Michelin-starred restaurants in Dubai: 11 places awarded stars

The coveted Green Star for sustainability was also awarded to Lowe

Tresind Studio at Nakheel Mall has one Michelin star.

Al Muntaha, on the 27th floor of Burj Al Arab, has received one Michelin star.

Armani/Ristorante, at Armani Hotel Dubai, has been awarded one Michelin star. Photo: Armani/Ristorante

Hakkasan at Atlantis, The Palm, now has one Michelin star. Photo: Hakkasan Dubai

Hoseki at the Bulgari Resort is among the few restaurants in Dubai with one Michelin star. Photo: Bulgari Hotel

Ossiano at Atlantis, The Palm, has one Michelin star. Photo: Atlantis, The Palm

Tasca by Jose Avillez at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira has one Michelin star. Photo: Mandarin Oriental

Torno Subito at W Dubai - The Palm has one Michelin star. Chris Whiteoak / The National

11 Woodfire in Jumeirah has one Michelin star. Photo: 11 Woodfire

Stay by Yannick Alleno at One&Only The Palm has two Michelin stars. Photo: Jumana El-Heloueh

Il Ristorante – Niko Romito in Jumeirah has two Michelin stars. Photo: Il Ristorante

Al Khayma at Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa is in Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list, which refers to restaurants that provide 'value-for-money three-course meals'. Photo: Al Khayma

Fi'lia at SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences made Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Photo: Fi'lia

Bait Maryam in JLT is now a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant.

Ibn AlBahr at Club Vista Mare is in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Instagram / @ibnalbahr

Indya by Vineet at Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa is now a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant.

Beetroot and ricotta at folly. The restaurant made it into Michelin's Bib Gourmand list.

Kinoya at The Onyx Tower 2 in The Greens is in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Pawan Singh / The National

Red umami prawns at Orfali Bros in Wasl 51 mall. The restaurant is now in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Photo: Orfali Bros

Goldfish at The Galleria Mall made it into Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Photo: Goldfish

Beef gyoza at Reif Japanese Kushiyaki at Dar Wasl Mall. The restaurant is now in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Photo: Reif Japanese Kushiyaki

Beef garum at Teible in Jameel Arts Centre. The restaurant is now in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Photo: Teible

Chef Daniel Boulud at his Brasserie Boulud in Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk. The restaurant is in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Pawan Singh / The National

Shabestan at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, is in the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Photo: Shabestan

Ninive at Emirates Towers is in the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Photo: Ninive

It’s official. Dubai has just got its own red Michelin Guide, with 69 restaurants being included in the guide and a total of 13 stars and one Green Star among a handful of them.

Nine restaurants won one star each, and two received two stars.

The Michelin Green Star also made its entry to Dubai. This star puts the spotlight on a sustainable approach to gastronomy, and Lowe was the one restaurant awarded the coveted title.

The stars were announced by the prestigious culinary group at a chef-studded event at Dubai Opera on Tuesday morning.

Scroll through the gallery below to see more from the Michelin Guide Dubai event

A selection of restaurants in the value-for-money Bib Gourmand section was also revealed, as well as three Michelin special awards, which include the Sommelier Award for Danijela Tesic of Ossiano; the Welcome & Service award for the Bait Maryam team; and the Young Chef Award for Solemann Haddad of Moonrise.

The shining stars

Al Muntaha, 11 Woodfire, Armani/Ristorante, Hakkasan, Hoseki, Ossiano, Tasca by Jose Avillez, Torno Subito and Tresind Studio have been awarded one star each, which denotes high-quality cooking.

Il Ristorante - Niko Romito and Stay by Yannick Alleno got two stars, which stands for excellent cooking.

No Dubai restaurant can lay claim (yet) to three Michelin stars, for cuisine that is categorised by the guide as exceptional.

The Dubai guide, which is digital-only, was confirmed in March after years of speculation — and even frustration — as to if and when Michelin would bring a guide to our shores. In fact chef Gregoire Berger of the award-winning Ossiano restaurant was one of the most vocal advocates for a local guide.

“The Michelin Guide coming to town is the collective achievement of pushing standards and boundaries in the region, and something many of us have been working on for some years by raising the bar, driving sustainability and seasonality, and developing our craft and personality,” Berger told The National in March.

“The arrival of Michelin will ultimately set higher standards for the city, bringing with it many global talents and finally giving Dubai the position it deserves on the global culinary scene. It’s finally due.”

