Last September I posted a reel about Birch and wrote that I’m usually good at guessing Michelin stars, so it was worth going soon, before the star arrived and the prices went up. On 6 October 2026 the new Michelin Guide Dubai came out, and Birch has its first star.
I love both sides of eating in the Emirates: a tasting menu at a starred restaurant and pani puri at a hole-in-the-wall in the old town. This post has the full list of Dubai’s stars for 2026, how to choose a restaurant for your evening and how to get a table.
What changed in the 2026 guide
This is the fifth edition of the Michelin Guide Dubai. It was announced on 6 October at a ceremony at Atlantis The Royal. The guide lists 122 restaurants and 38 cuisines:
- 20 starred restaurants;
- 22 Bib Gourmand restaurants: good cooking at a reasonable price;
- 80 restaurants recommended by the guide.
The headline of the year is Orfali Bros. The three Orfali brothers’ restaurant won a second star two years after its first. Birch and KIGO received new stars.
Three stars: worth a special journey
In the Michelin system, three stars mean cooking worth a special journey. Dubai has two:
- FZN by Björn Frantzén: Swedish chef Björn Frantzén’s restaurant at Atlantis The Royal;
- Trèsind Studio: progressive Indian cooking and one of the best-known restaurants in the city. It is now on Palm Jumeirah, in St. Regis Gardens; check the address on the restaurant’s website before you go.
We went to Trèsind Studio before its third star, and it’s still one of my favourites: Indian food the way you’ve never had it. Both restaurants are a tasting evening of several hours. Plan it as the main event of the day, not as dinner after a tour.
At starred restaurants the menu is a sequence of small dishes. Mention allergies and dietary restrictions when you book. Photo: Bex Walton, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Two stars
- Orfali Bros: modern Middle Eastern cooking with Syrian roots, second star in 2026;
- Il Ristorante, Niko Romito: Italian cooking at the Bvlgari Resort;
- Row on 45: Jason Atherton’s tasting-menu restaurant at Grosvenor House;
- STAY by Yannick Alléno: French cooking at One&Only The Palm.
One star
In 2026, 14 restaurants hold one star:
- Birch: new star; chef Arslan Berdiev, who has Turkmen roots;
- KIGO: new star; Japanese cooking, omakase at the counter and kaiseki at the table;
- 11 Woodfire;
- Al Muntaha: on the top floor of Burj Al Arab (temporarily closed);
- avatāra;
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal: at Atlantis The Royal (temporarily closed);
- Hakkasan;
- Hōseki;
- Jamavar;
- Manāo;
- moonrise;
- Ossiano: the underwater restaurant at Atlantis The Palm (temporarily closed);
- Smoked Room (temporarily closed);
- Tasca by José Avillez.
Four restaurants on this list, Al Muntaha, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Ossiano and Smoked Room, are temporarily closed according to The National. They keep their stars, and the guide will assess them again once they reopen.
A star goes to a specific restaurant, not to a brand. So a “Michelin” sign in a food court doesn’t mean that particular outlet is in the guide. Once, in Dubai Mall’s Chinatown, we ate “the cheapest Michelin dish”: duck with rice for 32.5 dirhams. It was good, but the noodles next door were better.
Bib Gourmand: great food without a tasting-menu bill
If you want to try what the guide rates but without a three-hour tasting menu, look at the Bib Gourmand list. Dubai has 22 in 2026. A few that fit easily into a day out:
- Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant: in the old Al Fahidi district; easy after a walk through Old Dubai;
- 3Fils: at Jumeirah Fishing Harbour, by the water;
- Bait Maryam and Sufret Maryam: home-style Levantine cooking;
- Berenjak and Shabestan: Iranian cooking;
- Kinoya and Konjiki Hototogisu: for ramen lovers;
- DUO Gastrobar: two Bib Gourmand restaurants at once, in Creek Harbour and in Dubai Hills.
New in 2026: Middle Child, S.E.A Bistrot, Three Bros and YUBI Dubai.
Michelin in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi has its own guide. In the 2026 edition, published in October 2025, three restaurants kept one star:
- Erth: Emirati cooking next to Qasr Al Hosn, the oldest building in the city;
- Hakkasan: Cantonese cooking at Emirates Palace;
- Talea by Antonio Guida: Italian cooking at Emirates Palace.
The capital has no two- or three-star restaurants yet. Dinner at Erth or Talea is a good way to end an Abu Dhabi day trip: the Louvre or the mosque during the day, dinner in the evening, then back to Dubai.
How to choose a restaurant for your evening
I choose a restaurant by the occasion, not by the number of stars:
- A special evening for two: a three- or two-star tasting menu. Keep the whole evening free.
- The view and the atmosphere: Row on 45 high above Dubai Marina, or STAY at One&Only The Palm. Al Muntaha at Burj Al Arab and the underwater Ossiano are temporarily closed.
- Local cooking at a high level: Orfali Bros, or Erth in Abu Dhabi.
- Great food without the formality: a Bib Gourmand, such as 3Fils, Al Khayma or Berenjak.
- With children: a Bib Gourmand at lunchtime works better than a tasting menu in the evening.
Practical tips
- Book early. In the October to April season and at weekends, tables at the best restaurants go weeks ahead.
- Card guarantee. Many starred restaurants take card details and charge a fee for a no-show or a late cancellation. Check the terms when you book.
- Dress code. Usually smart casual: no beachwear, shorts or flip-flops. Hotel restaurants tend to be stricter.
- Dietary needs. Mention allergies, vegetarian diets and halal requirements when you book, not at the table.
- Timing. A tasting dinner lasts two to three and a half hours. Don’t schedule an early transfer or a flight straight after it.
- Alcohol. Served only in licensed restaurants, most often inside hotels. Almost every starred restaurant offers a non-alcoholic pairing.
How I can help
I book tables at Michelin restaurants and suggest where to go for your occasion, taste and budget. If dinner is part of a trip, I build it into the route: Louvre Abu Dhabi during the day and Erth in the evening, for example, or a walk through Old Dubai and lunch at Al Khayma.
And if you’d like to see the other side of food in the Emirates, from karak chai to the best shawarma, join my Dubai culinary tour. Come hungry.
Star list based on the Michelin Guide Dubai 2026 (6 October 2026) and the Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi 2026 (October 2025). Checked on 11 October 2026.
Practical answers
Frequently asked questions
How many Michelin-starred restaurants are there in Dubai?
Twenty in the 2026 guide announced on 6 October: two with three stars, four with two stars and fourteen with one. Another 22 restaurants have a Bib Gourmand and 80 are recommended by the guide.
Which restaurants in Dubai have three Michelin stars?
FZN by Björn Frantzén and Trèsind Studio. Both kept their three stars in the 2026 edition.
What is a Bib Gourmand?
The guide's distinction for restaurants with good cooking at a reasonable price. They have no star, but it's a reliable way to eat well without a tasting-menu bill. Dubai has 22 of them.
How far ahead should I book a three-star restaurant in Dubai?
As early as you can: for weekends and in the October to April season, tables go weeks ahead. A card guarantee and cancellation terms are common, so it helps to know your dates in advance.
Are there Michelin restaurants in Abu Dhabi?
Yes, Abu Dhabi has its own guide. In the 2026 edition, Erth, Hakkasan and Talea by Antonio Guida hold one star each. A new edition usually comes out in the autumn.
Can you book a table for us?
Yes. Send me your dates, how many of you, the occasion and what you like, and I'll suggest a restaurant for your evening and book the table.
