The World’s 10 Best Emirati Cuisine Restaurants
Explore ten emirati cuisine restaurants around the world, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Dubai, UAE. Discover the restaurants and plan your next dining experience.
Erth Restaurant
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Erth Restaurant is a restaurant in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Gerbou
Dubai, UAE
Gerbou is a restaurant in Dubai, UAE.
SMAT
Dubai, UAE
SMAT is a restaurant in Dubai Design District, at Building No. 10 in Dubai, presented on its official website as a resto-cafe with an Emirati focus. The business combines local culinary references with a wider restaurant menu, positioning itself as a place for both everyday meals and more arranged dining. Contact details and table-booking information are provided through its official pages, identifying this specific Dubai branch rather than a general brand presence elsewhere in the emirate or region. The menu is broad in scope, covering breakfast, starters, soups, salads, mains and desserts. Breakfast dishes listed include Emirati breakfast, balaleet, chebab, muhalla, regag and shakshuka, while other sections move into dishes such as fried calamari, yoghurt-marinated chicken tikka and wagyu tikka. Signature-sounding items including jasheed tacos and jasheed sushi suggest that the kitchen does not limit itself to strictly traditional formats, but uses Emirati references alongside more mixed contemporary restaurant ideas on the same menu. Sweet dishes extend that variety, with desserts including lugaimat, aseeda fondant and dates brownies. The official About Us page describes SMAT as an Emirati cuisine restaurant concerned with the fusion of food culture and traditional food, which fits the way the menu combines familiar regional dishes with broader international-style plates. Rather than focusing on a single narrow category, the restaurant appears set up for diners who may want breakfast, lighter starters, substantial mains or a dessert course within one venue in Dubai Design District. Beyond the dine-in menu, SMAT also lists several service formats on its official site, including door delivery, outdoor catering, fine dining and a banquets hall. Its stated ambition centres on contemporary Emirati cuisine, while the overall offer spans casual café-style meals and more organised dining occasions. That combination gives the restaurant a flexible character: rooted in Emirati culinary themes, but expressed through a menu and service range broad enough to suit different meal types, group arrangements and off-site catering requests.
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant
Dubai, UAE
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant is in Villa 54-44 in Dubai’s Al Fahidi Historical District, placing it firmly in one of Old Dubai’s preserved heritage neighbourhoods. The MICHELIN Guide identifies it as an Emirati-cuisine restaurant, while Dubai tourism materials name it Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant in the Historical Neighbourhood of Al Fahidi. The venue is shown as operating and positioned as a destination for local cooking within a historically themed setting rather than as a conventional modern dining room. The restaurant’s character is shaped by its setting as part-restaurant, part-museum. The MICHELIN Guide describes an air-conditioned covered courtyard seated beneath a tree, alongside a terrace, with traditional robes worn by staff and live music contributing to the atmosphere. Bread is cooked within view, giving the meal an active, open-kitchen feel. Dubai tourism likewise presents the restaurant as a place to experience authentic Emirati flavours in a heritage environment. The food offer focuses on Emirati dishes presented with a clear regional identity. The MICHELIN Guide highlights salads and breads to begin, followed by lamb machboos as a sharing dish, with desserts including luqaimat and sticky date pudding. The emphasis is on rustic, flavour-led plates rather than broad fusion cooking, and the format suits a leisurely meal built around traditional recipes and familiar local staples. Service appears designed to support that slower pace and cultural emphasis. Practical details listed by the MICHELIN Guide include air conditioning, terrace seating, credit card acceptance, no alcohol service and no pets. Together with the museum-like styling, visible bread making and traditional dress, these details suggest an experience that is deliberately rooted in heritage presentation. The restaurant therefore stands out as a carefully framed Emirati dining room, where setting, service style and menu all reinforce its connection to Dubai’s older neighbourhood identity.
Meylas
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Meylas is a restaurant in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Al Mrzab
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Al Mrzab is a restaurant in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Arabian Tea House
Dubai, UAE
Arabian Tea House in Dubai is the Al Fahidi branch of a long-running Emirati restaurant and café, set on Al Fahidi Street in Bur Dubai. The business says it has operated since 1997 and presents the venue as a place to experience traditional Arabic culture through Middle Eastern halal food, with this branch linked to the historic Bastakiya quarter and its old wind-tower buildings. The official contact page places the Al Fahidi branch at Al Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai, with daily service from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm. The restaurant’s own description emphasises a heritage-led setting, with a courtyard feel, turquoise benches, white rattan chairs, lace curtains and flowering plants, suggesting a café-style atmosphere rather than a formal dining room. Food and drink are organised around Emirati and broader Arabic fare. The published menu categories include breakfast, appetisers, salads, sandwiches, barbecue, main courses, drinks and traditional sweets, while the drinks list includes tea and coffee service alongside speciality house drinks. The business also describes itself as serving authentic Middle Eastern halal food, which frames the dining offer as culturally rooted and suitable for a broad day-to-day meal or a slower tea-house visit. The branch is part of a wider Arabian Tea House group, but the Al Fahidi location stands out for its heritage setting in old Dubai rather than a mall or roadside format. Taken together, the official pages present a restaurant that combines Emirati cooking, tea-house hospitality and a preserved neighbourhood context, making the experience as much about place and atmosphere as the menu itself.
Siraj
Dubai, UAE
Siraj Dubai is a renowned Arabic restaurant located in the heart of Dubai. It offers a delightful culinary journey through traditional Arabic flavors with a modern twist. The restaurant boasts a warm and inviting ambiance, with elegant décor that reflects the rich cultural heritage of the region. At Siraj, guests can indulge in an array of authentic Arabic dishes prepared with the finest ingredients and meticulous attention to detail. From classic mezze platters featuring hummus, baba ghanoush, and falafel to succulent grilled meats and seafood, there's something to satisfy every palate. One of the highlights of dining at Siraj is the emphasis on hospitality and service. The staff is known for their warmth and attentiveness, ensuring that every guest feels welcomed and well taken care of.
Mezlai – Emirates Palace
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mezlai – Emirates Palace is a restaurant in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe – Dubai Festival City
Dubai, UAE
Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe – Dubai Festival City is a restaurant in Dubai, UAE.