6 Best Restaurants in Dubai Hills (and the Ones to Watch).
A Guide From Someone Who Eats Here. Often.
Dubai Hills is quickly becoming one of Dubai’s best dining destinations, IMHO - and somewhat unexpectedly. This is thanks in no small part to the Dubai Hills Business Park. Yes, a Business Park. Who knew?
Aside from having an eyebrow-raising, oh-so-impressive roster of restaurants, those restaurants are also *drum roll* licensed. Out-of-towners, just know that a licensed restaurant outside of a hotel was once a Dubai unicorn. This is less and less the case.
Not restaurants or cafes in Dubai Hills are licensed. Equally, a restaurant does not have to be licensed to be excellent. However, it is an easy point of distinction still relevant for Dubai dining.
The list
I road-tested each of these restaurants personally. These recommendations come after more than one visit. Some places we visit more than once a month. Some restaurants were visited before relocating to Dubai Hills. (Candidly, I am doubtful that some other restaurant lists about Dubai Hills went through the same rigour.)
Note: I excluded Dubai Hills Mall from this list - for now. I will probably update this Dubai Hills list from time to time.
As always, you can find more restaurant reviews and recommendations here.
Avatara Restaurant
Avatara eeks out of Tresind Studio’s shadow to feed Dubai a growing global trend: a vegetarian fine-dining tasting menu. Their twist? This is an Indian vegetarian fine-dining restaurant with a thread of Ayurvedic storytelling. Avatara’s new fit-out is a bright, soothing space in which to spend time grazing through a progressive, contemporary menu with around 16 courses. Remarkably, the kitchen also offers a kid’s tasting menu! Avatara recently celebrated its first Michelin star and stands out in Dubai with its unique offering and capably prepared dishes.
Read more about Avatara Restaurant here. Avatara Restaurant’s Website.
Naivedheya (Holy offering), Avatara Restaurant.
Duck Hook
A solid after-work boozer, gentrified for the Dubai Hills suburbs and - if we are talking about the best Sunday roasts in Dubai - the Duck Hook is in the conversation. It’s been open for a few years, and I often find myself circling back to Duck Hook, especially versus its counterparts in the area. There is a generous terrace for those al fresco months with direct access to a large grassy area, especially for parents who want to have a good time but keep line of sight. Towering burgers, slabs of fish and chips and enough beers and cider on tap to keep most satisfied. The twist? The florescent-lit foyer of the Dubai Hills Golf Club immediately disarms any illusion of an authentic British pub experience. You’re still in Dubai, Dorothy.
Duck Hook’s house beef burger, Duck Hook.
Duo Gastrobar
Duo Gastrobar may quietly be one of the recent openings in Dubai in 2023. A capable import that bears a passing resemblance to The Maine in decor. The food quality blew us away. Light ribbons of yellow courgette folded with an umami-packed Parmesan mousse, an oxtail puff pastry pie with creamy taleggio and a seared cabbage with black truffle that will never make me look at cabbage the same way again. There’s wine by the glass (Riesling, Montepulciano and more), cocktails and a late breakfast that ends at 1pm on weekends. It’s casual enough for The Giving Movement swag, but smart enough to take discerning diners. I sense big things for Duo Gastrobar. It has Bib Gourmand all over it.
Oxtail pie with taleggio, Duo Gastrobar.
Joe and the Juice
Stay with me. Some of you may raise an eyebrow at Joe and the Juice in this shortlist. However, of the casual cafés and ‘grab-and-go’ spots currently running in the Dubai Hills Business Park, Joe and the Juice is the best of the bunch at this time. I said what I said. The protein shakes, the açai bowls, the little cakes (buy the carrot cake) or their well-known pressed sandwiches such as the Spicy Tuna, which has some people in D3 lining up like it’s their last meal. The juices are freshly made. As Mrs EatGoSee says, sometimes you just need a solid sandwich place. So here you are.
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki
Reif Othman can be credited for the rise of Japanese and Asian dining in Dubai; but few (if any), capture lightning in a bottle as well as the master. Reif Japanese Kushiyaki remains in my top five best restaurant recommendations for anyone visiting Dubai. You will find me here (or in one of his restaurants) almost every month. There is an ease to his cooking and the restaurant’s service that betrays the conventions of Michelin Guides and MENA’s 50 Best Lists. Still, joy in abundance is found whether it’s in Reif’s mushroom clay pot rice, wagyu sando, an incredible duck ramen, the corn espuma kushi or the cauliflower kushi. You get the idea.
You can read a full review about Reif Japanese Kushiyaki, Dubai Hills, here. Reif Japanese Kushiyaki website.
Reif’s Prawn Toast, Reif Kushiyaki Dubai Hills.
The Experience by Reif Othman
Is it a cheat to put this down separately? The private dining - dare I say, “speakeasy” - restaurant within Reif Kushiyaki with a tasting menu available during select nights of the week. The Experience by Reif Othman, affectionately known as TERO for short, changes the menu monthly with themes such as wagyu, sushi or whatever takes Reif Othman’s fancy for the forthcoming days. It’s a Japanese-licensed omakase that sheds the often pretentious and stoic atmosphere that can plague some omakase menus. If you’ve never done an omakase menu before, this is the best place to start.
You can read a full review of The Experience by Reif Othman here. The Experience by Reif Othman’s Instagram.
The Experience by Reif Othman’s prep space in front of its diners.
The Ones to Watch
The Barnyard
Currently, with only a soft menu opening, The Barnyard looks very promising for breakfasts and casual lunches. I am loathed to assess restaurants and add them to lists when said restaurant is still in its soft opening phase. So, I will report back once we know more!
The Barnyard’s outside terrace says, ‘come dine with me’ during those blissfully cool Dubai ‘winter’ months.
Pitfire Pizza
Dubai’s favourite pizza builds on its recent expansion success with a new outlet coming soon! The hoarding is up. The Instagram teasers are rolling out. The prospect of a potential new Pitfire Pizza has me excited - possibly licensed, given the location? In garlic knots, we trust.
Pitfire Pizza's current delivery design (it changes regularly).