Part of: Top 20 Lebanese Restaurants in Dubai →
If one cuisine has quietly out-opened everything else in Dubai over the past two years, it is Lebanese. The best new Lebanese restaurants in Dubai for 2026 range from white-tablecloth Beirut institutions to tiny homestyle rooms named for someone's mother. What they share is mezze cooked with intent and a grill that earns its smoke. Every entry below is one we have eaten at and photographed; two of the most-hyped 2025 arrivals sit in a separate note because we have not yet given them a full sitting.
Eight new Lebanese tables, ranked
Drawn from our visits over the past year — a mix of fresh Beirut imports and Dubai-grown Levantine kitchens that have hit their stride.
#1 Em Sherif
The grande dame of Beirut fine dining still sets the standard. The set menu lands as a procession of more than twenty mezze before the grills even arrive, and the raw kibbeh is among the best in the city.
What to order the full set menu (around AED 395pp) — and pace yourself for the grills.
Best for: a special occasion where abundance is the point.
Skip if: you want a light meal — restraint is not on the menu.
#2 Liza
The Beirut original made its name on elegant, lighter Lebanese cooking, and the Dubai room keeps that poise. Expect prettier plating than the old guard and a knockout knafeh to close.
What to order the sujuk in grape molasses (AED 55) and the knafeh for two (AED 65).
Best for: a date that wants Lebanese food without the banquet volume.
Skip if: you're feeding a big, hungry group — portions are refined.
#3 Bait Maryam
A genuinely personal kitchen — chef Salam Dakkak's tribute to her mother's cooking, and a regional award-winner. The maqluba and the daily specials taste like a Damascus home, not a restaurant.
What to order the maqluba (AED 90) and the kibbeh nayeh when it's on.
Best for: anyone who wants soulful homestyle Levantine over polish.
Skip if: you need a slick, see-and-be-seen room.
#4 Em Hamza
Quietly one of the best-value Lebanese kitchens in town. The mezze are honest and the ouzi — slow-cooked lamb over spiced rice — is the move on a Friday.
What to order the lamb ouzi (AED 95) and a spread of cold mezze (AED 35 each).
Best for: a no-fuss family feed that won't break the bank.
Skip if: you want wine with dinner — check the licence first.
#5 Bebabel
The all-day, all-rounder of the new wave: breakfast manousheh, lunch mezze, a proper mixed grill at night. The terrace is one of City Walk's better people-watching perches.
What to order the mixed grill (AED 120) and a za'atar manousheh (AED 28) to start.
Best for: a flexible meal at almost any hour.
Skip if: you want a hushed, formal dinner.
#6 Al Beiruti
A crowd-pleaser with a strong cold-mezze game and a relaxed waterfront setting. Not the most refined kitchen here, but consistent and great for a long, lazy lunch.
What to order the hummus beiruti (AED 32) and the grilled halloumi (AED 42).
Best for: a breezy weekend lunch by the water.
Skip if: you're after cutting-edge cooking.
#7 Beit Beirut
A homey all-day Lebanese spot that does the morning manousheh ritual as well as the evening mezze. The fattoush is sharp and properly dressed, and the saj bread comes hot off the dome.
What to order the manousheh platter (AED 45) and the fattoush (AED 38).
Best for: a relaxed Lebanese breakfast or brunch.
Skip if: you want a polished dinner-only experience.
#8 Tawlet
Built on the Beirut original's farm-to-table ethos, Tawlet rotates regional Lebanese home cooking that you rarely see on a restaurant menu. The day's spread changes, which is exactly the appeal.
What to order whatever the day's regional special is — ask what just came out of the kitchen.
Best for: curious eaters who want beyond-the-hits Lebanese.
Skip if: you need a fixed menu you can plan around.
Order mezze in two waves rather than all at once. A Lebanese kitchen sends cold mezze fast and grills to order, so a single giant order arrives as a logjam. Ask for hot mezze and grills to follow the cold plates by ten minutes — every room on this list will happily pace it.
Reading Dubai's new Lebanese wave
Lebanese food in Dubai has split into two clear camps, and the new openings make the divide obvious. On one side are the polished Beirut imports — Em Sherif, Liza — where the cooking is refined, the rooms are dressed and the bill reflects both. On the other are the homestyle kitchens like Bait Maryam and Em Hamza, where the appeal is soul over polish and the prices stay friendly.
Mezze is where the money is made or lost. A strong Lebanese kitchen sends a cold-mezze spread that could be a meal on its own, then grills to order. The best value play across all of these rooms is to over-order the cold mezze, share a single grill, and add hot mezze only if you're still hungry — Lebanese portions are generous and the bread is bottomless.
Location shapes the experience more than you'd expect. The City Walk cluster (Em Sherif, Liza, Bebabel) is the dressed-up, terrace-and-people-watching scene; the JLT and neighbourhood spots (Bait Maryam, Em Hamza) are where you go for the cooking and the quiet. Match the room to the occasion and you won't be disappointed either way.
Just landed — too new to rank yet
Two 2025 openings from the Em Sherif universe are on our list to review properly: Em Sherif Deli, the homestyle, mouneh-stocked all-day spin-off that opened at One Central (with further outlets in Al Barsha), and Villa Em Sherif on Al Wasl Road, a new garden-set concept from the same group. Both are open and busy; we will rank them once we've eaten across the menu and shot our own photographs.
See also in this cluster
More from our Top 20 Lebanese Restaurants in Dubai hub — closely related guides worth a look:
Where this fits on the wider map
For the full picture, browse the Dubai Lebanese cuisine guide, the wider Arabic & Levantine guide, and the best restaurants in Dubai.
Full reviews & related reading: Lebanese cuisine guide · Arabic & Levantine guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best new Lebanese restaurant in Dubai in 2026?
Em Sherif at City Walk remains the benchmark for Lebanese fine dining, while Liza leads the modern, lighter end and Bait Maryam in JLT wins for soulful homestyle Levantine cooking.
What new Lebanese spots have just opened in Dubai?
Em Sherif Deli (One Central, plus Al Barsha) and Villa Em Sherif on Al Wasl Road are the freshest 2025 arrivals — both open, both on our review list once we've eaten across the menu.
How much does a Lebanese mezze dinner cost in Dubai?
Homestyle rooms like Em Hamza and Beit Beirut run roughly AED 90–200 per person; fine-dining set menus at Em Sherif land closer to AED 395 per person.
Which Lebanese restaurant is best for a big group?
Em Sherif's set menu and Al Beiruti's generous mezze both suit large tables. For a personal, homestyle feast, Bait Maryam's maqluba and ouzi are made for sharing.
Are these Lebanese restaurants halal?
Yes — Dubai's Lebanese restaurants are overwhelmingly halal. Alcohol availability varies by venue and licence, so check if you'd like wine with dinner.