From celebrity chefs to daring dishes, these are Dubai’s MICHELIN-starred restaurants.

Dubai has received the MICHELIN seal of approval. With the unveiling of the third MICHELIN Guide Dubai, the city received a grand total of 19 MICHELIN Stars. Four restaurants received two stars, and 15 restaurants received one star. So, if you’re looking for a meal to remember – and one that got the inspectors excited, no less – here are Dubai’s MICHELIN-starred restaurants. 

Two MICHELIN Stars 
Il Ristorante – Niko Romito

Il Ristorante – Niko Romito was bound to be a gem, as it’s located in the Bulgari Resort Dubai – a hotel created by the luxury jewellery brand. The pared-back, elegant restaurant, with black and white photos and white tablecloths, lets the food do the talking. While Niko Romito’s concept is already available in Bulgari restaurants around the world, here the kitchen is headed up by Italian chef, Giacomo Amicucci. Since the fish is flown in daily from Italy, it would be rude not to try it. If you want to know why this is one of the best restaurants in Dubai, just eat your way through the degustazione menu.

Row On 45

Located in Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jason Atherton’s Row on 45 offers a 17-course haute cuisine menu. The name of the restaurant draws its inspiration from Savile Row in London, which is famous for its tailored suits. What sets the concept apart is that it offers a truly tailored experience with different courses in different rooms. The site spans three spaces: Palm Champagne Room, Chef’s Kitchen and Chef’s Library. Highlights include the Hakkadoi Scallops, rich Saroma Wagyu A5, and the Brioche served with chicken butter. The chefs have sourced high-quality ingredients from Japan, and a vegetarian menu is available. Read FACT’s full review here.

GO: Follow @rowon45dubai on Instagram for more information.

Stay by Yannick Alléno

Yannick Alléno is no stranger to MICHELIN Stars, as he’s been racking them up during his career – six overall, to be precise. Now, he’s received two more with Stay by Yannick Alléno. Located inside One&Only The Palm, the fine-dining French restaurant is the stuff that MICHELIN dreams are made of. The opulent setting includes everything from high-backed armchairs to even higher ceilings. The innovative menu changes seasonally, as it’s all about using the finest and freshest ingredients. Previous highlights have included the tournedos rossini (a French steak dish) and the langoustine tart (served with Oscietre Caviar and lemon butter sauce).

Trèsind Studio

Trèsind Studio confirms that food can be a thing of beauty. If you thought Indian food was all about sloppy servings, here it is so elegantly prepared that you’ll want to grab a snap before your spoon. Chef Himanshu Saini is behind the modern, fine-dining Indian menu. The tasting menu includes a generous sixteen courses, which is just as fancy for vegetarians as it is for meat-eaters. What Trèsind excels at is innovation and its unexpected take on ingredients, which you don’t normally find on an Indian menu – ghee roast crab with burnt cinnamon, duck cafreal or charred lobster tail, anyone?

One MICHELIN Star
11Woodfire

Akmal Anuar was destined to have a career in restaurants, as he started off working in his mum and dad’s hawker stall in Singapore. His greatest restaurant hits include 3Fils and Goldfish Sushi & Yakitori, but 11Woodfire is his first creation to nab a MICHELIN Star. The clue is in the name – all of the dishes are grilled to perfection in order to enhance the flavour. The lets-cook-around-a-campfire concept is elevated, MICHELIN-style, as the signature dishes include seabass with tamarind and hay-salted crust, and wagyu kebabs. Plus, there’s even a burnt cheesecake – intentional, of course.

Al Muntaha

A seven-star hotel is the perfect setting for a MICHELIN Star restaurant. Al Muntaha means “The Top” in Arabic, which is a fitting name for this restaurant on the 27th floor of the Burj Al Arab. The fine-dining experience covers French and Italian cuisine, which has been created by chef Saverio Sbaragli. Saverio previously trained under chef Alain Ducasse, and earnt two MICHELIN Stars before landing in Dubai. More is more here, so opt for the six-course tasting menu, which includes a salmon trout, veal filet mignon, and a ravioli del plin (with guinea fowl ravioli and truffle).

Armani/Ristorante

Restaurant addresses don’t get more iconic than the Burj Khalifa. Armani/Ristorante is situated in the world’s tallest building and has high-end food and views. Indulge in fine-dining Italian food with a sideshow of the Dubai Fountains. The Exclusive Journey, an eight-course tasting menu paired with grapes, explains the MICHELIN magic of this restaurant. The dishes range from pan-seared Hokkaido scallops to foie gras terrine.

avatāra

Offering an exclusively curated vegetarian degustation experience, avatāra showcases a modern interpretation of soulful Indian food, highlighting the techniques, philosophy, and story of vegetarian Indian cuisine. Here, the menu showcases a modern avatar of the techniques, philosophy and story of soulful Indian food owing to the fact that, originally, Indian cuisine was predominantly vegetarian. avatāra has a capacity of only 24 diners, making for a highly personalised dining experience.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal 

The Dubai outpost of the two MICHELIN-starred London restaurant, now has its very own MICHELIN star at Atlantis The Royal. Inspired by historical British cuisine dating back to the 1300s, the restaurant comes to us from Heston Blumenthal, a chef and restauranteur known for his scientific and playful approach to cooking. Diners at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in Dubai can expect cutting-edge British cuisine across a menu that encompasses everything from the signature Meat Fruit, made with chicken liver parfait and mandarin, to Savoury Porridge, Powdered Duck Breast, and the Tipsy Cake, a trifle made with spit-roasted pineapple. Although Heston has yet to show face in Dubai, the kitchen is under the competent tutelage of charismatic Chef De Cuisine, Tom Allen.

