Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Chef Darren Velvick flies the flag for modern British cooking at this relaxed restaurant with an open kitchen and spacious terrace overlooking the lights…
Must-see restaurants in Middle East
Jerusalem
Ishtabach, like other places on this bustling street on Mahane Yehuda's outskirts, is a crowded, hip and lively nighttime spot, but nowhere else offers…
Abu Dhabi
Despite the mall location this is a classy, dim-lit joint that takes the flavours of the subcontinent and adds contemporary tweaks. Get stuck into masala…
Doha
Glorious views of the city's modern skyline from a pretty, calm spot in the park. Tables and chairs are positioned on a patio opposite the bay, with…
Downtown Dubai
Italy's popular shop-cum-cafe has landed in Dubai Mall, bringing artisanal morsels from around the Boot to discerning palates. Stock up on pesto from…
Deira
Take in the skyline on this moving feast aboard a traditional wooden dhow (cargo boat) decorated with bands of twinkling lights. Soulful Arabic song…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
The summit of Japanese cuisine in Abu Dhabi. Book ahead to enjoy the superb sushi and sashimi, the signature miso-marinated black cod or a hunk of meat…
Downtown Dubai
With its live cooking stations, open kitchens, fruit-filled baskets, colourful lanterns and graffiti-covered steel shutters, Zaroob radiates the urban…
Al Bateen & Al Mushrif
Named after the degree of 'lean' in Abu Dhabi's famous Capital Gate skyscraper, in which it's situated, this restaurant takes inspiration from the cookery…
Amman
In a city with limited health food and gluten-free options, Seed is a quaint oasis offering fruit and vegetable smoothies, salads, soups, sandwiches and a…
Doha
One of the most atmospheric places to eat in Souq Waqif, with blue chairs, flowery upholstery and historic scenes of Damascus on screens, Damasca One…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
Clear your calendar on Friday. The Four Seasons' breakfast spot is one of Abu Dhabi's most social, indulgent Friday brunch extravaganzas. The brunch…
Al Bateen & Al Mushrif
The United Arab Emirates is made up of a mere 10% Emiratis, and we'll be damned if you don't find nearly all of them sipping tea and savouring the…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
High-class Levantine dining with tweaks on classics of the cuisine, five varieties of hummus and – rejoice fellow kibbeh fans – 10 varieties of kibbeh …
Tel Aviv
Popular with locals of every age and style, this exuberant corner restaurant in the Levinsk Spice Market precinct is busy every night, but is absolutely…
Amman
A self-styled gastropub, this restaurant-lounge is a lovely place for a splurge. While you can eat inside, the treat here is the rooftop terrace, with…
Downtown Dubai
The family that introduced Italian ice cream to the UK in 1907 now also serves their wonderfully creamy flavours to gelato fans in Dubai. Order just a…
Iran
An historic yet fair-value place to break the Tehran–Semnam journey, this sizeable Safavid-era caravanserai was built in 1570 but has been thoroughly…
Abu Dhabi
They had us at the hammocks. We love this easy-breezy beach restaurant-bar with swings at the bar, hammocks and wood deck scattered with floor cushions…
Beirut
Mezyan is a Hamra institution. This restaurant-bar has occupied a few locations over the years, serving small plates of Lebanese, Syrian and Armenian…
Amman
A busy cafe-restaurant that just keeps the right side of hipster-dom with a popular Jordanian meat-free menu. The flatbreads piled high with herb, cheese…
Marina Breakwater
With a patio overlooking the Gulf, hospitable staff and a delicious seafood-focused blend of regional and international cuisine, it's not surprising…
Bur Dubai
Elia's chef is from Crete, and it certainly shows in the heartwarming dishes, which are a combination of homey traditional, like moussaka, with…
Downtown Dubai
New Zealander Leon Surynt works directly with cocoa bean farmers, ensuring sustainability and fairness. There is a similar vision behind the menu, with…
Bur Dubai
Jains run this super-friendly, super-healthy, vegetarian Indian restaurant serving 'body-harmonising' sattvic food that uses only fresh, seasonal and…
Bethlehem
Set in the grounds of the Hosh Al Syrian Guesthouse, the Fadwa Cafe & Restaurant is where chef Fadi Kattan cooks up sensational Franco-Palestinian fusion…
Upper Galilee & Golan
Authentic Lebanese offerings include eight kinds of hummus, stuffed grape leaves, grilled meats, shishbarak (meat dumplings in yoghurt sauce) and sheikh…
Golan Heights
Endowed with a circular wooden bar and panoramic windows, this popular pub-restaurant serves Golan-raised steaks, hamburgers, chicken, fish, salads,…
Haifa
Part Lebanese restaurant, part French-inspired coffee den with a hippie ethos, this eatery in the German Colony is original and genuinely friendly…
Tel Aviv
Vitrina is the Hebrew term for a glass-fronted display case, the kind of mouthwatering window that taunts delicatessen-goers with views of edible treats…
Marina Breakwater
Quite the contrast to the marble-gold-overload of the rest of the Emirates Palace, Sayad serves the city's finest seafood in a striking aquamarine setting…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Back in 1930s Milan, Beatrice 'Bice' Ruggeri first opened her trattoria, which evolved into the city's most fashionable by the 1970s. Today Dubai's BiCE…
Beirut
Beirutis have strong, often divisive opinions about where to find the best in class of any food group, so it means all the more that Sahyoun is widely…
Jerusalem
Sandstone arches and stone-framed windows establish a worldly tone at Angelica, but the menu is sheer invention. Appetisers marry a medley of cuisines:…
Lower Galilee
Widely acclaimed as Beit She'an's best place to eat. Excellent shish kebab is served with freshly baked laffa (flat pita) and is preceded by 18 super…
Sea of Galilee
This homey meat restaurant – the name is a contraction of 'moshav' and 'kibbutz' – is renowned for its fabulous Golan-raised steaks, juicy burgers and…
Jerusalem
Kibbeh, kibbeh and more kibbeh. Traditionally this Iraqi-Kurdidsh soup is made from beets, tomatoes, carrots and doughy balls stuffed with ground beef,…
Dubai
Maisan15 is an under-the-radar pick for deceptively decent seasonal food and locally roasted coffee. Open shelving, wooden pulley-systems and glass jars…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Richard Sandoval, the man who introduced modern Mexican food to the US, is behind the menu at this casual-chic restaurant with its contemporary take on…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Vibrantly coloured murals, a wall of wrestling masks and a Mexican chef: Luchador feels like an authentic south-of-the-border cantina. The menu is…
