Orfali Bros rises to two Michelin stars in Dubai

Orfali Bros, the Dubai restaurant run by three Syrian brothers, has been promoted to two Michelin stars, up from one, in the fifth edition of the Michelin Guide Dubai.

Michelin unveiled the 2026 guide on October 6 at Atlantis The Royal, covering 122 restaurants across the emirate, according to Gulf News. Orfali Bros reached its first star in 2024, so the promotion arrives two years later.

The restaurant is run by brothers Mohammad, Wassim and Omar Orfali and serves contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine built on their Syrian roots, with Turkish and Armenian influences woven through the menu, according to Michelin's own description. One industry report called it the first Middle Eastern restaurant to reach the two-star tier anywhere in the world, a distinction not made in Michelin's own release.

Contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine built on Syrian roots, with Turkish and Armenian influences woven through the menu.

Orfali Bros two Michelin stars

Dubai's two three-star restaurants, Trèsind Studio and FZN by Björn Frantzén, kept their rank in the new guide, according to Khaleej Times. Orfali Bros joins three other restaurants on the two-star list: Il Ristorante-Niko Romito, Row on 45 and STAY by Yannick Alléno, all of which retained their two stars.

The guide also added two new one-star restaurants, Birch and KIGO, bringing the one-star count to 14, according to Gulf News. The full 2026 selection lists 22 Bib Gourmand addresses and 80 Michelin Selected restaurants across the emirate.

A guide published amid some closures

Michelin's Dubai selection this year also includes several restaurants that are temporarily closed, among them Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Ossiano and Smoked Room, according to Semafor. Michelin has said it is aware of the closures and reviews restaurants on their standing at the time of inspection rather than at publication.

Orfali Bros was not among the restaurants reported closed. The brothers opened their first restaurant in Dubai's Al Safa neighbourhood in 2018, building on a catering and food-truck business, before the one-star award put the kitchen on Michelin's radar. More detail on the full Dubai selection is in Amuse's guide to every star in the 2026 edition.