Ali Akawi

Each edition of the Gault&Millau UAE guide captures a moment in time. The 2026 guide does so with particular clarity. It reflects not only a dining scene that has grown in size, but one that has grown in confidence, ambition and maturity. With more than 200 restaurants featured for the first time, this is our most expansive guide to date. It speaks of a country no longer content to follow global dining trends, but increasingly intent on defining them.

There is great entertainment value in sport: from the thrill of competitive contests between people at the peak of their game, to the adrenaline-fuelled rollercoaster that comes with following your team or athlete, to feeling part of collective experiences that connect and uplift us. But more than that, engaging in purposeful physical activity has always felt to me like one of the simplest ways for us as human beings to feel good: to improve our wellbeing and grow in confidence and resilience.

The key takeaway is simple: extraordinary success comes from delivering extraordinary hospitality. While great hospitality can be found in abundance, extraordinary is a much rarer beast. One of the finest examples of this rare behaviour that I have experienced was here in the UAE, at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. At the time of making our reservation, the restaurant was informed of an allergy in our dining party.