Complete guide to Taste of Dubai, set to take place this weekend, from February 3 to 5
How to navigate, meet Michelin-starred chefs, eat UAE’s best food and more
The biggest food festival in Dubai is back. The first Taste of Dubai event post the pandemic, it promises to be a culinary adventure with Michelin-starred chefs, global cuisines, activities and cooking classes.
With just two days to go until Taste of Dubai in Partnership with Philips opens at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, thousands of gourmands and the F&B industry in the country are gearing up to attend the mega food festival.
During the three-day event, more than 15,000 foodies are expected to attend.
International food festival in Dubai
Taste Festivals is a global brand that was founded with the London edition in 2004. Since then, it has been hosted across 15 cities, including their editions in Dubai.
“Over the years, Taste of Dubai has come to be known as the city’s number one food, drink and music festival. This year marks the first return of the event since the pandemic, as well as the event’s relaunch into a new era of Taste, as MENA Live Events comes in as the new organisers of the event. We are thrilled to be relaunching the event and have lots of surprises in store for previous Taste-goers to experience,” said Maddy Spicer, marketing director at MENA Live Events.
Over the years, Taste of Dubai has come to be known as the city’s number one food, drink and music festival. This year marks the first return of the event since the pandemic, as well as the event’s relaunch into a new era of Taste, as MENA Live Events comes in as the new organisers of the event. We are thrilled to be relaunching the event and have lots of surprises in store for previous Taste-goers to experience.
Dishes created especially for Taste of Dubai
One of the main attractions at the food festival, are the pop-up restaurants, selected from the newly released Michelin Guide Dubai. Each restaurant will serve a 3-dish menu exclusively created for Taste of Dubai. The dishes are taster-sized portions – allowing attendees to try a range of the UAE’s best cuisines, all in one place.
“At this year’s edition we are really bringing the festival back to its roots as a celebration of gourmet foods, accessible for all to enjoy. We’ve selected …the best restaurants in Dubai to participate, including multiple Michelin-recognised names, and they’ve designed exclusive dishes just for the event, in addition to their staple signature menu items. This is the best restaurant line-up in Taste history, and we can’t wait for our guests to enjoy,” Spicer said.
Speaking about the overall experience the event is set to bring, Spicer added: “We have focused heavily this year on the atmosphere and look and feel of the festival. This means an elevated experience in all details big and small, including pockets of music throughout, a re-imagined kids zone, and of course instagrammable moments throughout!”
Participating restaurants
The list of restaurants includes eateries featuring different global cuisine. From traditional British dishes to Japanese classics, foodies will find everything they are craving during the event.
Here is a list of confirmed restaurants participating:
1. 11 Woodfire
2. Akira Back
3. Torno Subito
4. Carnival
5. LOWE
6. Shang Palace
7. Sucre
8. Fi’lia
9. Brasserie Boulud
10. INDYA
11. Rhodes W1
12. Bushra by Buddha-bar
13. Goldchix by Goldfish
14. The Nine
15. Reif
Chefs
From celebrity chefs to chefs who have worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, the Taste of Dubai line-up is bringing well-known names to the event.
Here is a list of the chefs, who are part of the food festival:
Akira Back - Michelin Star award-winning chef who specialises in Japanese cuisine with a Korean touch
Akmal Anuar - Chef-cum-owner of 11 Woodfire in Dubai, which has one Michelin Star
Ali Shiddique Samsi - Head Chef at Michelin Green Star restaurant LOWE
Andrew Dickens – An outdoor cooking and barbecue expert
Big Zuu - British television personality, chef, rapper and DJ
Christos Lymperis - Executive Resident Chef at the Waterfront Market
Daniel Boulud – Michelin-starred chef who specialises in French cooking
Eric Lanlard - French patissier, Instagram star and celebrity chef
Hattem Mattar – UAE-based founder of The Mattar Farm Smokehouse, Dubai’s first and only artisan smokehouse
Himanshu Saini – Chef at Tresind Studio, Michelin-starred restaurant
Jason Atherton - English Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur
Jenny Morris - Celebrity chef and radio personality from South Africa
Joe Barza – Celebrity chef known for his expertise in Lebanese cuisine
John Torode - Australian-British celebrity chef and TV presenter
Massimo Bottura - Italian restaurateur and the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a three Michelin-star restaurant in Italy
Nicolas Lemoyne – Chef responsible for the kitchen of Dubai’s Brasserie Boulud
Reif Othman - Chef and restaurateur from Singapore, who specialises in Japanese food and owns Michelin-recognised eateries.
