7 Best Restaurants in Dubai for Unforgettable Dining

Dubai's dining scene is booming, and picking out the best restaurants in the city has become far trickier than it used to be.

Travelers' growing appetite for the local dining scene has been fueled by a recent wave (and, at times, an equally swift exit) of celebrity chefs like Pierre Gagnaire, Gary Rhodes and Jamie Oliver, alongside the arrival of restaurant brands such as Hakkasan, Gaucho, Nobu, La Petite Maison and Zuma.

A new generation

Money plays a big part in luring these marquee names.

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"Where you have a growing international business hub, a culturally diverse population, many of them high earners, and a relatively underdeveloped dining scene, there's room for a brand to grow," says James Brennan, former Middle East chair of the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants awards and restaurant editor of the Zagat Dubai guide.

It isn't only the global brands. A handful of homegrown restaurants have thrived too, among them Table 9, which took over from Gordon Ramsay's Verre (the celebrity chef's first Dubai venture) after it closed following a decade in business in 2011. It has since relocated, but its legacy endures, digging the roots of Dubai's restaurant industry even deeper.

With such a heady mix of celebrity chefs, global names and local brands, choosing where to dine in this Gulf city is no easy task. Unless, of course, you have a little help.

So sit back and savor the seven best restaurants in Dubai:

La Petite Maison, French

The most sought-after meal in Dubai is the fresh Niçoise cooking served at the city's hottest restaurant, La Petite Maison.

LPM, as it's commonly known, is the Dubai outpost of a global trio of restaurants. Its reservation book is always full.

The kitchen turns out unfussy dishes like peas, basil and tomatoes, razor clams with a herb crust and a deservedly popular cheesecake, all made with top-quality seasonal produce.

Okku, Japanese

In a city dominated by global brands and international chefs, Okku is something of a rarity.

The brainchild of local entrepreneurs Marcus Tesleff and Ramzi Abdul Majid, this sultry, subterranean supper club, serving sushi, inventive Japanese plates and first-rate cocktails, holds its own against the big players.

Zuma, Japanese

Beautiful people love beautiful food. And other beautiful people. This is where they all gather to admire one another.

Zuma's Dubai branch (part of chef Rainer Becker's six-strong chain of izakaya-style restaurants) serves inventive small plates of Japanese cuisine in a lively ground-floor dining room, with strong cocktails in a dimly lit upstairs lounge bar.

Rhodes W1, British

British chef Gary Rhodes loves Dubai so much that he recently packed his bags, hopped on a plane from London and became a full-time resident of the city.

As a result, you can often find the energetic chef at his eponymous fine-dining spot, Rhodes W1.

At Mezzanine he oversees one of the most accomplished kitchen brigades in town, ensuring flawless execution and presentation of his "British classics with French flair."

Related article: Dubai's best brunches: the good, the very good and the 'boozy'

Table 9, Hilton Dubai Creek

Who would have thought that Gordon Ramsay's departure would be good news for Dubai's dining scene? Well, it was.

Thirty-something chef duo Scott Price and Nick Alvis came to Dubai to run the celebrity chef's Verre, but when Ramsay left town in 2011, the pair stayed put.

They transformed his European fine-dining room into Table 9 and introduced a chef's table, local artwork, a more relaxed style and one of the most exciting, creative menus in the city.

Although they may have moved on in 2013, their legacy lives on, and Table 9 remains one of the most coveted reservations in town.

Roberto's, Italian

Energetic Italian Roberto Rella was once best known as the manager of BiCE, where he played a key role in turning one of the city's beloved Italian restaurants into a bona fide culinary institution.

His work there done, he found a striking space in the very heart of the Dubai International Financial Centre, among the biggest names in the restaurant business.

There he opened Roberto's Italian, modestly giving it his own name.

By keeping the Italian classics that continue to make BiCE such a success and adding an impressive raw bar and cocktail selection, Roberto's is every bit as popular as its owner.