Diwali lands on November 8 this year, and Dubai's restaurant scene has gone all in. From Michelin-starred tasting menus to Dhs99 vegetarian feasts and a thali served out of a food truck on Palm Jumeirah, there's a festive table for pretty much every budget across the city.

At the premium end, Gymkhana Dubai in DIFC marks its first Diwali with a Dhs495 tasting menu, while fellow Michelin-starred Jamavar Downtown pairs with design house Chahar Bagh by Good Earth for a Diwali menu running until November 11 (Dhs395 vegetarian, Dhs425 non-veg). Ishq by Chef Bhatia at Raffles Wafi goes even bigger: a 13-course journey through India's regional cooking in a 22-seat room, at Dhs799 per head plus Dhs500 for drinks. Avatara in Dubai Hills Estate — the world's first all-vegetarian Michelin-starred restaurant — offers a 12-course lunch or 17-course dinner from Dhs960.

More accessible options abound. Ziya at Anantara Downtown runs its Swad Mahal vegetarian menu from November 1 to 8 for just Dhs99, and Purani Dilli on Sheikh Zayed Road serves a Dhs129 buffet with live chaat and dessert stations. Mausam at Dubai Mall pairs a Dhs189 feast with fountain and Burj Khalifa views, and the Rohini food truck at Th8 Palm dishes a Dhs108 thali ending in saffron ras malai, with the Palm Jumeirah skyline thrown in.

There's plenty beyond restaurants too. Taj Exotica on the Palm stretches celebrations from October 30 to November 15 with set menus, a buffet and after-parties. Mövenpick Hotel Apartments Downtown hosts diya painting and festive markets on November 7, Kinara by Vikas Khanna at JA Lake View adds live entertainment, a free sweet box and a draw to meet the celebrity chef himself, and JA Hatta Fort Hotel offers the most scenic twist of all — a three-course Diwali dinner set against Hatta's mountains. Even cafés are joining: Kairos in Al Quoz has a cashew croissant pudding until November 8 plus a Dhs250 charm-making workshop.

For visitors, this is a genuinely good time to be in Dubai. The weather is cooling into peak season, the city's Indian dining scene is one of the strongest outside India, and the festive buzz adds energy well beyond the restaurants themselves. If you want the marquee experiences — Gymkhana, Avatara, Ishq — book ahead; the big night is November 8 and tables are moving fast.

Story first reported by What's On Dubai.