It was the first time the awards ceremony took place in MENA.
A UAE restaurant took top spot at the first-ever Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants awards last night (8 February).
3 Fils located in Dubai’s Jumeirah Fishing Harbour walked away with the gong after beating off stiff competition from across the entire GCC region, Lebanon, Israel and North Africa.
Famed for its menu that sees Asian fusion dishes ranging from sushi rolls to indomie, as well as king crab salads, marinated lamb ribs, and matcha chocolates with tea crumbs and milk foam from its dessert bar, Brix, located next door, 3 Fils beat fellow Dubai establishment Zuma (second) and Tel Aviv’s OCD Restaurant (third) to top spot at a black-tie event in Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers.
Hosted in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, 3 Fils was founded in 2016 by two Emiratis and a Singaporean and has become a firm favourite of the Dubai culinary scene thanks to its sense of comfort, laid-back harbourside setting and food.
Speaking on the 3 Fils’ success, Director of Content at MENA’s 50 Best Restaurant, William Drew, said: “It’s a great honour to announce that 3 Fils has made it to the top of the rankings at the inaugural Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants awards.
“It is a brilliantly executed home-grown restaurant, loved by local residents and visitors alike. There is no doubt that it sets new standards in creativity, sourcing and food presentation, coupled with a personable service style, and we are delighted to announce that it has been voted number one.
“Additionally, we are excited to see that 11 countries from the region are represented on the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants list, demonstrating the extraordinary diversity of cuisine in this region.”
The UAE topped the list with 19 restaurants including three from host city Abu Dhabi; COYA Abu Dhabi, Hakkasan Abu Dhabi and Butcher & Still with Israel earning six places.
Following close behind are Lebanon and Saudi Arabia with five restaurants each: just outside the top 10 and leading the way for Beirut is Baron (twelfth), named The Best Restaurant in Lebanon, while Riyadh’s Myazu (fifteenth) is the winner of The Best Restaurant in Saudi Arabia title.
Popular Singapore born chef Reif Othman was honoured with the Chefs’ Choice Award with Lowe earning the accolade of the Sustainable Restaurant Award.
MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants were selected by a panel of members across six regions and for the 2022 list each MENA Academy member voted for seven restaurants, with at least one of these located outside the country where they are based.
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