Michelin Dubai 2026 keeps stars on four closed restaurants
Four one-star venues sit shut while Michelin Guide Dubai hands out new honours at Atlantis The Royal, and a prominent food writer wants to know why.
Michelin Guide Dubai 2026 handed its stars to 20 restaurants at Atlantis The Royal on 6 October — and kept four of those distinctions on restaurants that are currently closed.
The guide now lists 122 establishments across 38 cuisines, up from 119 last year, among them 22 Bib Gourmand picks and 80 Michelin Selected restaurants. FZN by Björn Frantzén and Tresind Studio held on to three stars each, the top tier reserved for Dubai’s most consistent kitchens. Every starred address is in our Michelin Guide Dubai 2026 full list, and our guide to what to eat in Dubai covers the city beyond the tasting menus.
Orfali Bros moved up from one star to two. Michelin described the Middle Eastern restaurant as evolving "from a brilliant neighbourhood bistro into a flagship of Middle Eastern gastronomy." Birch, led by chef Arslan Berdiev, and the Japanese fine-dining room Kigo each picked up their first star.
A star should mean a kitchen you can walk into tonight — not one you'll have to wait for.
Four closed kitchens keep their Michelin Dubai stars
Al Muntaha, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Ossiano and Smoked Room all carry one star in the new guide. All four are currently closed. Food writer Samantha Wood, founder of the site FooDiva, said at least ten closed restaurants appear across the guide’s various lists, and asked publicly why that is acceptable.
The irony sharpened at the awards themselves: Remy Marquignon of Ossiano won the Young Chef award for a restaurant that was not open on the night he collected it.
Michelin stands by its method
Michelin said it is "fully aware" that a number of restaurants are currently closed and that it is "monitoring closely" when they might reopen. The organisation added that each one will be re-evaluated by its inspectors once it is trading again, and that the current distinctions reflect its most recent assessments and regular inspection visits.
Elsewhere, the ceremony recognised Ninad Jani of Avatara for sommelier work, the team at Kigo for service, Zahra Erfanian Azmoodeh of Carbone Dubai for cocktails, and Gonzalo Platero and Window for opening of the year.
Michelin’s guides live on the premise that a star reflects a kitchen a diner can walk into tonight. Dubai’s 2026 edition tests how long that premise can stretch before the guide has to explain itself again.
