We have eaten at every significant American restaurant in Dubai. We have ordered the burgers, the ribs, the milkshakes, and the steaks. We have argued about which smash burger edges out which, and whether CLAW BBQ's atmosphere counts enough to justify its ranking ahead of restaurants with technically superior food. (It does.) Below is our honest, opinionated, regularly updated ranking.
One note: all restaurants on this list are halal-certified, as required in Dubai. This is stated upfront so you can stop wondering and start planning your order.
The Top 10 at a Glance
The Full Rankings
📍 Downtown Dubai · American BBQ, Seafood & Bar
The most complete American dining experience in Dubai. CLAW BBQ is where you go when you want the full, unambiguous American bar-and-grill experience: rock music playing too loud, an enormous menu of ribs and wings and burgers, beer pong tables in the corner, and a crowd that is visibly having a better time than people eating at more restrained restaurants. The food holds up too — the slow-cooked beef ribs are as good as anything in the city, the lobster roll is surprisingly excellent, and the burger with its inch-thick patty is the kind that requires full commitment before you pick it up. We have eaten here many times. We will eat here many more.
Order this: Beef short ribs (AED 125), CLAW Burger (AED 82), Mac and Cheese (AED 45), Cajun Wings (AED 65). If it's your first time: get the CLAW Combo platter to try a range.
📍 Al Wasl · Modern Bistro / American-Middle Eastern Fusion
Orfali Bros is the most critically acclaimed restaurant on this list — it has attracted serious international attention, James Beard recognition, and a local following that books every table weeks in advance. The menu doesn't fit neatly into "American food" but it draws deeply from American casual dining: the OB Cheeseburger (AED 95) is the most discussed burger in Dubai, made with wagyu, aged cheddar, pickled jalapeño and house sauce in a soft Hokkaido bun. The miso chicken wings and truffle fries have similar cult status. Chef Mohammad Orfali cooks with genuine personality and the result is one of the most exciting bistros in the Gulf.
Order this: OB Cheeseburger (AED 95), Miso Chicken Wings (AED 72), Truffle Fries (AED 48), Ricotta Hotcake (AED 68). The hotcake is technically a brunch item but is served all day — don't skip it.
Black Tap's CrazyShake — the most photographed drink in Dubai. The burger underneath it is also genuinely excellent
📍 Dubai Mall · City Walk · Palm Jumeirah · American Burgers & Shakes
Black Tap arrived from New York with its CrazyShake concept and proceeded to generate the longest restaurant queues Dubai had seen in years. The CrazyShakes (towering, over-the-top milkshakes topped with entire slices of cake, popcorn, candy, and more) are spectacularly extra and genuinely delicious. But the burgers deserve more credit than the Instagram coverage implies: the Classic burger (beef, American cheese, special sauce) is a clean, well-executed smash burger, and the Greg Norman wagyu burger is the standout specialty. Three Dubai locations means no excuse for not visiting. The Dubai Mall branch is most atmospheric; City Walk is best for walk-in availability.
Order this: Greg Norman Burger (AED 89), Sweet-N-Salty CrazyShake (AED 79), The Classic Burger (AED 72). If it's your first visit, get a CrazyShake to share and the Greg Norman for your main.
📍 InterContinental Festival City · American Steakhouse
If you want a proper American-style steakhouse — the kind with white tablecloths, a serious cuts list, and sides that could pass as courses in their own right — Rhodes Twenty10 is the answer. Gary Rhodes's Festival City restaurant has been serving USDA Prime beef with the precision and seriousness it deserves since opening. The USDA Prime ribeye (AED 265) is the flagship; the dry-aged striploin and the short rib burger are the other must-orders. Service here is among the best of any American restaurant in the city: attentive without being fussy, knowledgeable without being condescending. A special occasion restaurant that justifies its prices.
Order this: USDA Prime Ribeye (AED 265), Short Rib Burger (AED 118), Truffle Mac and Cheese (AED 72), Creamed Spinach (AED 55). For dessert: the classic New York cheesecake.
📍 Dubai Mall · Mall of Emirates · American Comfort Food
Cheesecake Factory is the rare global chain that genuinely justifies its reputation. The 250-item menu is overwhelming until you accept it and pick the four or five things you actually want. The Avocado Egg Rolls (AED 58) are a Dubai institution in their own right. The pasta, the salads, and the Cajun jambalaya all punch above their genre. And the cheesecakes — there are over 30 varieties — are the real deal: dense, creamy, with a proper Graham cracker crust. For the price point (AED 90–140 per head including a dessert and a virgin cocktail) it is genuinely one of the best-value sit-down dining experiences in Dubai.
Order this: Avocado Egg Rolls (AED 58), Louisiana Chicken Pasta (AED 105), and the Original Cheesecake or Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake (AED 52–68). The Glamburger is a solid burger option if you want something simpler.
Picks 6–10: Honourable Mentions
#6 — Leña (DIFC): Spanish chef Dani García's open-fire restaurant isn't strictly American, but its focus on charcoal steaks, dry-aged beef, and a moody grill-house aesthetic puts it firmly in the American steakhouse tradition — and it's arguably the most culinarily exciting steak restaurant in Dubai right now. The 50-day dry-aged tomahawk (AED 480) is an event. Per person: AED 200–380.
#7 — Maxzi The Good Food Shop: The current holder of Dubai's unofficial "best burger" crown according to Gault&Millau and Time Out. The Smash and Sear — wagyu beef patty smashed hard on a hot iron, topped with caramelised onions, pickles, and house sauce in a squidgy potato bun — is an exceptional burger at an honest AED 65. Multiple locations; no reservations needed.
#8 — LENTO (Downtown Dubai): A smaller, more neighbourhood-bistro-feeling American spot that does burgers and comfort food at a high level. The double umami burger and the mushroom-Swiss are both excellent. The setting is quieter and more relaxed than CLAW or Black Tap. Good for a mid-week American food fix. AED 80–140/person.
#9 — Texas de Brazil (Multiple Locations): Dubai's best Brazilian churrascaria also functions as a superb American steakhouse experience — the endless parade of meat cuts carved tableside, the salad bar, the caipirinha (or non-alcoholic equivalent) — is one of the most reliably satisfying big-group dining formats in the city. AED 140–220/person.
#10 — The Grill Shack (Dubai Mall): Doing honest American grill food within the Dubai Mall footfall machine — which usually means compromise — The Grill Shack has managed to maintain quality. The 200g beef burger (AED 72), the BBQ chicken platter, and the fried chicken sandwich are all solidly good. AED 70–130/person.
