Orfali Bros Bistro: No.1 Restaurant in MENA Region

By winning the top spot on the 2023 MENA’s 50 Best List, Orfali Bros. once again places Syrian flavours on the culinary map after placing 87th on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants extended list.

It was a  grand evening to honour and reveal the top restaurants in the MENA area with so much magnificence. Everything at The MENA’s 50 Best restaurants event screamed luxury, from the cuisine to the music. The Conrad of Abu Dhabi Etihad hosted the finale celebration for the MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants on Monday night. Acqua Panna and S. Pellegrino sponsored the event.

The Middle East & North Africa’s Fifty Top Restaurants awards, presented by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, brought together the culinary elite of the restaurant industry this evening in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. At an event hosted in the Conrad Abu Dhabi, Etihad Towers, restaurants from 14 Middle Eastern and North African cities were named as the 50 finest dining establishments in the area. Orfali Bros Bistro, the region’s top restaurant, was named during the event, which was held in collaboration with the Top Department of Cultural and Tourism  – Abu Dhabi. The restaurant’s personnel appeared on stage to accept the prize.

The culinary aristocracy of the food globe met in the UAE Friday night for the second Mideast & North Africa’s 50 Top Restaurants awards ceremony. 250 anonymous voters form a committee that selects the restaurants. Each voter may select seven restaurants from the entire area.

Founded in 2021, three brothers coming from Syria, Mohammad, Wassim, and Omar Orfali, launched Orfali Bros Restaurant. It is an unlicensed culinary bistro and test kitchen that is situated in Dubai’s vibrant modern Wasl 51 area.

In addition to paying respect to the brothers’ Aleppian background, the menu includes dishes with a strong Middle Eastern influence that also reflect Dubai’s multiculturalism and avant-garde attitude. 

Under the direction of dynamic head chef Mohammad Orfali, their OB fritters, shahi barak à la gyoza, and maize blast all push the limits of culinary ingenuity and guarantee an exhilarating eating experience.

Looking at the ranking Orfali Chef Mohammad in a statement said, “Since opening our restaurant nearly two years ago, we have lived and breathed ‘Orfali Bros’. It’s a true labour of love for us all. We are so happy to have received this honour – but it is not about us, it is a win for our team, our customers, for Dubai. We’re always surprised when we receive these wonderful accolades and we feel so grateful to have a community that appreciates what we do. It means a lot that people take time out of their lives to visit us and share stories, flavours and memories.”

“It has always been our dream to champion gastronomy in the Middle East, and with this award, we also feel the responsibility to help inspire young talent in this region, of which there is so much, to follow their dreams, to open homegrown concepts. Dubai is a very special place, it has given us the opportunity to create something that’s not been seen before, without losing the essence and soul of our heritage, our culture.

We look forward to continuing to welcome our dining community, as well as new faces and friends, to our dining room this year.”

Restaurants which also acquired a great position in the Top 50 List:

High-caliber pastry chefs Wassim and Omar, brothers, operate from an upscale pastry kitchen that looks out into the main dining area.

The No. 2 slot belongs to the fine dining Indian restaurant Trèsind Studio on The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, which is run by chef Himanshu Saini.

The Best Restaurant in Bahrain, Fusions by Tala in Manama, comes in third place and receives the Highest Climber Award in the year 2023, while Ossiano in Dubai comes in fourth place and receives the Highest New Entry award from Aspire Lifestyles.

With an astonishing 18 restaurants represented, including three from the host city of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates leads the list. Israel comes in second with six eateries, one of which is in the top 10: George & John (Number 6), winner of The Best Restaurant in Israel.

The winners of The Finest Restaurants in Saudi Arabia honour is Myazu in Riyadh (Number 18).

With four restaurants included in the ranking, including La Grande Table Marocaine (Number  27), which makes it The Best Restaurant in Morocco, Morocco is also well-represented.

The best restaurant in Lebanon, Baron, located in Beirut at Number  16, is another participant from Lebanon in the top 20.

The anime-themed Japanese cafe White Robata in Kuwait City comes in at (Number 42), making it The Best Restaurant in Kuwait, while the Tunisian restaurant La Closerie (Number. 34) earns the title of The Best Restaurant in Tunisia.Zooba’s executive chef and co-founder, Chef Moustafa Elrefaey, gets recognised with the Estrella Damm N.A. Chefs’ Choice Award.

Here is the list of Middle East And North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants: