13 Best Restaurants in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

101 Dining Lounge and Bar

$$$$ | Jumeirah Beach Fodor's choice

101 never fails to impress. You're bound to be surrounded by potential grooms popping the question, couples clinking champagne glasses, and tourists snapping shots of the New Dubai skyline. 101 is a lounge, tapas bar, and restaurant, so it fits most timetables, and also ticks plenty of tourist boxes. Views? Check: water and skyline views from Palm to Marina. Romantic? Check: bobbing pontoons, candlelight, smooth tunes, and intimate spaces. Exclusive? Check: boat trip from the other One & Only, or a long drive down the Palm crescent. Delicious? Check: smart cocktails and classy modern Mediterranean food and wine. Expensive? Check, but considering all the other advantages, worth it.

Coya

$$$$ | Jumeirah Beach Fodor's choice

Dubai didn't know it needed Peruvian dining until Coya opened. It's not the original, but you'd never know it; this place oozes soul. Decor is vibrant and plush; the food is exotic, service smooth, and two piscos later, you'll never want to leave. Look for special events like cocktail making, ceviche master classes, and art exhibitions, which take place almost weekly. Brunch on Friday here is one of Dubai's best. Their hidden members' club has a pricey yearly fee, which you might be able to bypass with some sweet-talking, though we wouldn't count on it. Don't miss the scallop tiradito and the sea bass cazuela, two dishes you will never forget.

Enigma

$$$$ | The South Bank Fodor's choice

You know that saying about the mountain and Mohammad? Dubai's first pop-up only restaurant opened in January 2016, and brings the world's best chefs to Dubai for three-month stints. The intention is to fill it with "World's 50 Best" and Michelin stars, and so far, it's progressing very well. Expect 14-course dégustation menus, dishes that look like science experiments, stories about the food, quirky fusions, and an intelligent waitstaff. There is an excellent core team, but most of the restaurant staff revolves with the chef in residence. All is set in the confines of the Palazzo Versace hotel, which is appropriately bombastic, but the venue changes slightly with every rotation. Alcohol served.

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Ruya

$$$$ | Dubai Marina Fodor's choice

Local chef Colin Clague (previously of Zuma and Qbara) has again opened up a seamless venue that captures just the right amount of culture, class, and exotic beauty to fit with Dubai's classy restaurant scene. Although Ruya calls itself a Turkish restaurant, there are elements fused from many cuisines, particularly Nikkei and those of other Middle Eastern countries. The interior is open and elegant, yet plush and exotic. There are moss walls, Arabic lanterns, majlis-style seating, marble floors, and an enormous central bread oven. In cooler weather, the glass walls open up to turn the entire venue into an open-air space. The most famous dish is a simple two-cheese pide (Turkish flatbread) with a soft-cooked egg yolk, but also look for sashimi, flamboyant salads and richly flavored exotic stews and kebabs. Alcohol served.

Al Hadheera

$$$$ | Burj Dubai

Al Hadheera sits alone in the dunes, just removed from the Bab al Shams resort, and for many, this is the quintessential Arabian dining experience. Find your seating under the stars in stone majlis booths, covered with Persian carpets and camel-hair cushions. Entertainment (e.g., tanoura dancers and oud players) will punctuate your meal, which is taken from a sumptuous spread over many cooking stations, and includes a good cross section of classic dishes from across the greater Arabian region. Alcohol served. Expect a fixed-price for dinner and a show.

Bateaux Dubai

$$$$ | The North Bank

Although pleasant year-round, Bateaux Dubai comes into its own in summer. July and August can be sweltering in the city, but all looks rosy from the chilled inside of this glass-encased barge. It's a five-star way to view the city in comfort. Menus are fixed, classic, and gourmet (if a little traditional), and washed down with your chosen drinks package and glittering views of the Dubai creek at night. The boat drifts slowly past historic districts, dhow shipyards, creekside resorts and towers of the business district. If you can manage to time it with one of Dubai's many festivals, you may also be lucky enough to pick up a fireworks display. Alcohol served.

