Knives and forks at the ready! The ultimate food fiesta is back to stuff Dubaiites into a proper food coma. The Dubai Food Festival (DFF) has resurfaced for 2024 and the culinary carnival is doing big things! Besides fan-favourite events that are staples at the festival, such as the Etisalat Beach Canteen and Dubai Restaurant Week, there are fresh and fabulous deals you want to scoop up.
Until May 12, you can explore an array of foodie experiences from discovering new fine dining restaurants without breaking the bank to checking out street food hidden gems that have flown under the radar. Below’s a detailed breakdown of how to maximise your Dubai Food Festival experience and everything that’s on offer.
1. 10 Dirham Dishes
This clever foodie deal is fan-favourite and always gets a 10/10 from us. A string of eateries around the city have priced select dishes on their menu for just AED10 because good food shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, whether that’s two whole scoops of creamy gelato from Gelato Divino, Lola Taberna‘s cheese and spinach croquettes to snack on or make a meal of it with Khyber‘s filling Tanzanian mutton cooked with butter. From Deira to Dubai Marina, there’s a steal-of-a-meal deal waiting for you. Click here for the full list
2. Etisalat by e& Beach Canteen
This iconic dining pop-up has been a showstopper of Dubai’s food scene and it’s making a grand return on April 25. Jumeirah Beach comes alive with a slew of food trucks, live entertainment and workshops. Find more information here.
3. Dubai Restaurant Week
From April 26 to May 12, your tastebuds can test drive the signature dishes of some of over 50 of Dubai’s high-end restaurants as part of Dubai Restaurant Week. A mix of new launches and veteran eateries will serve 2-course lunches for AED 125 and 3-course dinners for AED 250 per person. You’ll eat at places such as Michelin-selected hotspots like Al Khaima, LOWE Brasserie Boulud and gorge on varied cuisines, from Asian fusion to Arabic, European and international. Click here for the full list of restaurants.
4. Masterclass, food tours, unique dinners and kids’ events
The gourmet delights continue with the DFF’s Foodie Experiences, which include masterclasses, chef’s tables, food tours and more. Each week, Foodie Experiences focuses on a specific theme. Until April 26, it’s fine dining experiences such as private dining at Belcanto, Dubai Opera. From April 27 -May 4, it’s all about loving your family with kids and family-friendly activities. Think Korean gimbap-making classes for kids at Hoe Lee Kow and Chef Haya’s Palestinian food tour through Karama and Deira. The experiences from May 5-12 are directed at couples and friends with a four-hands dinner by Mohamad Orfali X Tristan Farmer at Orfali Bros. Bistro, a four-hands dinner at Moonrise, Girl and the Goose supper club at Couqley and more. Find the full list here along with prices.
5. Chef’s Menu
This new addition to the Dubai Food Festival runs from May 1-12. Watch master chefs at work up close and enjoy special curated five-course menus centred around each restaurant’s best-selling dishes. These interactive and intimate dining experiences will let you meet some of Dubai’s culinary rockstars. Celebrity chef Alvin Leung at Demon Duck, Hakkasan’s Chef Andy Toh, and Chef Himanshu Saini at Tresind Studio are just a handful of names participating. Find details here.