Best Restaurants in Dubai Hills
A Guide From Someone Who Eats Here. Often.
Dubai Hills quickly became one of Dubai’s best dining destinations, perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, 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 know that a licensed restaurant outside of a hotel was once a Dubai unicorn. This is less and less the case.
Not all restaurants or cafes in Dubai Hills are licensed, and, clearly, a restaurant does not need to be licensed to be excellent. It is an easy point of distinction still relevant for Dubai dining.
The Guide
I road test each restaurant personally and more than once. I doubt that some other neighbourhood guides endure the same rigour. Note: I excluded Dubai Hills Mall from this list, for now.
Avatara Restaurant
Avatara is a vegetarian Indian fine-dining restaurant inside a soothing, almost therapeutic dining room. The progressive tasting menu hovers around 16 courses with wine, alcoholic or non-alcoholic juice pairings also available. Avatara recently celebrated its first Michelin star and stands out in Dubai with its unique offering and capably prepared dishes.
Check out Avatara Restaurant’s website or @avatara on Instagram.
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 a line of sight. Towering burgers, slabs of fish and chips and enough beers and cider on tap to keep most satisfied. The twist? The fluorescent-lit foyer of the Dubai Hills Golf Club immediately disarms any illusion of an authentic British pub experience. You’re still in Dubai, Dorothy.
Check out theduckhookdubai on Instagram.
Duo Gastrobar
Duo Gastrobar was one of Dubai’s standout openings in 2023. The menu 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 1 pm on weekends. It’s casual enough for The Giving Movement swag, but smart enough to take discerning diners. A Bib Gourmand winner and a reliable neighbourhood stalwart.
Check out Duo Gastrobar’s Instagram.
Hoe Lee Kow
A left-of-centre Korean restaurant that’s disloyal to authenticity and posits what contemporary Korean food could be through of Reif Othman (featured elsewhere in this list). Oyster blade steaks glistening with rendered fat are accompanied by a trio of sauces: ssamjang, bibimbap sauce and a toasted sesame oil. A bright yellow, grilled cauliflower rubbed in curry salt sits in a pool of Korean pesto, plus our favourite, the tteokbokki—a Korean gnocchi-like rice dumpling—feels more Korean-American, comes with a maple bacon espuma and a liberal showering of manchego cheese.
Check out Hoe Lee Kow’s Instagram.
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.
Check out Joe and the Juice’s Instagram.
Pitfire Pizza
Dubai’s favourite pizza builds on its success with a new licensed outlet on your left as you enter Dubai Hills Business Park (and valet is right there, too)! Wisely, Pitfire Pizza has not just replicated its menu; they’ve learned this new space with its signature style, oversized sports screens over the bar and regular Ladies’ Nights where their hot honey margarita flows. The Palm is my personal favourite with dates, Gorgonzola, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. Still, the less daring can tuck into their infamous garlic knots, the Pepperoni Primo, Plain Jane (don’t sleep on it), or their Chicken Penne Alfredo, a beast of a portion easily shared between two. Read a full review here.
Check out Pitfire Pizza’s Instagram.
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 that plates joy in abundance, whether it’s in Reif’s mushroom clay pot rice, wagyu sando or the incredible 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. Check out Reif Japanese Kushiyaki’s website or Reif Kushiyaki’s Instagram.
Revelry
Self-described Indian Tapas restaurant brings affordable good times to Dubai Hills. Owned by the Avatara team (next door), order rounds of their chicken tikka momos, tangy chaat dishes and beautifully charred lamb chops. About three to five dishes per person is just right. The bar selection is extensive with wine, beer and a vast cocktail menu. You are well advised to book in advance as The Revelry gets busy, especially on evenings and weekends.
Check out The Revelry’s Instagram.
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 has a tasting menu available on 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. This is the best place to start if you’ve never done an omakase menu.
You can read a full review of The Experience by Reif Othman here. The Experience by Reif Othman’s Instagram.
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Written by Liam Collens. Read more reviews here. Liam is a restaurant critic, food and travel writer based in the Middle East. He owns EatGoSee and contributes to other publications. You can find Liam on Substack, Threads, Instagram, BlueSky or Facebook.