The region’s top F&B leaders gathered last night to The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai to celebrate the Middle East’s top restaurants and chefs at the tenth annual BBC Good Food Middle East Magazine Awards.
Celebrating a decade of success at the annual ceremony, the awards are designed to honour the best restaurants in the UAE, as well as bringing a range of outlets in Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The BBC Good Food Middle East Magazine Awards give restaurants and hotels the consumer stamp of approval, as they are voted for by our readers.
This year, more than 60,000 votes were cast across 50 categories.
One of the most prestigious awards of the evening, the BBC Good Food Middle East Chef of the Year, was won by Hell’s Kitchen’s Craig Best.
Craig was crowned the champion after taking part in a well-fought battle between four of Dubai’s top chefs earlier this month. The four chefs were tasked with creating a three-course menu using ingredients from a mystery box, provided by Bord Bia.
Much to the surprise of the chefs, no meat was included in the box and the chefs were tasked with working with various types of freshly sourced Irish fish – including brown crab, oysters and salmon.
In the restaurant space, the two most sought-after awards of the evening – Restaurant of the Year for Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the Northern Emirates, were won by Marco Pierre Steakhouse and Grill at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, and OPA at Fairmont Dubai.
The full list of winners can be found below:
| Category | Winner |
| Beach Club | Blue Marlin Ibiza |
| Staycation Experience – Bahrain | Movenpick Hotel Bahrain |
| Staycation Experience – Kuwait | Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya |
| Staycation Experience | Caesars Bluewaters Dubai |
| Grocery Delivery Service | Kibsons |
| Breakfast Restaurant | Eat Well Restaurant and Bistro |
| Café | Jones The Grocer |
| Healthy Eating Restaurant | ONO Poke |
| Casual Dining Restaurant | Great British Restaurant (GBR) |
| Afternoon Tea | Al Bayt |
| Homegrown Restaurant | Tresind Studio |
| Happy Hour | Cho Gao |
| Ladies Night | The Penthouse |
| Pub Food | BFF |
| Party Brunch | Yalumba |
| Casual Brunch | The Collective By Market Café |
| Family Brunch | City Brunch at The Market |
| Fine Dining Brunch | The Loft at Dubai Opera |
| British Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill |
| British Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | Hell’s Kitchen Dubai |
| Americas & Caribbean Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | El Sombrero |
| Americas & Caribbean Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | LIMA Dubai |
| French Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Bord Eau |
| French Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | La Cantine Du Faubourg |
| Italian Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Roberto’s Abu Dhabi |
| Italian Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | Splendido Social Bar and Kitchen |
| Japanese Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Tori No Su |
| Japanese Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | Nobu |
| Indian Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | India Palace |
| Indian Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | MASTI |
| Middle Eastern Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Mosaic |
| Middle Eastern Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | NINIVE |
| Pan Asian Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Hakkasan Abu Dhabi |
| Pan Asian Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | Maiden Shanghai |
| Mediterranean Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Bravo |
| Mediterranean Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | OPA |
| Thai Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Pachaylen |
| Thai Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | Thiptara |
| Meat Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | JW Steakhouse |
| Meat Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | Prime68 |
| Fine Dining Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Villa Toscana |
| Fine Dining Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | TOMO |
| New Restaurant – Abu Dhabi | Buddha-Bar Beach |
| New Restaurant – Dubai & Northern Emirates | Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra |
| Restaurant of The Year – Bahrain | Rasoi by Vineet |
| Restaurant of The Year – Oman | Sultanah Restaurant |
| Restaurant of The Year – Saudi Arabia | Hong Restaurant |
| Chef of The Year | Craig Best |
| Restaurant of The Year – Abu Dhabi | Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill |
| Restaurant of The Year – Dubai & Northern Emirates | OPA |
Congratulations to all of our 2019 winners! To see the gallery from the evening, and find out more information on the 2020 awards, click here.
