Get on the bandwagon, we’ve got trends to spot…
If you live in Dubai for any length of time, you learn to expect the unexpected. It’s a city that frequently finds itself at the serrated edge of exciting new fashions, and nowhere is it more visible than with dining trends.
These are just a few of the latest fads, fixtures, themes and memes we’re predicting will proliferate in 2026.
Find more 2026 Dubai dining trends below the gallery
Getting home by 11
3am finishes are so 2025
Handroll sushi
It’s on a bit of a roll at the moment
Steakhouse Burger
The smash has passed
African food
As seen in Savryn. Number one continent to watch in 2026
Protein maxxing
Essential for both elooks maxxing and aura maxxing
More Dubai Chocolate
You didn’t ask for it, but you’re going to get it.
Filippino food
As seen in Kooya. Expect more culinary excellence from this under represented hero cuisine
GLP-1 menus
More light bites please
Neapolitan pizza
It’s so back baby
Elevated shawarma
As seen in Jun’s. This regional classic is going bougie
Vieux Carree
An old school cocktail making a comeback
On trend…
Protein maxxing
From the generational slang that brought you ‘looks maxxing’ and ‘aura maxxing’ – protein maxxing is the culinary x fitness collaboration of the year so far. Piloted by creatine scene gym bros and the ‘big cottage cheese’ cabal, this trend is all about making the most of the key muscle amping macro. And it’s not just for home cooked meals, we’re seeing an increasing amount of menus that are doubling down on meat and fish infusions, offering explicit protein content upgrades and meal plans to get you no-shirt ready for your next Hyrox event.
Hands down favourite
Pioneered in the city by Alserkal Avenue’s house of edible artistry, Kokoru – handroll sushi, or ‘temaki’ is on something of a, ahem, roll at the moment. This delicately prepared Japanese statement dish requires the utensil-free manipulation of rice and nori alongside the usual sushi suspects. It’s an Osakan taco, a Sapporo sub – and it’s fast becoming Dubai’s favourite new modality of enhanced street food. You can also find it at the masterful new Tezukuri (from chef Neha and Panchali Mahendra); at the Dubai outpost of London’s Ram&Roll; and the well-worth-a-visit Reif Othman-led Yubi. We predict a bon continuation of this theme and why not? Let the good times roll.
Home by 11
Nothing good happens after 10. That is the millennial mantra that’s at the heart of this soiree curtailing trend. The movement calls for earlier seating times, music without autotune vocals and a change of comfortable shoes for the walk to the cab rank. It’s not a new demand, but it is one that’s received a lot of attention recently thanks to events like Please Leave By 10. This is a nightclub experience that invites revellers to go hard on the dancefloor. Up to a point. And that point is 10pm. Afterwards the lights come on to exaggerated yawns, tapped watch dials and early exits. That means you can get home, wrapped up in bed and fully rested for a 7am run along Kite Beach the next day.
The rise and rise of Filipino cuisine
It’s not easy to stand tall in the flavour field of East Asian cuisine. You have the culinary Leviathans of Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to compete with, all flexing their well-established and globally beloved food forms. But with a passionate community of ambassadors here in the UAE, and a fully-stocked larder of diverse island delicacies, the Philippines was always destined to break through the canopy and find its rightful place in the sun. And it’s impossible to talk about this manifested ascendency here without acknowledging the trail, blazed brightly, by chef JP and his eatery Kooya (new location in Market Island Food Hall, Dubai Festival City Mall). It wasn’t the first Filippino restaurant in Dubai, but it’s one that challenged assumptions, celebrated traditions, and embraced innovation. This trend entry also comes fresh off the back of the debut Michelin Guide for Manila and Environs & Cebu (announced in October 2025), and an increasing worldwide interest in archipelago’s unique blends of sweet, sour, salt, fat and spice. Balut might not catch on immediately but for the broader menu offerings, all we’re saying is… watch this space.
Shawarma drama
Elevated, swanky shawarma will be the next big thing, you mark our words. And when it does, remember that it all began with Mitzumami. We understand – gilding refined gold, painting the lily, charging Dhs30+ for what is traditionally an Dhs8 sandwich – but anyone that sampled their wood fired lamb in pita pockets will understand. It was ahead of its time, but it now appears that the slowly rotating meat baton has been passed. The kitchen at Jun’s – headed by the always creative, never less than brilliant, chef Kelvin Cheung – is now serving his own interpretation of the regional classic. Its components include slow cooked lamb neck, charred pineapple salsa macha xo, lemon labneh and Palestinian sumac. We can borderline guarantee this concept will be copied, pasted, and imitated (but never replicated) ad absurdum before the end of the year.
