40 editor picks in Dubai.
40 mid-range places in Dubai, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Dubai, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Dubai food.
RAW Coffee Company has roasted small batch, organic coffee from origins including Ethiopia, Colombia and Yemen at its Al Quoz warehouse since 2007.
TipAsk the barista to talk you through the roasts and origins on the counter before choosing a brew.
Subko roasts coffee, bakes sourdough and makes chocolate at its two level Alserkal Avenue bakehouse, the Mumbai brand's first site outside India.
TipUpstairs, the Quoz Quarters cafe is a run of themed rooms; downstairs is the bakery counter and roastery.
Shabestan is a Persian dining room on the second floor of the Radisson Blu in Deira, run by the third generation of one family and a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderMarinated grilled meats, Eggplant dip
TipBook the creek side window tables for the Dubai Creek and Old Dubai view across the water.
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant occupies an old courtyard house in Al Fahidi Historical District, Dubai, plating home style Emirati family cooking.
OrderLamb machboos, Lamb saloona, Luqaimat
TipPart restaurant, part museum: tables sit under a tree in an air conditioned covered courtyard, and bread is baked in view of the diners.
Din Tai Fung at Dubai Hills Mall is the Dubai Hills branch of the Taiwanese dumpling chain, known citywide for its steamed pork xiaolongbao.
OrderXiaolongbao, Fried rice
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant & Cafe seats diners under a tree in a covered courtyard in Al Fahidi, a Bib Gourmand kitchen cooking rustic Emirati food.
OrderMachboos rice with dango chickpea soup and a plate of luqaimat.
TipBread is baked in view of the courtyard tables, and live music plays in the evening.
Arabian Tea House has poured karak chai and served Emirati breakfasts since 1997 in a courtyard house built in the early 1920s in Al Fahidi, Dubai.
TipAsk for a courtyard table under the big tree; the Emirati breakfast tray comes with khameer and chebab baked in the house tanoor.
Nightjar Coffee Roasters roasts direct trade single origin beans from Colombia, Burundi and Rwanda at its Alserkal Avenue site in Al Quoz, Dubai.
TipCold brew is a house speciality; Nightjar supplies it on tap to other Dubai venues, so order it here at source.
Cypher Urban Roastery has run a working roastery and brew bar in Al Quoz since 2016, pouring pour over and cold brew from washed and natural lots.
TipCoffee sacks and retail shelves line the same room as the brew counter, so you can watch the roast run while you wait.
Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe on the Al Seef waterfront serves Emirati seafood and heritage recipes for a brand founded in 2011, and is in the Michelin Guide.
OrderGrilled seafood, Traditional Emirati bread
YUi in Dubai Design District bills itself as the region's first handmade ramen house, opened in 2018 with noodles made from imported Japanese flour.
OrderShio paitan ramen, Beef gyoza
TipThe chicken comes from a farm near Dubai and the noodles are made in house from Japanese flour.
Al Safadi Restaurant grills Lebanese mezze and steaks a short walk from DIFC in Dubai, open from 09:30 for breakfast through to a late dinner at 00:30.
OrderMixed grill platter with hummus and a plate of warm knafeh to close.
TipBreakfast runs from 09:30 and uses the same grill list as dinner.
Bageri Form bakes Scandinavian-style breads and cardamom buns in Dubai Design District, in a room of long shared tables, brick partitions and an open kitchen.
TipWatch the open kitchen from the bar seats; you can see the day's loaves come out of the oven.
Cherry House roasts its own coffee and bakes in its Grain Room in Al Safa 1, Dubai, a May 2026 opening from the Emirati founder of the Saddle and Feels cafes.
TipLook up: roasted beans travel from the roastery across the room in pipes overhead, the region's first such system.
One Life Kitchen and Café runs its flagship 7,000 sq ft all-day cafe in Dubai Design District, where the brand began in 2016, with a healthy menu.
TipIt is the brand's original site, open 08:00 to 23:00 on weekdays.
XVA Cafe serves a mostly vegetarian menu in the shaded stone courtyard of a small boutique art hotel in the Al Fahidi district of old Dubai.
TipTake a table in one of the three shaded courtyards rather than the small indoor room.
The Espresso Lab Roastery inside Al Quoz Logistics Park is where this Dubai chain roasts its beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia and Panama.
TipThis is the brand's roastery in Al Quoz Logistics Park; its cafes are elsewhere, including Dubai Design District.
XVA Cafe serves a weekend vegetarian brunch in the shaded stone courtyard of its small boutique art hotel in old Dubai's historic Al Fahidi district.
OrderA vegetarian Middle Eastern plate with a mint lemonade
TipTake a table in one of the three shaded courtyards rather than the small indoor room.
Seoul Garden in Al Karama bills itself as Dubai's first traditional Korean restaurant, open since 1999 and cooking bibimbap, galbi and Korean hot pot.
OrderBibimbap, Galbi, Korean hot pot
Wafi Gourmet serves Lebanese hummus, tabouleh and kebbeh at its Sunset Mall branch on Jumeirah Beach Road, a Dubai brand established back in 2001.
OrderHummus plate with tabouleh salad and a side of kebbeh bil laban.
TipThe souq counter up front sells the same Lebanese ingredients to take home after the meal.
