What's On Dubai Awards 2026: Every Winner From Dubai's Biggest Night in Food & Entertainment
- Jun 5
- 5 min read
The tables were buzzing with anticipation long before the first award was announced. On the night of June 4th, 2026, Dubai's most celebrated chefs, restaurateurs and entertainment mavens gathered for what this city genuinely treats as its own Oscars night — the What's On Dubai Awards. Whether you're a food obsessive like me, or you simply want to know which restaurant deserves your next special-occasion booking, the results are in. All 47 category winners, from Restaurant of the Year to Best Pet-Friendly spot — plus my honest takes on who deserved the trophy.
The Big Four — Editor's Choice Awards
Every year, the Editor's Choice picks tell you the most. These aren't public vote results — they're the considered professional judgment of people who eat out in this city every single week. Restaurant of the Year: Manāo (Google Maps), which earned a Michelin Star in just five months and landed 9th on MENA's 50 Best Restaurants 2026. I've eaten there twice and it is genuinely unlike anything else in this city — an absolutely deserved win.
Chef of the Year: Gabriela Chamorro of Girl and the Goose, who scaled an underground supper club into a full restaurant without losing an ounce of its soul. In a city full of large-format imported brands, that kind of intimate, chef-driven ambition is something worth celebrating.
Newcomer of the Year: Barrafina, London's iconic tapas institution making its first international expansion after 18 years. The fact that Dubai was chosen says everything about where this city sits in the global dining conversation. Completing the Editor's picks: Middle Child takes Homegrown Restaurant of the Year — a nod to Dubai's growing confidence in its own culinary voice.
Entertainment, Bars & Big Nights Out
Mimi Kakushi at Four Seasons Dubai takes Favourite Bar — a perennial champion with stunning Japanese-inspired interiors and one of the city's most thoughtful cocktail programmes. Global Village wins Favourite Attraction again, and with Season 30 closing on record numbers there's no argument from me. For Favourite Concert/Show/Festival, it was Swan Lake at Dubai Opera — a result that reflects how seriously Dubai now takes the performing arts alongside its food scene.
Daycation lovers will approve of La Cantine Beach Dubai winning Favourite Daycation, while Banyan Tree Dubai and Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort take the Staycation crowns for Dubai and the Northern Emirates respectively. And for pure pampering, Talise Ottoman Spa at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray holds the Favourite Spa title — a UAE institution worth every visit.
My tip: if you've never been to a performance at Dubai Opera, let the Swan Lake win be your sign. The building alone — designed to resemble a traditional dhow — is worth the trip before a note is played. Book well in advance; the best productions sell out weeks ahead. — Angel
The Brunch, Breakfast & Café Awards
Brunch is practically a religion in Dubai, and the What's On Awards rightly dedicate an entire tier to it. Here are the 2026 winners across daytime dining:
Best Brunch (À La Carte): Tête-à-Tête at FIVE LUXE JBR
Best Brunch Buffet (Casual Dining): Golden Ticket Brunch, Fairmont The Palm
Best Brunch Buffet (Fine Dining): Al Qasr Brunch, Jumeirah Al Qasr
Best Breakfast: Zou Zou
Best Café: Apricot Dubai
Best Afternoon Tea: Balloons at the Palace, Jumeirah Al Qasr
Best All-Day Dining: Huqqabaz Dubai, Jumeirah
Best Business Lunch: Cé La Vi Dubai
Best Northern Emirates Dining: Sanchaya, DoubleTree by Hilton Marjan Island
Best Pet-Friendly Venue: Goose Island Tap House, FIVE LUXE JBR
Apricot Dubai taking the Café crown reflects how Dubai's daytime dining culture has matured — quiet, considered spaces winning alongside the spectacle venues. If you're hunting for more new places to explore this summer, my guide to new Dubai restaurants to book right now has plenty of fresh suggestions.
Fine Dining — The Category Champions
The fine dining category winners this year reflect the extraordinary range of world-class cuisine now available in Dubai. These are the best kitchens in their respective culinary traditions:
French: Maison Revka
Indian: Kinara By Vikas Khanna at JA Lake View
Japanese: Akira Back, W Dubai – The Palm
Italian: Il Borro Tuscan Bistro
Latin American: Nazcaa Dubai
Mediterranean: Lana Lusa
Middle Eastern: Huqqa Dubai Mall
Asian: Buddha-Bar, Grosvenor House
Seafood: Son of a Fish
Steakhouse: The Cullinan
Casual Dining — Where Dubai Actually Eats
The casual dining awards shape everyday life in Dubai more than any others — these are the restaurants people return to week after week. The 2026 winners:
Indian: Asha's Restaurant — a city classic, entirely deserved
Japanese: Izakaya, JW Marriott Marquis
Mediterranean: Fi'lia Dubai, SLS Hotel
Middle Eastern: Awani
Seafood: The Maine Oyster Bar & Grill
Steakhouse: Rowley's Restaurant
French: Couqley French Brasserie
Italian: Isola Ristorante
Latin American: Fusion Ceviche
Asian: BA-Boldly Asian, Fairmont The Palm
My Honest Takes — Agreements and One Talking Point
The Manāo Restaurant of the Year win is the most deserved call I've seen these awards make in years. The Michelin recognition validated what regulars already knew — this kitchen operates at a level that genuinely has no peer in Dubai right now. The Barrafina Newcomer win is equally satisfying: when a brand spends 18 years refusing to expand internationally and then chooses Dubai as its first move, the city is doing something right. And the food absolutely backs it up.
My one talking point: while Mimi Kakushi is beautiful and correct as Favourite Bar, Dubai's cocktail scene is evolving faster than any single award cycle can capture. My guide to Dubai's best secret speakeasies and hidden bars covers some of the newer, more intimate programmes that could easily make the 2027 shortlist. And Cé La Vi winning Best Business Lunch? Fully agreed — the views over the DIFC skyline alone earn that award.
What the 2026 Awards Tell Us About Dubai's F&B Scene
Quality over spectacle. The biggest wins — Manāo, Gabriela Chamorro, Barrafina — went to places known for culinary craft, not the most Instagrammable rooms or the biggest celebrity name on the door.
Homegrown is having its moment. Middle Child winning Homegrown Restaurant of the Year reflects a city finding and celebrating its own voice, rather than outsourcing its culinary identity to imports.
The brunch tradition is going nowhere. Dubai dedicates more award categories to brunch than perhaps any food event on earth — and wears that identity with enormous, justified pride. Summer 2026 is here. Whether you're planning a birthday dinner, a lazy Friday brunch, or your first proper evening out after the heat peaks, consider this your definitive 2026 hit-list.
For full ceremony coverage, visit What's On Dubai. And for the best summer dining deals right now, my guide to the best Dubai restaurant deals for June 2026 is worth bookmarking.
— Angel Tyagi, Creator of Angel In Dubai
This post is for informational purposes only. Restaurant details, opening hours, awards and availability are correct as of June 2026 but may change — always verify directly with venues before booking. Not sponsored; all opinions are Angel's own.
Cover: Time Out Market Dubai by Tariq Iqbal via Unsplash. Dining photography by Meg von Haartman via Unsplash. Dubai architecture via Unsplash License.
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