All over the world, Michelin stars give locals and visitors recommendations of where and what they should be eating. And this month, a new city will join the ranks of the best-rated food locales on the planet: Dubai.
Sometime this June, the Michelin Guide will reveal which Dubai-based restaurants and chefs it’s decided to bestow its coveted honors on. The city in the United Arab Emirates is already well known as a business and travel destination, and now it’s likely to rocket to the top of the must-visit list for gourmands as well.
“We will be showcasing the best of Dubai’s gastronomy, to reflect not just the sophistication that the city is famed for, but also the wide diversity of cuisines that the city’s location and history provide,” Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guides, said in a statement.
Dubai’s restaurants pull inspiration from a wide variety of global cuisines while also highlighting the area’s own Arabic, Emirati and Middle Eastern specialties. The city is home to more than 200 nationalities, Issam Kazim, the CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, told Pakistan’s Business Recorder last year, so it’s no surprise that the local dining scene combines many disparate influences. And along with homegrown spots, Dubai has also attracted outposts ofihigh-end international chains such as Nobu.
While it’s not yet clear which restaurants will make the cut, the Michelin Guide has exacting standards for the establishments it honors. The company uses a common set of five criteria in every city where it releases a list: the quality of the ingredients, the mastery of cooking, the harmony of flavors, the expression of the chef’s personality through the cuisine and the consistency of the menu across dishes and time.
“With Dubai home to thousands of restaurants serving a variety of cuisines from fine dining to street food, and talented chefs, the Michelin Guide Dubai will provide a fresh perspective and new insights into the diversity, creativity and multi-cultural nature of Dubai’s culinary offering,” Kazim said in a statement.
Along with the world-famous Michelin stars, the company will also be naming Bib Gourmand restaurants in Dubai. These spots are typically lower-priced restaurants that provide a three-course meal at great value for the cost.
Michelin Guides exist for 36 other culinary destinations around the world, so it’ll definitely be exciting to see how Dubai stacks up when the city’s honorees are announced soon.
