From Akkawi omelettes to Wagyu kebab: five home-grown Dubai restaurants redefining the city's cuisine

Flaky, buttery, golden phyllo pastry dipped in a rich, zingy muhammara topped with aromatic herbs. A fresh mushroom omelette stuffed with gooey, oozing Akkawi cheese. Juicy Wagyu beef kebab topped with sour cherry and crispy pine nuts, inspired by the flavours of Aleppo. It can be hard for restaurants in a city like Dubai to stand out from the crowd, but the ones behind these creative dishes are managing to do just that.

With more restaurants per capita than any other city in the world – except Paris – Dubai’s food and drink scene can be cut-throat. Beloved, celebrity-backed names flood the market, from New York’s SushiSamba to London’s Zuma, but a collection of local restaurateurs are also holding their own with their home-grown venues and menus influenced by the region’s rich tapestry of flavours.

Here are five new restaurants that pay homage to the Middle East.

Gerbou

The menu honours sustainability, seasonality and locality - with every dish being crafted with respect to tradition and an eye on the future. Photo: Gerbou

Art meets gastronomy in this villa in Dubai’s residential Nad Al Sheba 1 neighbourhood, where traditional Emirati cuisine has been given an inventive modern upgrade. Gerbou is a collaboration between contemporary arts and design hub Tashkeel, established by Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum, and Atelier House Hospitality, a local company that creates bespoke dining experiences.

The design pays tribute to the Emirates with every flourish. From the custom-made stonewear to the plates that were designed by Sheikha Lateefa herself, each piece of crockery is a respectful nod to Emirati life and nature, whether that’s migrating flamingos, falcons or the resilient dromedary. Meanwhile, the menu not only honours sustainability, seasonality and locality, but every dish also has been crafted with respect to tradition and an eye on the future, a reflection of the city.

This is where you’ll find that Akkawi cheese and mushroom omelette we mentioned, alongside creamy burrata with sticky dates on fresh sourdough or sweet balaleet for breakfast. Expect home-made pickles, steaming khubz and fries sprinkled with salona spices. For mains, there are gourmet versions of traditional dishes such as harees, thareed and margooga, but also international options influenced by regional flavours, including bao bun lamb shawarma and crispy chicken paratha.

Sufret Maryam

Labneh Brulee is light and delicate and served with a side of zaatar ice cream. Photo: Sufret Maryam

In 2023, Palestinian-Jordanian chef Salam Dakkak was ranked Mena’s Best Female Chef for her work at casual Levantine eatery Bait Maryam. Recently, she cemented her culinary legacy even further by opening a big sister, Sufret Maryam, which sets out to elevate those flavours from its cosy, homely spot in Wasl 51, Jumeirah. Everything here is authentic, Levant-inspired and true to its roots.

Dakkak has taken staple dishes that have been passed down through generations and made them worthy of an upmarket restaurant in Dubai. Breakfast dishes include shakshooka, manoushe zaatar and fatet hummus, while mezze spans shankleesh, molokhia bel zeit and hummus bil lahme, to name a few.

There are also raw delicacies, such as Tarsheeha, a meat dish from Dakkak’s village. As for mains, La’Moshet Maryam is the most elaborate dish you’ll find at Dh380; a tender, slow-cooked lamb shoulder marinated with the chef’s special spices.

This restaurant is more than just about food. It’s the story of a woman and her roots, and that love she has for her heritage shines through in every bite.

Three Bros

Potato au caviar at Three Bros. Photo: Three Bros Marketing Team

Where the Orfali brothers – Mohammad, Wassim and Omar – earned global recognition with fine dining fusion at Orfali Bros, including taking the number one spot on Mena’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023 and 2024, their latest venture Three Bros takes a decidedly more casual approach. This playful 22-seater sits right next to their Michelin-starred flagship in Wasl 51, a retro-styled space featuring deep maroon walls, patterned monochrome flooring and bronze wall sculptures of the brothers themselves, with an open kitchen and a wood-fired pizza oven taking centre stage.

The menu won’t be governed by a single culture, but is what the brothers affectionately call “Dubai cuisine” – a fusion of Mediterranean simplicity, French precision and the rich traditions of Syria, from where the siblings hail. Think croquettes made with 18-month Comté cheese and truffle mayo, pidza (a pizza-pide hybrid), morel chawanmushi, as well as Wagyu kebab with sour cherry, a nostalgic nod to their Syrian roots.

This is food that’s serious without taking itself too seriously, proving sometimes the smallest spaces hold the biggest flavours.

Middle Child

Pappardelle Bolognese from Middle Child in Alserkal Avenue. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Beirut-born chef Lynn Hazim, the creative force behind food blog No Soup For You, has opened her first restaurant in Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz. Taking inspiration from the oft-overlooked middle sibling (Hazim herself is a middle child), she’s flipped middle child syndrome on its head by creating a space that’s playful, personal and entirely original in Dubai’s saturated restaurant scene.

This isn’t just another cafe – it’s actually three concepts wrapped into one: a communal table and open kitchen where strangers can bond over shared bites; a cookbook corner for those of us who get excited about new recipe collections; as well as a gourmet grocery stocked with speciality ingredients you didn’t know you needed.

The food philosophy is all about keeping it satisfying, creative and approachable, with balanced flavours and a hefty sprinkle of salt (in a good way). This is comfort food at its most comforting, elevated through community – just what this region does best.

Piehaus

The second outpost from the team behind Balkan-inspired 21grams. Photo: Piehaus

From the team behind 21grams, the beloved Balkan bistro that’s earned three consecutive nods on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list, comes Piehaus, a speciality pie shop and cafe in Alserkal Avenue that celebrates traditional phyllo pastry.

The Scandinavian-inspired space mixes sleek metal surfaces with playful pops of red, anchored by a gigantic glowing moon in the middle of the room. It’s very Alserkal Avenue.

The focus here is on the kinds of pies that are often at the heart of Balkan cuisine – think flaky phyllo dough wrapped around savoury fillings such as cheese, spinach or potato, and sweet versions layered with pumpkin, apples or cherries. But they also pay homage to the region by incorporating muhammara, burnt aubergine hummus, caramel tahini and cardamom sugar.

These are hearty beasts – crispy and flaky on the outside, soft and doughy within. It’s a simple menu, impossible to resist.