the ultimate guide to the dubai food festival 2021

Dubai food festival, a culinary extravaganza in the city of culture and luxury, takes place annually with people participating from across the world. Celebrate Dubai’s culinary diversity by being a part of the Dubai food festival 2021 and here’s the complete guide to get you covered for it.

• Dubai, home to 200 nationalities, has a very diverse and rich culture. Dubai Food festivals 2021 brings people together and celebrates diversity. 
• From cooking lessons by the professionals to the food photography sessions, every annual season of this festival has a lot to offer to you.
• This 18-day program comes with other exciting challenges such as music and gaming to make your experience a worthy one.

When does it happen?

• Dubai food festival is an annual event. In 2021, the dates are as follows:
• Dubai Food Festival is estimated to take place around the third week of February 2021.

Where does it happen?

This citywide food festival takes place in the heart of Dubai.

Location: Jumeirah beach, behind the Sunset beach.

History of Dubai food festival

Dubai Food Show or Festival was first launched in the year of 2014. This festival has been growing exponentially every year with crowd, quality, and quantity and has become the most prominent food festival of the Middle East. This food festival originally started as a marketing program to promote Dubai’s culture and tourism. It is organized by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) which is an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

How much does it cost to attend this festival?

• The entry is absolutely free for street food events.
• You have to book the tickets for the Dubai Restaurant Week deals online and the prices range from 75 AED – 150 AED per person.
• There is no estimate of how much a person spends on the entire food festival of Dubai. It totally depends on the food you eat and the things you do.
• You could enjoy the festival with minimum spending by eating in pop-up chains and restaurants and you can go full-fledged on the money with top chef culinary.

Highlights of events in Dubai food festival

1. Dubai Restaurant Week

Giving the best of Dubai’s food culture, Dubai restaurant week starts at a very minimal price. Although it is budget-friendly, the food experience is world-class. 

• Lowe

Experience Dubai’s seasonal food with high-quality ingredients. 

Location: Al Barari, Dubai

Price: 75 AED – 150 AED

• Hell’s Kitchen

Known for the world-famous chef, Gordon Ramsay, Hell’s Kitchen is one of the popular attractions in this festival. Inspired by his reality show, Hell’s Kitchen serves signature Gorden Ramsay dishes.

Location: Caesars Palace, Bluewaters Island, Dubai

Price: 100 AED – 250 AED

• The MAINE street eatery

A restaurant designed with a vintage atmosphere, sticking to its brand, serves European, Steakhouse, and Seafood cuisines.

The wholesome Maine staples are a must-try.

Location: Studio One Hotel, Studio City Ground Floor, Dubai

Price: 75 AED – 180 AED

2. Hidden Gems

Participate in this exciting, budget-friendly event to vote for the top 10 restaurants from a bunch of underrated and undiscovered restaurants from the streets of Dubai.

The prices start from as low as AED 35.

2021’s Top 10 Hidden Gems are:

• Al Damyati & Iskandaron, Al Karama: The meat lover’s choice

• Bosnian House, Umm Suqeim: Kebabs of Global standing

• Indian Summer, Al Karama: Family-focused dining

• Himalaya Restaurant Oud Metha: Affordable Indian street food

• Mana'esho, Dubai Investment Park: Oven-baked Lebanese treats

• Mantoushe, JLT: Your Lebanese food favorite

• Saudi Kitchen, Jumeirah: Arabic at its best

• Seedology, Al Safa: Urban vibes and healthy nibbles

• Thushanis, Discovery Gardens: Asian foodie delights

• Wise Kwai, Barsha Heights: Tantalisingly Thai

3. Foodie Experience

With its first launch in 2019, the event was a massive success. The foodie experience deals with everything from the top culinary experiences, Masterchef classes to themed tours, and workshop.

Experience a wide range of food-related activities like food photography and tasting dishes in the desert to get the essence of Dubai. The foodie experience has something for everyone.

4. Masterclasses at Dubai Food Festival

• Masterchef classes

Learn the best from Margarita Vaamonde-Beggs, the head chef at Millennium Place, Dubai Marina. Cook a variety of dishes under her guidance or pick an interesting challenge from the mystery box.

• Sushi Making

This masterclass takes place at Wakame at Sofitel Downtown, Dubai to give you the utmost sushi-making experience so that you can enjoy your all-time favorite sushi at your home.

• Zhen Wei

Attend this masterclass at Caesars Palace, Bluewaters Island, Dubai, and learn the art of making Dim Sum. Oh, and don’t forget to try out their famous Long Bao – chicken soup while you are there.

5. One-on-one chef experience

Enjoy the finest and the most unusual delicacies while holding conversations with the chef. 

• Pizza Tasting

What even is the point of a food festival if there is no pizza involved? Taking place at Akiba Dori in Dubai Design District, presented with Japan fusion style Neapolitan pizza makes for the best pizza experience in Dubai food festival

• Savour your sweet tooth

If your meal does not end with a classic dessert, your meal hasn’t ended yet. You have heard about a three-course meal before but a three-course dessert? We’ll introduce you.

Brix by 3 Fils restaurant offers a complete three-course dessert experience, what a perfect ending to your three-course meal.

6. Limited edition coffee

Coffee is one of the staples, not only in a food festival but also in your everyday life. Dubai food festival takes it up a notch to welcome you to the rich, limited edition coffee culture.

• Drop, Dubai

With a multicultural experienced team of baristas, Drop holds a lot of aesthetic personality to the art of coffee.

Location: Entrance 3, Dar Al Wasl Mall Safa, Dubai

• Boston Lane café

Boston Lane is an artistically pleasing café. It's quiet and modern interiors, exceptional coffee, and a wide range of appealing snacks are the highlights about it.

Events and activities in Dubai food festival

• SWYP beach canteen

This event consists of mouth-watering food and tasteful music to groove to when you are with your friends and family. Good food and good company is all you need to mark a noteworthy trip.

Dubai food festival is the ultimate food destination for the foodie inside of you. In a city full of culture and luxury, tasting the finest of Middle Eastern cuisine, meeting and eating with celebrity chefs, and grooving to the music festival while enjoying your food sounds too good to be true but trust me, Dubai food festival brings it all to you.