50 Best held its annual awarding for the Middle East and North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants on 3 February in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and 25 restaurants from the UAE have made it onto the list. The list is curated by 250 restaurant leaders throughout the year; they scour 19 countries in the MENA region in search of exceptional talent and delicious dishes that deserve global attention.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE are amongst the countries represented in the 2026 edition. Many familiar names have been shuffled within the 50 spots: Orfali Bros, which had previously held the number one position for three consecutive years, has moved to the fourth spot, with the top honours awarded to Khufu in Giza, Egypt. This marks the first time a restaurant in Egypt has ranked number one.
There are seven UAE-based new entries this year. Kokoro, Alserkal Avenue’s handroll restaurant, slides in at number 15; Three Bros, the second concept by Mohamad, Omar and Wassim Orfali, comes in at number 29; and supper-club-turned-restaurant Girl and the Goose makes its debut at 43. Sufret Maryam, Manāo and FZN also make their debuts at seven, nine and 22, respectively.
The newest addition to Alserkal Avenue, Middle Child, was awarded the One to Watch Award. Lebanese chef Lynn Hazim presents a space that is part restaurant, part pantry and part store, serving-up casual sharing plates from club sandwiches to sour-cream-and-onion dip accompanied by ritz crackers. Staying in the UAE, Trèsind Studio’s Himanshu Saini was voted Chefs’ Choice; Wassim and Omar Orfali took home MENA’s Best Pastry Chef Award; Sara Aqel was awarded Best Female Chef; and Salam Dakkak of Bait Maryam and Sufret Maryam was given the Sevenrooms Icon Award 2026.
See the full list below:
- Khufu’s, Giza
- Kinoya, Dubai
- Trèsind Studio, Dubai
- Orfali Bros, Dubai
- Beihouse, Beirut
- Kuuru, Jeddah
- Sufret Maryam, Dubai
- Jun’s, Dubai
- Manao, Dubai
- Moonrise, Dubai
- Table 3, Casablanca
- Marble, Riyadh
- Em Sherif, Beirut
- 11 Woodfire, Dubai
- Kokoro, Dubai
- Marmellata Bakery, Abu Dhabi
- 3 Fils Dubai, Dubai
- Cantina, Kuwait City
- La Grande Table Marocaine, Marrakech
- Reif Kushiyaki Cairo, Cairo
- Le Petit Cornichon, Marrakech
- FZN, Dubai
- TakaHisa, Dubai
- Sesamo, Marrakech
- Kazoku, Cairo
- Shams El Balad, Amman
- LPM Dubai, Dubai
- Alee, Amman
- Three Bros, Dubai
- Dara Dining by Sara Aqel, Amman
- +61, Marrakesh
- Zooba, Cairo
- Gaia, Dubai
- Zuma, Dubai
- Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
- Row on 45, Dubai
- Sachi Cairo, Cairo
- Niri, Abu Dhabi
- Buco, Beirut
- Chez Wam, Dubai
- Boca, Dubai
- 3 Fils Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
- Girl and the Goose, Dubai
- Idam, Doha
- Myazu, Riyadh
- Le Golf, La Marsa
- LPM Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
- Lyra, Manama
- Farmers, Marrakech
- Matbakhi, Kuwait City
