The ceremony takes place at Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental, with a menu created by world-famous chefs.
MICHELIN loves the UAE, and we love MICHELIN. The launch date for the third MICHELIN Guide Abu Dhabi has been confirmed for Thursday, 23 October 2025, at the glamorous Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental. The announcement comes after the recent MICHELIN Guide Dubai announcement, which saw 19 restaurants in the city awarded MICHELIN Stars.
The special event will feature a culinary showcase from several guest venues, who will present their innovative gastronomic creations.
Who were last year’s recipients
The restaurants awarded one MICHELIN Star in the 2024 Guide were 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant, Erth Restaurant, Hakkasan Abu Dhabi and Talea by Antonio Guida. There were no two or three-star recipients.
The Bib Gourmand category is a distinction awarded to establishments that provide an excellent value-for-money three-course meal. Last year, the MICHELIN Guide Abu Dhabi Bib Gourmand selection featured Almayass, Al Mrzab, Beirut Sur Mer, Mika, Otoro, Ryba and Tazal.
The Welcome and Service Award was given to Mika, the Young Chef Award was presented to Yasmina Hayek from Em Sherif Sea Café, and the Opening of the Year Award was given to Faisal Mohamed Alharmoodi and the team at Ryba.
The MICHELIN guide selection includes Al Farah, Al Mrzab, Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard, Broadway, Butcher & Still, Byblos Sur Mer, Cafe James, Café Milano, Catch at St. Regis, Cipriani, COYA Abu Dhabi, Dai Pai Dong, Em Sherif Sea Café, Finz, Fishmarket, Fouquet’s Abu Dhabi, Grand Beirut, Hoi An, José by Pizarro, Kopitiam by Chandy’s, Les Dangereux, Li Beirut, Li Jiang, La Petite Maison Abu Dhabi, Market Kitchen, Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi, Maté, MAZI, Meylas, Mijana, Moksh, Namak, NIRI Restaurant & Bar, Oak Room, Oii, Paradiso, Punjab Grill, Ray’s Grill, Shang Palace, Silk & Spice, Tean, Villa Toscana, Yadoo’s House, and Zuma.
What is the MICHELIN Guide?
The MICHELIN Guide has been published since 1933 and is seen as the Oscars of the food industry. The guide already covers 36 destinations across North America, South America, Asia Pacific and Europe, and now the Middle East can be added to that list. The countries with the most MICHELIN-starred restaurants are France and Japan.
Currently, only 138 restaurants worldwide hold three Michelin Stars, and France and Japan are the countries with the most Michelin-starred restaurants.
How restaurants receive a MICHELIN Star
MICHELIN inspectors have been eating their way through Abu Dhabi’s restaurants – albeit anonymously. For restaurants to be awarded a star, they must meet specific criteria: the quality of the ingredients, mastery of cooking, harmony of flavours, personality of the chef through the cuisine, and consistency over time as well as across the entire menu.
If the process is perplexing, we’re here to break it down: one MICHELIN star is awarded to restaurants for high-quality cooking that is worth a stop; two MICHELIN Stars for excellent cooking that is worth a detour; and three MICHELIN Stars for exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.
Stars aren’t for life – gaining or losing one can have a significant impact on a restaurant’s reputation, making it into the foodie news and bruising a chef’s ego. We look forward to seeing how the MICHELIN Guide impacts Abu Dhabi’s dining scene and who else will be added to the illustrious list in the future.
As the guide evolves, it will be interesting to see which restaurants become recipients of new stars and which could perhaps lose stars. We also expect to see a lot of movement in the Bib Gourmand Awards.
We already know that Abu Dhabi is a city packed with world-class restaurants, but we cannot wait to see which ones have received the MICHELIN seal of approval.
GO: Visit www.michelin.com for more information.