Restaurants Near and Middle East cuisine Dubai

It's in the residential area of Jumeirah, a little off the Jumeirah road, that we enter this Lebanese restaurant with tables set up with red and white checkered tablecloths. Here is a "bistro" of traditional Lebanese neighborhood cuisine. The menu is full of humor and tells, like a scratch book, the story of the owners who own two establishments in Beirut. Everything is delicious, and the world comes flooding in especially after 1pm: mezze, grills and a large section of Manakich. Good value for money.

Wafi Gourmet has a very nice terrace well situated at the Rez du Mall in front of the fountains. A good address also for gourmets, and we are all in front of these Levantine victuals. It is the occasion to taste the mezze or to order a shawarma. It's hard to look away from the pyramids of pastries and baskets full of oriental sweets that occupy a large part of this delicatessen. Tastings on the spot or to take away, large choice of dates, dried fruits, honeys. The best hummus in town.

Located in the heart of the Grand Hyatt, here is an excellent Lebanese restaurant with the Grand Hyatt touch. Wood-fired grilled lamb, delicious shish taouk and kebabs... The mezze are innovative and the fresh salads crispy to perfection. The Arabian-influenced décor is particularly striking with its colourful glass lanterns: it feels like dining in a Bedouin's opulent tent with orchestra, belly dancing and guaranteed atmosphere, but you can also choose the terrace. Finally, you can extend the evening with a shisha.

According to the Syrian community, Sarouja is the best Syrian restaurant in Dubai, the mezze is of very good quality and cooked to perfection. With its decoration in Levantine colours, it is resolutely a traditional atmosphere frequented by regulars. The place is very pleasant, you can play cards, listen to the musicians and for the amateurs, the shishas are also up to scratch. Retransmission of major football matches. For those who come by car, there is a free valet parking service for customers. No alcohol served.

The bright facade with colorful letters looks a bit like a Foire du Trône, but the interior is more in line with what you would expect to find in a Lebanese restaurant. The long room has two arcades and small private tables for families are provided at the back. One comes here especially for the mezze (Lebanese appetizers) and the various brochettes. Mezze baskets to take away. The terrace is pleasant in winter: it overlooks the popular and lively street.

Open for nearly 25 years, this small restaurant, hidden in the Al Naif souk, is a must in the neighbourhood. It's a very cheap Afghan, mostly frequented by the workers of the neighborhood, who eat there with their fingers, no way, but for you they'll pull out a spoon. A well-known and popular address in the neighborhood. Everything is delicious and for a few dirhams you will enjoy a generous and tasty cuisine like at home. The reception is smiling and they like to receive the few Westerners who dare to push the door.

The Dubai International Financial Centre, a nest of banks and investment companies, also presents a different, more festive, gourmet face, in a highly successful New York-style setting. Good value addresses include Cafée Bateel, Au Bon Pain, Caffé Nero, Al Mandaloun (hookahs), Yo Sushi and its electric train, More and Starbucks. The best time to go is at lunchtime, so you can admire the surrounding towers at the same time: a lovely stroll along the tempo City, neck-and-neck at lunchtime with traders in striped suits.

The oldest Lebanese of the city in a kitsch-cool setting, both on the terrace and in the room with the stone walls and the Arab benches. In the evening, music and belly dancer. The dishes are simply tasty: Try in particular the kishkash kishkash, the speciality of the house. Very animated weekends.

A little marvel in this area darkened by the ski slope and all that the Mall of the Emirates has to offer. In this Yemeni restaurant, you are welcomed like a luxury guest. Choose your table in the large main room or sit on the floor in one of the small private rooms. The most popular is the Mandy chicken with Ma Soob, creamed bananas with bread and precious and famous Yemeni honey for dessert. You have to take several dishes and share them. The atmosphere is then friendly and warm.

One can go to Mado either for breakfast, a Turkish coffee with some sweets, or for a meal, let's say... copious. The restaurant is always full, and most of them are regular customers, or even very regular. On the kitchen side, it's a paradise of kebabs, mezze and a small glance at the very famous ice creams made with 100% natural goat's milk and without coloring. Continuous restoration and therefore very practical for a break between two visits to the Burj Al Arab. Mado has 400 restaurants in the world!

A welcome stop in this restaurant which offers a large terrace with a rather nice view on the Burj al Arab and the canals of Madinat Jumeirah. This Lebanese restaurant offers good value for money and we recommend the delicious minty lemonade, some mezze like humus and spinach fatayer and the Mixed Grill Al Makan. The service is attentive and fast. Why not a little shisha to finish the meal? This restaurant, whose name means "The House" is a sure value in the souk of Madinat Jumeirah.