Russell Impiazzi – Executive chef at the Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk
Sara Aqel - Palestinian Global Executive Chef of Fi’lia in Dubai
Tom Aviv - Israeli chef known for having won the 2016 edition of Israel's MasterChef competition
For more information on all the chefs featured at Taste of Dubai, visit their website. Check out 'food' on gulfnews.com to get some exclusive recipes and food guides from these top chefs.
Visit the Gulf News stand!
Gulf News is media partner with Taste of Dubai this year. The stand will be located right next to the Philips Cook School and you can get some exciting offers and takeaways from the media house there. Do visit!
Free masterclasses
Foodies can learn to cook from the top chefs at the Philips Cook School during the festival weekend, along with the Kibsons Mystery Box Challenge and the Waterfront Market BBQ School. Learn from your favourite chefs at Taste’s first ever barbeque school, or try your hand at pasta, coffee and mixology masterclasses. Looking for the perfect Instagram shot? Try out the food styling and photography workshops.
Taking place over three days, this first-come, first-serve basis opportunity could see you brushing shoulders with the likes of patisserie expert Eric Lanlard, renowned French cuisine master Daniel Boulud, Italian chef Massimo Bottura and Jenny Morris from South Africa.
Sign up to these classes is open for one hour before the start of the class. For the full schedule for each masterclass, visit the Taste of Dubai website and click the schedule tab in each section.
Taste the music
No festival is complete without music. Taste of Dubai will feature a wide range of entertainment to keep you dancing into the evening – the music will range from acoustic performances to lively DJs sets.
Visitors can see performances by the live band Truly Medley Deeply, Piano Man – a pianist with over 16 years of experience, international DJS such as Adam J, Natalie Brogan, DJ Sheps, DJ Beth and more.
Taste Artisan Village
Looking to buy delicacies to enjoy at home? Attendees can get the best of local food, drinks and lifestyle artisan producers in the Taste Artisan Village to stock up your kitchen.
Tickets
The standard ticket gives visitors a single day entry at Dh75. The “Taster” ticket gives visitors a single day entry, 2 food and 2 drinks vouchers at Dh165.
The VIP ticket gives attendees a single day entry, 3 food and 3 drinks vouchers, and VIP lounge access at Dh250.
Ultimate Weekend Package includes 3-day entry, 10 food and 10 drinks vouchers, VIP lounge access, valid for 1 person only at Dh650.
The Taste of Dubai team encourages visitors to get their tickets in pairs as they come at a discounted price.
A pair of standard tickets for a single day entry are for Dh140. You can get 2 “Taster” tickets for Dh300 and two VIP tickets come at a price of Dh450.
More information can also be found on the Taste of Dubai website while tickets can be purchased on Platinumlist.net.
Navigation and using the ‘Digital guidebook’
A digital guidebook for the festival was launched to make the visit for the attendees seamless and help them take advantage of all the experiences. Easily accessible on your mobile, guests can find all the latest information and details on the festival, from timetables, classes, location map and more.
The layout of the venue is also going to be a new experience for the attendees.
“In previous years there had been a main stage set-up, however we felt that there is so much of the festival to enjoy, that not one part should be the ‘main’ part. We’ve carefully designed the layout this year to be full of restaurants, exhibitors and experience throughout, with music placed all around the venue instead of in one central place. This means you can walk around and enjoy different music throughout the day,” said Spicer.