Downtown Dubai and DIFC pack tasting menus, rooftop restaurants and business lunches into a few blocks, with Business Bay and Dubai Mall close by. This guide collects what our stories say about eating, drinking, staying and going out in the area. It is a curated selection, not a ranking. Prices are as announced and only where a story gave one. For every area, see Best Restaurants in Dubai by Neighbourhood.
Last checked 20 October 2026. Prices and details are as announced by the venues; confirm before booking.
Where to eat
Gymkhana, DIFC. Dinner 6pm to 1am, with lunch starting on 21 October and a Business Lunch Menu at AED 145 per person on weekdays. Read the full story.
Jun's. Chef Kelvin Cheung's 10-course tasting menu is AED 560 per person, or AED 490 for the vegetarian version. Read the full story.
Le Guilan. Modern Persian cooking with a terrace and Burj Khalifa views, open daily 12pm to 11pm. Read the full story.
Felicità, Address Sky View. A three-course lunch at AED 135 from Tuesday to Friday, as announced in August. Read the full story.
LION, Mandarin Oriental Downtown. Mediterranean cooking on the 62nd floor, reopened on 25 September. Read the full story.
CQ French Brasserie, Time Out Market, Souk Al Bahar. Steak frites, escargots and a Market-exclusive fish frites, opened on 26 March. Read the full story.
Mausam, Dubai Mall. A Breakfast Thali daily from 10am to 12pm, from AED 40. Read the full story.
Where to drink and eat late
Sexy Fish, DIFC. The Depths cocktail menu launched on 8 October. Read the full story.
Zenon, Kempinski Central Avenue. The Downtown restaurant and nightlife destination ran five Negroni creations from AED 75 in September. Read the full story.
Where to stay
ME by Meliá Dubai, Business Bay
A five-star hotel in the Opus building, which the hotel says is the only one designed inside and out by Zaha Hadid. It retained One MICHELIN Key and was named Dubai's Leading Lifestyle Hotel at the World Travel Awards 2026. Dining includes Central Restaurant, The Maine, ROKA, Salmon Guru and Le Relais de L'Entrecôte. Read the full story. Its Saturday brunch, BRUNCH:ED, is in our January story.
Grazer, Mövenpick Hotel Apartments Downtown. A Pinktober menu runs until 31 October: pink drinks and pastries at AED 30 each, 25 percent of Pink Menu sales donated to Al Jalila Foundation, and 10 percent off the bill if you wear pink. Read the full story.
What's on
Ministry of Sound Classical, Dubai Opera. The orchestral dance-music show returns on 7 November, with tickets from AED 350. Read the full story.
Afternoon tea at the Top. Afternoon tea 442 metres above Dubai at the Burj Khalifa. Read the full story.
Hero image: courtesy of ME by Meliá Dubai.