Afghan Khorasan Kabab grills chapli kebab and cooks Afghan rice dishes on Al Meydan Street in Al Quoz, Dubai, a room built around shared plates.
OrderChapli kebab with a plate of Kabuli palaw studded with raisins and carrot.
TipOrder a grill platter with a rice dish for the table; the menu is built around sharing.
BKRY bakes its own butter and pastries entirely from scratch at Warehouse 76 on Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, alongside its own specialty coffee.
TipThe jam and spread counter is worth a browse; most of what's on the pastries is also sold in jars.
Birch Bakery in Al Quoz 3 makes sourdough from single origin wheat grown on family farms in Washington's Skagit Valley, fermented for over 20 hours.
TipPastries run from cheese and jalapeño croissants to kouign-amann; order special loaves ahead.
BRIX Café is a harbourside dessert bar at Jumeirah Fishing Harbour in Dubai, pairing specialty coffee with a rotating plated dessert menu daily.
TipGrab an outdoor table facing the water for the best view of the moored fishing boats.
The Grey is a minimalist coffee lounge on Al Wasl Road in Al Safa, Dubai, built around a gallery-white interior and rows of quiet work tables.
TipThe back room has the quietest tables for a laptop session away from the espresso machine noise.
Tom and Serg has served genuine Aussie-style coffee and fusion breakfasts from its own Al Quoz warehouse in Dubai since it first opened in 2013.
TipIt takes no reservations, and weekend mornings bring a wait of 20 to 45 minutes.
Lazy Cat is a small, sought-after park-side cafe in Al Quoz, Dubai, known for its Japanese souffle pancakes and its bright blue matcha drink.
TipExpect a wait on weekends for the pancakes.
Grandmother Coffee Roastery ferments and roasts small batch microlots from Colombia, Yemen and Panama out of a warehouse cafe in Al Quoz, Dubai.
TipIt is a roastery first, so ask about the current microlots on the retail shelf before ordering.
Boon Coffee in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, is the cafe of Orit Mohammed's roastery, sourcing organic Ethiopian coffee for V60 and syphon brews.
TipThe V60 and syphon bar is the reason to come, the retail bags at the counter are the same beans to take home.
Allo Beirut on Hessa Street in Al Barsha, Dubai, keeps its open kitchen running until 02:00, and until 03:30 on Friday and Saturday nights each week.
OrderLebanese street food wraps and manakish
TipFriday and Saturday nights run until 03:30, the latest of the week.
Kabab Erbil Iraqi Restaurant grills Kurdish kebab and masgouf fish on Al Muraqqabat Street in Deira, Dubai, a room busiest on Thursday nights.
TipWatch the masgouf grilling on slow flames behind the glass panel; meals start with salads and lentil soup, and Iraqi tea is refilled free.
Sthan cooks Pakistani, Afghan and Indian frontier dishes named for Kabul, Peshawar and Karachi on Zabeel Road, a Karama, Dubai room built for sharing.
TipCover all three countries: a Kabuli chicken shorba, Lahori gosht seekh and a slow cooked rogan josh.
Tom and Serg fills its converted Al Quoz warehouse in Dubai with an Australian-style weekend brunch crowd every Saturday and Sunday morning.
OrderThe Aussie Benedict with a side of halloumi and roast tomato
TipWeekend mornings bring a wait of 20 to 45 minutes and there are no reservations, so arrive at opening.
Karachi Grill on Jumeirah Beach Road in Dubai plates Pakistani kebabs, karahi and biryani in a Jumeirah 2 villa, with a buffet of Pakistani dishes at lunch.
OrderSeekh kebab, Chicken biryani, Mutton karahi
TipA lunch buffet of Pakistani dishes runs alongside the a la carte menu, the easy way to try several karahis at once.
Al Safadi has served Lebanese grills and mezze in Dubai since 2000, from its Sheikh Zayed Road dining room in the Trade Centre area of the city.
OrderMixed grill, Hummus
Barrio Fiesta runs a Filipino buffet on Al Rigga Road in Deira, Dubai, one of the few in the city open from late morning until 06:00 the next day.
OrderCrispy pata, Kare-kare, Lumpiang Shanghai, Sisig
Little Bangkok runs seven Thai outlets across the UAE, and its Jumeirah Lakes Towers branch plates tom yum soup, pad Thai, papaya salad and green curry.
OrderTom yum soup, Pad Thai, Papaya salad, Green curry
TipThe chain also delivers across the city on its 800-BANGKOK line.
Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe rebuilds 1960s Dubai in its Al Seef dining room, serving machboos and harees the way the UAE ate before towers rose.
OrderLamb machboos with a plate of luqaimat and date syrup to finish.
TipAsk for the terrace, which looks across the creek at the boats and old Dubai.
Barrio Fiesta runs a Filipino buffet on Al Rigga Road in Deira, Dubai, one of the few in the city open from late morning until 06:00 the next day.
OrderCrispy pata with a side of kare-kare and steamed rice.
TipThe buffet runs from 11:00 until 06:00, so it works as a late supper after most kitchens nearby have closed.
Laughing Bread Bakery ferments its own sourdough for 72 hours at a calm, design-led, gallery-style counter in Al Quoz, Dubai, open every day.
TipThe savoury danish fillings change with the season, so ask what's new rather than ordering by memory.
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