The Game Changers: UAE’s Culinary Disruptors

In an industry as ever-growing and ever-evolving as Dubai’s, food is never just a meal. It’s a movement–born from reinvention, disruption, and the audacity to create something new. These game changers are the pioneers of that wave, reshaping taste, culture, and community, and proving that the region can build its own table — rooted in Dubai, reaching the world.

Chef Himanshu Saini of Trèsind 

Chef Himanshu Saini’s first stint at culinary school was in his grandmother’s kitchen, in the charming by-lanes of Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi. In Dubai — a city he has called home for over a decade — Saini bet on himself, and Trèsind became the proof: an Indian fine-dining brand that helped put the city on the global gastronomic map. 

The accolades are massive and many: MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants, World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and the crown jewel — the world’s first and only three-MICHELIN-starred Indian restaurant, Trèsind Studio. Yet at the core of it all is Saini’s unwavering drive to honor the very best of India’s rich grassroots. 

Steve Flawith of Yolk Brands 

People rarely put “fresh” and “fast” in the same sentence, but British expat Steve Flawith has torched that notion. The brains behind Pickl, Dubai’s award-winning homegrown burger brand, opened his first resonto the scene in 2019 and hasn’t slowed since. The aim was simple: to create a brand of speedy dining that not only honours the comfort classics we all know and love, but does so with consciousness by using quality ingredients. Today, Pickl is part of Yolk Brands alongside BonBird and 1762, and together the trio is redefining fast-casual dining across the Middle East and Asia. 

Omar Shihab of Boca 

Omar Shihab’s earliest brush with food found in nature was after his move from Jordan to Dubai, when, as a child, he dug for clams on the beaches of Ras Al Khaimah and picked out wild greens among desert dunes. Years later, while working as a hospitality consultant in the early 2010s, Shihab recognized what was missing: voices from here, mapping the UAE’s unique landscape. And so BOCA was born. Spanish at its core, the restaurant has become a pioneer of sustainable dining in the region — celebrating local catch, small-scale farms, homegrown dairy, and a coastline that has fed its communities long before Dubai became a landmark.

Nicky Ramchandani of Neighbourhood Food Hall and Steetery

Long before food halls became the city’s trend, there was Streetery – Dubai’s first Asian food hall concept, launched in 2019 by Nicky Ramchandani. Then came Neighbourhood Food Hall, and the ethos across both the concepts has always remained constant – championing a curated rotation of owner-driven, homegrown concepts,  spanning many cuisines, in the most accessible, community-centric format of them all – the food court. Ramchandani first launched Zen, an Asian concept he steered through the pandemic, and food halls became the natural next step. What followed wasn’t just expansion — it was a movement: a welcoming playground for every taste, preference, and demographic.

Chef Salam Daqqaq of Bait Maryam and Sufret Maryam

Chef Salam Daqqaq’s Bait Maryam was born as a tender tribute – bait meaning home, and Maryam, her mother’s name – and quickly became a sort of refuge for the ever-growing expat community of Dubai, simply because it felt like a piece of home. Rooted in her Palestinian heritage, Daqqaq serves up a kaleidoscope of Levantine flavours at Bait and Sufret Maryam, the fine-dining sister of the original concept, with the sort of maternal touch that satiates not just your appetite for good food, but also that feeling of belonging. This is a family-run operation and reaffirms that simple food, made with heart and honesty, is all we really need. 

Stasha Toncev of 21grams Balkan Bistro

Harbouring a deep love for her Balkan heritage, Stasha Toncev left behind big-name hospitality brands to create 21grams, a slice of her Serbian roots she was eager to share with the culinary community of Dubai. A humble bistro located in an assuming corner of the city, 21grams is all about ‘soul food’, a play on a 1907 experiment that claimed the weight of the human soul is 21 grams. Under the watchful eye of Toncev, the concept has grown into something of the city’s sweetheart, a regular on the MICHELIN guide and MENA’s 50 Best lists, a bit of a legend, a bit of an icon and somehow still gracefully subtle – a public haunt of the chefs and restaurateurs of Dubai who feed us regular folk.

Chefs Mohammad, Wassim and Omar of Orfali Bros and Three Bros

Three brothers, one unpretentious, colourful concept to reckon with. Hailing from Aleppo, Syria, the Orfali Brothers find their chops in real, third-culture dining, mixing their Syrian roots with anything and everything they like to eat, from pan-regional favourites to European staples and Asian ingredients, because in their own words, “rules are meant to be broken.” The Orfali brand has grown with leaps and bounds, now pushing two concepts, Three Bros being the newest one, but the legend of the trio remains constant in the regional culinary community, what with the accolades like the MICHELIN Guide, MENA’s 50 Best and World’s 50 Best putting the city on the world stage. Texture, flavour, vision – all meant to be played with. 

Dan Wanies and Fikry ‘Fix’ Boutros of CarniStore 

Two engineers: Dan Wanies and Fikry ‘Fix’ Boutros, with a passion for all things meat, got together and this homegrown butcher and smokehouse was born. CarniStore delivers premium cuts, sides and accompaniments to your doorstep, but it’s more than just about meat supply. It’s about helping people understand the importance of high-quality butchery and ethically-sourced meats. The pair have grown the brand from a small online store to a name that other chefs and restaurateurs are turning to for their own operations – when the community backs you, you know you’re doing something right. 

Zahra Erfanian Azmoodeh of Atlantis The Royal

A woman behind the bar is a rare sight, but Zahra Erfanian Azmoodeh is paving the way for that to change soon. Mixologist at Atlantis The Royal and currently shaking and stirring up a storm at the brand new Carbone, Azmoodeh went from barista to bartender to one of the top female mixologists in the UAE, inspiring women to step into an industry thus far dominated by men. With many accolades to her name, Azmoodeh moves with quiet technical precision, mentoring others and raising the bar for women across the industry. 

Al Ijaza Cafeteria

Not much is known about the person who opened Al Ijaza Cafeteria, but one thing is certain – it changed the trajectory of cafeteria dining in Dubai. Serving up zinger sandwiches and Abood juices since 1990, the humble outlet perched on a corner of Kite Beach occupies a fond space in the memories of many a Dubai kid and the cultural legacy of the city, so much so that even His Highness Sheikh Hamdan has paid a visit. The spot remains exactly the same to this day, complete with the shaded seating and the laminated menu, and is a reminder that no matter how many splashy, expensive restaurants fill the lanes of Dubai, cafeteria dining will always hold its weight.