Dubai Restaurant Week returns

Dubai Restaurant Week returns on May 1 and runs through May 17, putting more than 125 restaurants into one citywide dining promotion. (visitdubai.com) The official offer is fixed-price dining: two-course lunches for AED125 and three-course dinners for AED250. Visit Dubai says the participating lineup spans more than 25 cuisines across fine-dining rooms, premium-casual spots and homegrown brands. (visitdubai.com) Promoters are billing chefs including Nobu Matsuhisa, Gordon Ramsay, Izu Ani, Alvin Leung, Akira Back, Kelvin Cheung and Hadrien Villedieu. The event is part of the wider Dubai Food Festival program, according to organizers and local coverage published this week. (zawya.com, curlytales.com) The pitch is access as much as variety. Organizers say residents and visitors can book curated menus at restaurants that are usually positioned at higher price points, including venues recognized by the MICHELIN Guide. (zawya.com, guide.michelin.com) That fits the way Dubai has been selling itself as a food destination. The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism said in a 2023 festival announcement that Restaurant Week debuted during Dubai Food Festival in 2016 as a value-priced showcase of the city’s dining scene. (dubaidet.gov.ae, wam.ae) The event has also grown beyond its original format. Coverage of the first edition in 2016 described a 10-day run with 30 restaurants and a set menu price of AED189, compared with this year’s 17-day schedule and 125-plus venues. (dubaidet.gov.ae, caterermiddleeast.com, visitdubai.com) Dubai’s restaurant scene has added more global recognition in that stretch. The MICHELIN Guide’s 2025 Dubai selection listed 19 starred restaurants, giving the festival a larger pool of guide-listed venues to draw from than it had before Michelin launched in the city. (guide.michelin.com) Bookings are now open through the city’s tourism platform, with menus running from May 1 to May 17. For diners, the window is short and the format is simple: pick a restaurant, choose lunch or dinner, and lock in the set price before tables fill. (visitdubai.com)