Hakkasan 

The Hakkasan brand is known the world over for top-quality Chinese food. In fact, the London branch already has a MICHELIN Star. Customers, including those MICHELIN inspectors, have been lapping up the traditional Cantonese dishes with a modern twist. Located inside Atlantis, The Palm, the stylish Shanghai-inspired mood is set, thanks to the dim lighting and resident DJ. The signature dishes include stir-fried black pepper rib-eye, crispy duck salad and dim sum (some of which are brightly coloured).

Hōseki

You know you’re in for an exclusive dining experience at Hōseki, as only nine people – nine! – can dine at once. Sushi master, Masahiro Sugiyama, creates an intimate, elevated dining experience. There is also the Hisui menu with five appetisers and the Ruri menu with seven appetisers, including sushi, miso soup and a Japanese omelette. We recommend opting for the Omakase menu (and love to imagine that the MICHELIN inspectors did the same), as it leaves the food selection up to the chef. So, the menu is catered around you and the fresh ingredients that have flown in directly from Japan.

La Dame de Pic

Boasting an impressive array of MICHELIN stars across her culinary collection, Chef Anne-Sophie Pic is one of the world’s most influential female chefs. At La Dame De Pic in Dubai, her experience menu showcases modern French sensibilities and introduces innovative flavour pairings in an elegant setting backed by superb skyline views. Read our FACT review here. 

Moonrise

Omakase, loosely translated to chef’s choice, isn’t exactly a new concept in Dubai, but the new homegrown Moonrise has put a unique spin on the idea. Located on the rooftop of Eden House, it has impressed MICHELIN inspectors with its tasting menus that span Japanese and Middle Eastern flavours. Plus, we all love a bit of exclusivity, and with two seatings each night accommodating only eight diners, you’ll feel like a VIP.  As for the chef in question? Solemann Haddad, who was born and raised in Dubai and draws inspiration from his own multicultural background, capturing Dubai’s diversity through his carefully crafted menus. 

Orfali Bros

Once Orfali Bros opened in March 2021, it quickly gained a cult following including a celebrity visit from Ed Sheeran. Mohamad, Wassim and Omar are the Orfali brothers behind the homegrown success story, which takes inspiration from their travels. The family works closely with local farmers and suppliers to serve local ingredients of the highest quality in their contemporary take on Middle Eastern dishes. The small restaurant offers several stunning dishes, from the Caviar Bun and Corn Bomb to the exceptional Umami Éclair. However, it’s the playfully named Come With Me To Aleppo, a tender wagyu beef kebab served with sour cherry, pine nuts, and cinnamon that has become the talk of the town.

Ossiano

If you thought that dining underwater was a gimmick, think again. Ossiano, located inside Atlantis, The Palm, may be next to a floor-to-ceiling aquarium, but the food is one MICHELIN star-quality and will steal your attention away from the marine life. Sure, there are stingrays and sharks swimming past you, but, best of all, there’s an impressive seafood menu inspired by the ocean. Grégoire Berger’s latest addition to the menu includes scallops with morel and artichoke. 

Sagetsu

Celebrated Chef Tetsuya Wakuda introduced Sagetsu to The Link at One&Only One Za’abeel earlier this year, showcasing his modern Japanese culinary artistry. This refined dining destination features a dynamic menu that emphasises seasonal ingredients, complemented by a selection of signature sakes. Since 2017, his Singapore establishment, Waku Ghin, has been adorned with two Michelin stars. In Dubai, Sagetsu is the stage for Chef Tetsuya’s exquisite Japanese culinary art.

Smoked Room

Created by Chef Dani García, Smoked Room pays homage to the fire style of cooking. Smoked Room is the sister restaurant to Leña and draws inspiration from its original restaurant in Madrid, which holds two MICHELIN Stars. The venue has only 14 seats and offers an exclusive and personalised fire omakase dining experience. The dishes, which include charcoal grilled pigeon, crowned with maitake mushrooms and celeriac, have been created using smoke and embers to add depth to the flavours. Smoked Room’s Chef Jesus Lobato Suarez was also given the Young Chef Award by Michelin. Read our FACT review here. 

Tasca by José Avillez

Celebrity chef, José Avillez, is passionate about the history and traditions of Portuguese cooking, and he shows off all that affection at Tasca by José Avillez. Located on the sixth floor of Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai, the MICHELIN-worthy menu includes traditional Portuguese dishes with a modern twist, and the beverage list has the largest selection of Portuguese grapes in Dubai. The signature dishes include the avocado tempura and Josper-roasted lamb shank.

Torno Subito 

Experience a little slice of the 1960s Italian Riviera at W Dubai – The Palm. Chef Massimo Bottura – who already owns the three MICHELIN-starred restaurant, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy – is the mastermind behind Torno Subito. The menu includes classic pastas and salads, such as a tagliatelle al ragu and spaghetti vongole. Sit back and relax, as the place exudes chilled vibes, thanks to the brightly coloured décor, from lime chairs to orange sofas, and those beachfront tables.