Dubai's fifth Michelin Guide ceremony, held at Atlantis the Royal, has confirmed the city's dining rankings for 2026 — with one long-awaited promotion and a batch of fresh names across every tier.
The big story is Orfali Bros, finally stepping up to two Michelin Stars. The restaurant, run by the Orfali brothers, has been a local favourite since it opened and joins Il Ristorante by Niko Romito, Row on 45 and Stay by Yannick Alléno in the two-star tier. At the very top, nothing changed: FZN by Björn Frantzén and Trèsind Studio both held onto their three Stars, remaining the only two restaurants in the city at that level.
Two newcomers picked up a single Star: Birch and KIGO, joining a one-star list that includes familiar names like Ossiano, Hakkasan Dubai, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, 11 Woodfire, Al Muntaha and Tasca by José Avillez.
If fine dining isn't your budget, the Bib Gourmand list — Michelin's badge for excellent food at fair prices — is where the value lives. Four new entries arrived this year: Middle Child, S.E.A. Bistrot, Three Bros and YUBI Dubai. They join 18 existing Bib restaurants such as 3Fils, Kinoya, Berenjak, Bait Maryam, Khadak and the two DUO Gastrobar branches. Notably, four of the Bib picks (3Fils, Al Khayma, Bait Maryam, Sufret Maryam among them) serve Emirati and regional cuisine, so you can eat very well for a fraction of tasting-menu prices.
Thirteen restaurants joined the Michelin Selected list for the first time, including Carbone Dubai, Barrafina, China Tang Dubai, Ramen Hisa and Revolver Dubai. The special awards went to Window's chef Gonzalo Platero (Opening of the Year), Carbone's Zahra Erfanian Azmoodeh (Exceptional Cocktail), KIGO's Akinori Tanigawa (Service), avatara's Ninad Jani (Sommelier) and Ossiano's Remy Marquignon (Young Chef). The Dubai guide also debuted Mindful Voices, a wellbeing platform fronted by Zachary Roy of LOWE.
For travellers, this guide doubles as a practical map of Dubai's food scene. If you're chasing a splurge, book the three-star pair well ahead — FZN and Trèsind Studio are among the hardest tables in the city. For a two-star experience, Orfali Bros is the name everyone will now be fighting over. And if you'd rather spend your dirhams on desert trips and beach clubs, the Bib Gourmand list offers genuinely great meals — Japanese, Iranian, Persian, Indian and Emirati — at everyday prices.
The timing matters too: Michelin's inspectors keep expanding the guide each year, and with DET (Dubai's tourism authority) pushing the city as a global gastronomy destination, expect the competition — and the quality — to keep climbing. Source: What's On Dubai.
