Dubai can now add Michelin stars to its glitzy appeal. The restaurant guide awarded its coveted stars to Dubai restaurants for the first time, releasing a list Tuesday of 11 restaurants that received at least one star.
Another 14 places were honored with a Bib Gourmand award, which is given to high-quality food at lower prices.
The French restaurant-rating company has been expanding in recent years, despite the interruption by the covid-19 pandemic, to award stars in new regions, sometimes in partnership with local tourism agencies. It published its first guide to restaurants in Florida earlier this month and plans one for Canada in autumn.
Michelin is also including new categories for recognition. In 2020, the guide started awarding “green stars” for restaurants with a sustainable focus; one restaurant in Dubai, LOWE, received a green star this year.
Trèsind Studio, helmed by Chef Himanshu Saini, became the only Indian restaurant to get a star.
The two Dubai restaurants selected for two stars are, like many top restaurants in the emirate, housed within hotels. Il Ristorante—Niko Romito is at the Bulgari Hotel, while the second, STAY by Yannick Alléno, is at the One&Only hotel on the Palm Jumeirah.
The guide noted the mix of cuisines, which can be found in a city populated almost entirely by expats. Notably, however, the two restaurants that rated highest were Italian and French cuisine.
“What makes Dubai’s culinary landscape so distinctive is its reflection of the 200-plus nationalities that call the city home, delivering an epicurean kaleidoscope,” says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides. “Today, Dubai is settled as an inspiring gastronomic destination, and we have no doubts that gourmets from all over the world will be seduced by its very unique energy.”
Here’s the full list:
Two Stars
Il Ristorante – Niko Romito and STAY by Yannick Alléno
One Star
11 Woodfire, Al Muntaha, Armani Ristorante, Hakkasan, Höseki, Ossiano, Tasca by José Avillez, Torno Subito, Trèsind Studio
Bib Gourmand Award
Al Khayma, Bait Maryam, Brasserie Boulud, Fi’Lia, Folly, Goldfish, Ibn Albahr, Indya by Vineet, Kinoya, Ninive, Orfali Bros, REIF Japanese Kushiyaki, Shabestan, Teible
Green Star
LOWE
