50 Best Experiences

MENA's 50 Best Restaurants 2025

Abu Dhabi

Diners based in or travelling to Abu Dhabi can enjoy dishes from some of the finest chefs from the MENA region and across the world as part of the celebratory event programme for Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025.

From the Flavours of 50 Best evening brunch to an extensive series of 50 Best Signature Sessions collaboration lunches and dinners, there is a feast of opportunities to taste the very best from 25-30 January.

Saturday 25 January

Flavours of 50 Best

Flavours of 50 Best
Saturday 25 January 2025
AED 595 per person, all inclusive
A trio of chefs behind some of the world's most exciting eateries and a leading bartender are joining forces for an exclusive evening brunch event at Graphos Social Kitchen in the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island hotel.

Expect culinary delights from chef Eduard Xatruch from Disfrutar (The World's Best Restaurant 2024), Gaggan Anand, whose Bangkok flagship was named The Best Restaurant in Asia a record four times, and Louisa Lim, Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2023. Dishes will be paired with cocktails from Raminta Ambroževičiūtė of LPM Dubai (No.76 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2024).
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25-30 January 2025

Signature Sessions

Jason Atherton, Row on 45 x Fouquet's
Lunch, Sunday 26 January 2025
AED 595
Acclaimed British chef Jason Atherton kicks off the series with a special Sunday lunch at Fouquet’s, located in the stunning surrounds of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Atherton will present signatures from his rising-star restaurant, Row on 45 in Dubai, to complement Fouquet’s premium French brasserie dishes courtesy of chef de cuisine Balveer Balkissoon and team.
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Hélène Darroze, La Grande Table Marocaine x Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard
Dinner, Sunday 26 January 2025
AED 700, with optional wine pairing at an additional AED 350
Hélène Darroze is a former holder of The World’s Best Female Chef title whose London restaurant holds a coveted three Michelin stars. She also oversees La Grande Table Marocaine in Marrakech, named The Best Restaurant in Morocco 2024. Darroze and her team will bring Moroccan haute cuisine to the Shangri-La’s own French flagship, Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard, for a feast of international gastronomy.
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Sara Aqel, Dara Dining x Ryba
Dinner, Sunday 26 January 2025
AED 495
Sara Aqel made a name for herself in the UAE, before opening her own highly acclaimed restaurant, Dara Dining by Sara Aqel, in Amman, Jordan. Expect Mediterranean-influenced dishes using locally sourced ingredients from this leading female chef, who is excited to work with Emirati favourite Faisal Alharmoodi at Ryba, one of Abu Dhabi’s most forward-thinking independent restaurants.
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Norbert Niederkofler, Atelier Moessmer x Talea by Antonio Guida
Dinner, Sunday 26 January 2025
AED 750, with optional wine pairing at an additional AED 450
Chef Norbert Niederkofler recently relocated his restaurant to a new home in Brunico, northern Italy, but his philosophy of ‘cooking the mountain’ remains intact at Atelier Moessmer (No.52 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants extended list). An all-Italian collaboration with the team from Michelin-starred Talea by Antonio Guida, led by chef Luigi Stinga, is not to be missed.
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Goh Fukuyama, Goh x Strawfire
Dinner, Monday 27 January 2025
AED 750, with optional wine pairing at an additional AED 450
The popular Takeshi ‘Goh’ Fukuyama runs the single-table Goh in Fukuoka, Japan – a fixture on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Australian chef Ross Shonhan recently opened Strawfire – celebrating the Japanese tradition of ‘warayaki’, where ingredients are cooked over straw-fired flames – at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. The pair come together for a stunning feast for the senses.
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Fayçal Bettioui, Table 3 x Butcher & Still
Dinner, Monday 27 January 2025
AED 640
The Four Seasons on Al Maryah Island hosts a culinary culture clash for the ages, as French-Moroccan fine dining meets 1920s-style Chicago steakhouse. Table 3 is the new restaurant in Casablanca from chef Fayçal Bettioui that is wowing diners in Morocco. Bettioui will work alongside Butcher & Still’s charismatic chef Marshall Röth and team to offer tasting menu and a la carte options.
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José Avillez, Belcanto x Catch at St. Regis
Dinner, Wednesday 29 January 2025
AED 500, with optional wine pairing at an additional AED 150
José Avillez is arguably Portugal’s most famous culinary son, with his flagship eatery, Belcanto, a regular on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. He cooks in Abu Dhabi for the first time at Catch at St Regis – a match made in seafood heaven. Alongside Catch chef Kessav Kutwaroo, Avillez will present a six-course fish-focused tasting menu for one night only.
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Eddie Castro & Kenji Sarco, Kuuru x Oak Room
Dinner, Wednesday 29 January 2025
AED 445
Kuuru, located in the coastal Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, is one of the region’s prime proponents of nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) cuisine. Executive chefs Eddie Castro and Kenji Sarco bring Kuuru’s fresh seafood vibes to the Edition’s wood-panelled Oak Room, where chef Fernando Tapia and team work their magic. The result will be a luxury surf and turf extravaganza.
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Mostafa Seif, Khufu's x MouzMari
Dinner, Thursday 30 January 2025
Coming soon
At Khufu’s, in the shadow of Pyramids, Chef Mostafa Seif reinterprets ancient Egyptian cuisine to stunning effect. He presents his contemporary take on classic dishes at MouzMari, which itself blends elements of Emirati and Argentinian culinary culture under the expert guidance of Chef Sergio Cabrera. The Middle East meets South America on the Abu Dhabi waterfront at this one-night-only occasion.
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Patricia Roig, Boca x Paradiso
Dinner, Thursday 30 January 2025
AED 450
Spanish-flavoured Boca meets Italian-accented Paradiso for a Mediterranean match-up with sustainability to the fore. Boca’s head chef Patricia Roig joins forces with Paradiso culinary director Balveer Balkissoon to create an impeccably sourced but fun-filled dinner to round off the 50 Best Signature Sessions series in Abu Dhabi.
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