The factors for Dubai becoming a dazzling dining destination are its people, places, flavors and trends. This is something that has taken other places decades, Dubai achieved in record speed. And the food industry is certainly no exception.
In the past few years, hardworking F&B professionals and restaurateurs have been building a reputation for the city as one of the world’s most attractive gastronomic destinations, making it home to some of the world’s finest restaurants.
In the early 1990s, the opening of more and more five-star hotels was accompanied by an increasing number of upscale restaurants, bringing variety, diversity and quality to the city’s culinary offerings.
But it was in 2001, that the renowned British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay opened his first international restaurant at the Hilton Dubai Creek, that the city was placed emphatically on the global map.
Though Verre closed in 2011, Ramsay has returned to the city with Bread Street Kitchen, and his legacy continues to inspire a spate of top chefs from around the world to open restaurants in the city.
Due to growing needs of the industry, the first professional culinary institute – the International Centre for Culinary Arts – opened in 2005. Their director Mr. Sunjeh Raja is one of the most influential people in the industry, guiding new generations of chefs through his curriculum.
Certain areas in the newer part of town have emerged as culinary hotspots, offering a counterpoint to the atmospheric older parts of town such as Deira and Bur Dubai, including Downtown Dubai, DIFC, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residence and Jumeirah Lakes Towers (where many small independent restaurants can be found).
Today, as more innovative experiences, pop-ups, markets, and star chefs continue to make Dubai their home, things look set to only become bigger, better and tastier. Dubai is a foodie's paradise for all, right from celebrity chef restaurant to affordable eats.
Layering over this momentum, the growth in Dubai’s food scene has been at its most dynamic in the past five years or so, with seismic shifts taking place in the landscape and its offerings.
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