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of Michelin Guides, said the introduction of Dubai to the Michelin family is a "historic moment" and that the inspectors were so impressed by its cosmopolitan culinary offering that they selected a total of 69 restaurants to be included in the guide for their diversity and uniqueness.

The rising stars

Also released at this morning’s event was Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list. This refers to restaurants that provide “value-for-money three-course meals”, that is, venues where diners can enjoy several courses under a certain amount (which varies depending on a city’s cost of living).

The 14 restaurants that made the cut in Dubai are: Al Khayma, Bait Maryam, Brasserie Boulud, Fi'lia, folly, Goldfish, Ibn AlBahr, Indya by Vineet, Kinoya, Ninive, Orfali Bros, Reif Japanese Kushiyaki, Shabestan and Teible.

Quality is king

All the restaurants were cherry-picked by anonymous Michelin inspectors who spent months scoping out venues across the emirate.

“The same inspector does not visit a place twice, and different inspectors visit a place at different times to monitor consistency,” explains Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide. “Stars are then allocated based on a collective decision. And this is why a restaurant that has even just one star, it means a lot to the industry.”

Food quality — rather than ambience, service or presentation — is the overarching reason for a restaurant’s inclusion in the Michelin Guide. This is gauged on five criteria.

1. The quality of the ingredients

2. The mastery of cooking

3. The harmony of flavours

4. The personality of the chef reflected through the cuisine

5. The consistency both over time and across the entire menu

The venues listed in a guide also often make it to the bucket lists of gastro-tourists. These jet-setting foodies will seek out Michelin-starred outlets on their next holiday — or, indeed, plan said holiday around a city’s stellar restaurants. This in turn helps to put a destination on the global culinary map, of which Dubai is now a firm and worthy fixture.

Full list of Dubai restaurants with Michelin stars

• Al Muntaha
• 11 Woodfire
• Armani/Ristorante
• Hakkasan
• Hoseki
• Ossiano
• Tasca by Jose Avillez
• Torno Subito
• Tresind Studio
• Il Ristorante - Niko Romito
• Stay by Yannick Alleno

Full list of Dubai restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category

• Al Khayma
• Bait Maryam
• Brasserie Boulud
• Fi'lia
• folly
• Goldfish
• Ibn AlBahr
• Indya by Vineet
• Kinoya
• Ninive
• Orfali Bros
• Reif Japanese Kushiyaki
• Shabestan
• Teible

Full list of restaurants in the 'Michelin Guide DXB'

1. 3 Fils
2. 11 Woodfire (one star)
3. Akira Back
4. Al Fanar
5. Al Khayma (Bib Gourmand)
6. Al Mandaloun
7. Al Muntaha (one star)
8. Amazonico
9. Armani/Ristorante (one star)
10. Avatara
11. Avli by Tashas
12. Bait Maryam (Bib Gourmand)
13. Bleu Blanc
14. Bombay Bungalow
15. Brasserie Boulud (Bib Gourmand)
16. Carnival by Tresind
17. Ce La Vi
18. Celebrities by Mauro Colagreco
19. Cipriani
20. Clap
21. Coya
22. Demon Duck by Alvin Leung
23. Fi'lia (Bib Gourmand)
24. folly (Bib Gourmand)
25. Gaia
26. Goldfish (Bib Gourmand)
27. Hakkasan (one star)
28. Armani/Hashi
29. Hell's Kitchen
30. Hoseki (one star)
31. Hutong
32. Ibn AlBahr (Bib Gourmand)
33. Il Borro
34. Il Ristorante - Niko Romito (two stars)
35. Indego by Vineet
36. Indya by Vineet (Bib Gourmand)
37. Kinoya (Bib Gourmand)
38. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
39. Little Miss India
40. Lowe
41. LPM
42. Marea
43. Masti
44. Mimi Kakushi
45. Moonrise
46. Netsu by Ross Shonhan
47. Ninive (Bib Gourmand)
48. Nobu
49. Orfali Bros (Bib Gourmand)
50. Ossiano (one star)
51. Pierre's TT (Bib Gourmand)
52. Reif Japanese Kushiyaki (Bib Gourmand)
53. Rhodes W1
54. Rockfish
55. Sea Fu
56. Shang Palace
57. Shabestan (Bib Gourmand)
58. Siraj
59. Social by Heinz Beck
60. Stay by Yannick Alleno (two stars)
61. Sucre
62. Tan Cha
63. Tasca by Jose Avillez (one star)
64. Teible (Bib Gourmand)
65. The Artisan
66. Torno Subito (one star)
67. Tresind
68. Tresind Studio (one star)
69. Zuma