Time to call it a day
Older millennials may be calling time at 10pm, but the international assembly of gen-z is going even further. They’ve sanctioned a preference for starting their raves at 10am. And whilst all signs point to café clubbing culture likely hitting its foamy zenith in 2025 (with events like those hosted by @fredscoffeeparty), nothing stops the late corporate adopter iteration train. It’s for that reason, we’re going on record with a big call: 2026 will see even more matcha keggers, bakery blowouts, mocktail morning mash-ups, and sandwich shop shindigs. The coffee rave bus moves until the wheels fall off.
A lot at steak
The smash burger will never die, it’s a fashion-proof archetype – like Ford Mustangs, 501 jeans, and the music of Blink 182. But its omnipresence in Dubai’s gourmet burger joints has been at the expense of its thicker, juicer aunt patty. They’re big, they’re bold, they’re brick-thicc boys and by golly are steakhouse burgers sooooo back this season.
Table for GLP-1
Lite bites. Just what the doctor ordered. Especially if you’re on one of the increasingly prevalent GLP-1 receptor inhibitor medications. These, what are frequently referred to as ‘skinny jabs’, work by simulating the sensation of fullness, essentially cutting cravings and appeasing appetites, and have demonstrated to be highly effective in doing so. To, ahem, cater for the popularity of these medications some restaurants have been (ironically) indulging in some mid menu spread. Bulking out their ‘just nibbles’ and ‘bar bites’ offerings for the customers that just “aren’t feeling that hungry” for some reason. It’s a tapas revolution, by another name.
New ‘Dubai’ Chocolates
Stop it. We may not be able to see you, but we can still feel those eye rolls. We know, like us, you’re taking nothing away from the incredible achievements of Fix in putting Dubai front and centre on the confectionary GPS, but thanks to non domestic forces… It’s getting out of hand now. Every chocolate manufacturer from here to the Wonka’s fictional factory have got their own version of a ‘Dubai chocolate’ and if you think it’s a trend that’s going to end soon, you haven’t been paying attention. Kunafa, we’re afraid, is in for a rough ride of ‘reimagining’ and ‘redefining’ with as many flavours and collaborative brand crossovers as its deliciously flaked form can take.
African food finally getting the representation it deserves
We acknowledge that using ‘African’ as a grouping taxonomy for food is problematic. It’s the same as saying ‘European cuisine’ – it strangles nuance and obscures the merit of individual countries, cities and regions. We’re able to invoke it here because, unfortunately, culinary underrepresentation seems to be an African continent-wide theme in much of the world. There are some exceptions of course, Egyptian and Ethiopian restaurants have a reasonable foothold here for example; Kiza is a Pan African DIFC institution and has been around for over a decade; and brands like Tashas Group, The Meat Co, Nando’s, Tribes and Hyperama are proudly flying the flag for South Africa. That still leaves a lot of space for tongue-top tales from the hemisphere-straddling, 50+ countries of the mother continent. The good news is that signs seem to point to a gathering ground swell, and in a way that shows the versatility of dining experiences from across Africa. We’re seeing new examples of high end representation in places such as Marsa Al Arab’s The Cullinan, and the modern masterpiece that is Savryn. And for something, not new, but highly recommended for incredible food in an intimate setting, try the The ChopBelleFull Express (@thecbfexpress) supper club. Outstanding cuisine, creatively conceived and expertly delivered. More of this in 2026 please.
The Neapolitan Renaissance
If there was a zodiac of pizzas, 2024 and 2025 would have absolutely been the years of the New York slice (or the more inclusive, American style pizza). Allow us to present to the jury: Za Za Slice and Pull Me Pizza. In addition to that, we had the continued meteoric rise of Pitfire Pizza (not a traditional New York slice, but we’d argue certainly more ‘stars and stripes’ than *gestures intensely with tapered fist*). And Abu Dhabi import, Antonia, landed in Dubai and provided a strong use case for the Roman-style rectangle, pizza al taglio. But it feels like 2026 could the (re)dawning of the age of Neapolitan bases. Crispy air-pocket filled, age-fermented dough, quick-fired in an insanely hot oven, just like nonna used to make. Real ones know it never went away (we’re looking at you Blu Pizzeria, Luigia and L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele), but with recent additions like Falcone, Pizza Guys, and Naughty Pizza – it really feels like a chant of forza Napoli. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t but you can’t blame us for at least attempting to manifest the Italian way.
Old square, new square
Not technically a dining trend, but if we were to pick a cocktail to captain the 2026 line-up, it would be the recently resurgent, highly potent, New Orleanian special – Vieux Carré. This bougie blended beverage comes straight from the land of jazz and bayous, is composed of whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and two types of bitters. It’s like a mixological marriage between a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned – and it’s a sipper not a slurper. It’s giving Benoit Blanc, it’s giving ceiling fans and peanut bowls, syncopated piano medleys and creole stews on the stove. It’s giving 2026 sophisticated sip.
Images: What’s On/Instagram