Marina Social

$$$$ | Dubai Marina

Million-dollar views and fine dining without pretension, it's no surprise chef Jason Atherton's Marina Social is quickly becoming one of the most popular restaurants in Dubai. The menu is pure London, fun and fresh, with an emphasis on ingredient quality. There's an adjoining bar, and early suppers are also available if you just want a quick bite. If the food wasn't enough to get you in, then the views will. Social's terrace is smack in the middle of the Dubai Marina, and is definitely one of Dubai's top outdoor eating areas. Alcohol served.

Pierchic

$$$$ | Jumeirah Beach

Resting on a wooden pier on the Arabian Gulf, with views over two of Dubai's most stunning resorts and skyline, Pierchic is one of the most romantic settings in the emirate. The contemporary decor is breezy and casual while still oozing wealth and class, and glass walls allow diners to sit in air-conditioned comfort while enjoying views of the iconic Burj Al-Arab. In season it is possible to sit on the deck and catch the breeze coming off the sea, or perch on a stool in one of their pier-side pods for a quick champagne before dinner. The menu is modern British with a strong seafood element, and is partnered by one of the Emirate's most prestigious (and expensive) wine lists. This is definitely one for a special occasion.

Qbara

$$$$ | The South Bank

When Qbara opened in late 2013, it filled an enormous gap in the Dubai restaurant scene. Its superfluous interior fulfilled all the fairy-tale images of the exotic Middle East (complete with spectacular bar), and the kitchen partnered it with some exceptional modern takes on traditional Levant and Persian dishes. Since then, the crowd and the chef have changed, but Qbara remains an iconic space to visit, and the food and drinks continue to push boundaries and guide trends in the city. It's not a cheap night out, but it will be a full one, with predinner drinks, a gourmet meal, light show, a glamorous crowd and late-night live or DJ tunes keeping guests hanging around for more than just a quick feed. Alcohol served.

Social by Heinz Beck

$$$$ | Jumeirah Beach

With a German chef serving Italian cuisine at this American hotel in Dubai, Social has managed to seamlessly blend together elements of multiple cultures. Heinz Beck, head chef at Rome's Michelin three-star restaurant La Pergola, entered the Dubai scene in 2014, and often drops by Social for a visit. His stamp is obvious in the elegant and complex Italian cuisine, and the luxurious ambience. The staff is highly attentive, and each dish is delicately presented in the quiet atmosphere. Go with an empty belly—there are often in-between courses that you will receive without ordering. Alcohol served.

The Beach Bar and Grill

$$$$ | Dubai Marina

For classy, casual, and long alfresco lunches, it doesn't get better than the front terrace here. Children can play in the wooden fort and playground next door, just far enough to be seen and not heard. With colonial fans swooping up the breeze, aqua water and white sand at your feet, barasti roofing filtering the Arabian sun, and waiters in white linen delivering chilled oysters and rose, you'll find it very, very hard to leave. The sun sets over the sea, and as darkness falls, fire lamps and candles come alive. Food is a mix of simple seafood and great grilled red meat, with the occasional Arab or Oriental twist, but without any fuss.

Toro Toro

$$$$ | Dubai Marina

This place combines mood lighting, a gorgeous crowd dressed to the nines sipping Cachaça-based cocktails, and tunes that make you want to move. Sample ceviches, empanadas, and cachapas with one hand, and hold your drink, or your partner, with the other. The restaurant features a long list of carnivorous delights including grills and churrasco, and a wine list to please high-rollers and those looking for some ethnic delights. Toro Toro is also known for their lively Friday brunch, which starts as a very classy affair but can get rowdy toward the end.

Traiteur

$$$$ | The North Bank

It's hard to decide what to love the most about Traiteur. The warm, geometrically bizarre interior, the terrace opening to millionaire views over the super yachts of the marina, the classic French cuisine that refuses to be tainted by regional influence, or the service, which is some of the most polite and knowledgeable in Dubai. An experience for those who love more than a little opulence, the Traiteur Friday brunch is one of the best in Dubai (and one of the most expensive). All you can eat from the exceptional buffet and free-flowing champagne from 12:30 to 4 pm will bring you close to living the superfluous lifestyle Dubai is so famous for, even if it's just for an afternoon. Alcohol served.

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