by Vijaylakshmi
MICHELIN revealed the third edition of its annual MICHELIN Guide Dubai at the recently-opened One&Only One Za’abeel. Among the highlights was Row on 45 becoming the fourth restaurant in Dubai to receive two MICHELIN stars.
This year’s MICHELIN Guide Dubai includes a total of 106 restaurants, representing a 53.6 percent jump since the Guide’s inception in 2022 when it listed 69 restaurants. Decided upon by MICHELIN’s famously anonymous inspectors, the increase in restaurants in this year’s edition, also up on the 90 included in 2023, is testament to Dubai’s expanding and increasingly diverse gastronomy scene.
The 2024 edition recognises four two MICHELIN Stars restaurants, and 15 one MICHELIN Star restaurants, four of which are newly awarded. Dubai is now also home to 18 Bib Gourmand restaurants and three with a MICHELIN Green Star.
Indian cuisine continues to carve a niche with its innovative concept-dining restaurants taking 11 places in the Michelin Guide Dubai. Building on the success of previous venues featured and awarded Stars and other recognition, Indian tapas bar Revelry joins the list, with inclusion in the Bib Gourmand category.
Trèsind Studio (chef Himanshu Saini) and avatāra (chef Rahul Rana) maintain their presence in the Guide, with two Stars and one Star respectively, while Indya by Vineet (chef Vineet Bhatia) continues to be a Bib Gourmand restaurant. Conceptualised around the different seasons of India, taking the country’s agricultural heritage and culinary traditions into account, Revelry is an offering by Passion F&B, which is also the team behind Trèsind Studio and avatāra, continuing the company’s impressive run in the Michelin Guide Dubai.
Some 35 different types of cuisine are represented across the 106 restaurants, with the selection underpinning Dubai’s burgeoning culinary scene, as well as its commitment to delivering exceptional dining experiences across the city.
Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “We proudly celebrate the third edition of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai, reflecting on our journey from its debut in 2022, to celebrating the expansive list of selections this year. We extend our congratulations to all the restaurants recognised, as well as the restaurateurs, chefs and other talent involved in their respective successes. Dubai’s culinary scene continues to be a key pillar of the wider offerings that are making it one of the best cities to visit, live and work in, with diverse gastronomic offerings catering to all tastes and budgets for our visitors and residents.”
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of The MICHELIN Guides, said: “Dubai is now truly recognised as an international gastronomic destination and its impressive development continues year on year. Its appeal isn’t just with international travellers or local gourmets; talented chefs and restaurateurs from around the world are now also attracted by its vibrant dining scene and arrive keen to make their own mark in the city. With so many different styles of restaurant and types of cuisine, there really is something for everyone.”
The growth of the emirate’s gastronomic landscape continues to be on an upwards trajectory and is reflective of the success achieved within the tourism sector – in 2023 alone, Dubai welcomed a record 17.15 million international overnight visitors, a 19.4 percent year-on-year increase. This year, between January and May, a total of 8.12 million visitors stayed in Dubai, up 10 percent on the same period in 2023.
