating, which turns out to be quite a lot. The pastry team upstairs handles desserts with French technique and a straight face. It holds a Michelin star and sits on the World's 50 Best list.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: #37 · The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
- The 50 The 50: #4 · MENA's 50 Best Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
- The 50 #37 · The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
- The 50 #4 · MENA's 50 Best Restaurants
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
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Rank 2. Moonrise
Creative Middle Eastern
For the final course, the electric lights go off and the room is lit by moonlight, which tells you something about how seriously Solemann Haddad takes the whole thing. This 15-seat rooftop counter serves a 12-course tasting menu twice nightly, with each dish plated right in front of you. The kitchen threads Middle Eastern ingredients through Japanese technique in ways that feel personal rather than studied. It holds a Michelin star and a spot on MENA's 50 Best.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: #10 · MENA's 50 Best Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
- Eater Eater: The 27 Best Restaurants in Dubai
- The 50 #10 · MENA's 50 Best Restaurants
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Eater The 27 Best Restaurants in Dubai
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Rank 3. Middle Child
Lebanese
Sour cream and onion dip served with Ritz crackers in retro ceramic bowls is a confident opening move for a Lebanese comfort food restaurant. Set inside an AlSerkal Avenue warehouse, Middle Child has two floors of dining and an open kitchen visible through the glass front, so the energy hits before you're even through the door. It holds a spot on MENA's 50 Best Restaurants as One to Watch, which tracks for a place that makes unpretentious food feel considered.
The awards
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Rank 4. Ninive
Middle Eastern
Ninive bills itself as a contemporary urban majlis, the traditional gathering space of Bedouin community life, and the room commits to the idea: low tables, deep sofas, lanterns, and enough lush planting to make you forget you're inside a tower hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road. It's a Middle Eastern restaurant that leans into atmosphere as hard as it does the food, which makes it a reliable pick for date nights or a long, unhurried dinner with a group.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Eater Eater: The 27 Best Restaurants in Dubai
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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Rank 5. Em Sherif Café
Lebanese
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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Rank 5. Maisan15
Middle Eastern Coffee Shop
Part café, part restaurant, part gallery, part library, Maisan15 sits in Al Barsha doing several things at once and pulling off all of them. Prints by David Shrigley and Dan Witz hang on walls where the art is also for sale, and the kitchen sends out a Levantine-leaning menu in a room that smells of coffee and good intentions. A Discovery on The 50 list for Dubai.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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Rank 5. Somewhere
Middle Eastern
Menus arrive as faux passports, which tells you most of what you need to know about the vibe here. This casual all-day restaurant in Dubai Mall leans hard into fusion, pairing Middle Eastern ingredients with global formats: wagyu kebab in bao, French omelette spiced with za'atar, a fatteh bar at dinner. The breakfast side skews playful to a fault, but the lunch and dinner menu settles into something more grounded.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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Rank 8. Ibn Albahr
Seafood Lebanese
Fishing rods double as pendant lights here, which tells you everything about the commitment to the bit. This Lebanese seafood restaurant on Palm Jumeirah's waterfront is owned by working fishermen, so the catch on your plate arrived recently and not via a middleman with a refrigerated truck. Fish murals, nautical stripes, and a patio that looks straight out at the Arabian Gulf complete the picture.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery