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Best Restaurants in Dubai 2026
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TimeOut Dubai 2026: Our Take
Cuisine Guide
What does it actually cost to eat out in Dubai? We aggregated the per-person spend we recorded across 815 first-hand restaurant reviews — real bills for two people sharing the must-order dishes, not menu guesses.
Half of all venues we reviewed land between AED 100 and AED 500 per person. The "Dubai is expensive" reputation is driven by a visible top end — only 2% of venues cross AED 900pp — while the largest single band sits at AED 250–500.
| Budget band (per person) | Venues | Share | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under AED 100 | 64 | 8% | |
| AED 100–250 | 233 | 29% | |
| AED 250–500 | 273 | 33% | |
| AED 500–900 | 228 | 28% | |
| AED 900+ | 17 | 2% |
Steakhouses are the most expensive category we track; South Asian and Levantine kitchens are the best value at the quality level we review.
| Cuisine | Median pp | Venues |
|---|---|---|
| Steakhouse | AED 625 | 36 |
| Japanese | AED 461 | 40 |
| Seafood | AED 425 | 23 |
| Italian | AED 400 | 33 |
| Chinese | AED 350 | 29 |
| Lebanese | AED 250 | 25 |
| Indian | AED 236 | 34 |
Somewhat — but not as much as you'd expect. Our highest-scoring venues cost more per head, yet plenty of high-rated restaurants sit in the mid-range, which is exactly where the best value lives.
| Editorial rating | Median pp | Venues rated |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 and above | AED 550 | 61 |
| 8.0 – 8.9 | AED 425 | 34 |
Internal links: Jumeirah area guide · Asian fusion cuisine · Best restaurants Dubai · TimeOut Dubai 2026