Top 15 influential foodies on social media
While social media isn’t as mature in the Middle East as it is in other food destinations of the world, like London and New York, we do have some major influencers in the F&B industry who have helped restaurants drive in customers and create a presence in this competitive market. They also do not shy away from shredding reputations should they be displeased.
Hotelier Middle East's pick for the top 20 influential foodies to follow on social media:
- Social Name: Secret Squirrel Food
- Real Name: Karen McLean
- Blog: www.secretsquirrelfood.com
- Facebook stats: 3711
- Instagram stats: 90,970
- Overview: McLean is a Melbourne girl living in Dubai and cooking up fantastic-looking healthy dishes. She is one of the most prominent food bloggers in town, and has a fondness for real, natural and wholesome food and simple eating.
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- Social Name: Dalia’s Kitchen
- Real Name: Dalia Dogmoch Soubra
- Blog: www.daliaskitchen.com
- Facebook stats: 42,579
- Instagram stats: 11,513
- Twitter stats: 6069
- Overview: Soubra is a Syrian-German food author, presenter and entrepreneur. A culinary nomad born in London, raised in Paris and having lived many years in NYC, she moved to Beirut when she founded Kitsch Bakery & Café. She currently resides in Dubai, contributes to leading food magazines and TV channels. She has also penned a cookbook titled ‘Food, Love and Life from Dalia's Kitchen’
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- Social Name: Latifa Shamsi
- Real Name: Latifa Al Shamsi
- Blog: www. latifalshamsi.com
- Instagram stats: 93,635
- Twitter stats: 8201
- Overview: An Emirati food aficionado, Shamsi is often spotted at new restaurant launches and sampling food at previews. As an all-rounder, her reviews reach out to the mass market and her love for good quality food makes her approachable and relatable for readers.
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- Social Name: HK Finds
- Real Name: Hessa Al Khalifa
- Blog: www.HKfinds.com
- Instagram stats: 48,152
- Twitter stats: 998
- Overview: A foodie and sports enthusiasts (quite a rare combination), Khalifa was born in Bahrain and resides in Dubai. She often travels to the UK and so do her reviews. She is quite active on Instagram, snapping away with quick reviews in English and Arabic.
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- Social Name: Dubai confidential
- Blog: www.dubaiconfidential.ae
- Facebook stats: 387,018
- Instagram stats: 7044
- Twitter stats: 26,327
- Overview: A lifestyle website that talks about many things, including food, with a significant reach. They endeavour to create a holistic guide for all things Dubai, and are quite popular amongst new residents.
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- Social Name: The Hedonista
- Real Name: Sarah Walton
- Blog: www. thehedonista.com
- Facebook stats: 1048
- Instagram stats: 1534
- Twitter stats: 4974
- Overview: Walton is an Australian food enthusiast who has previously managed restaurants, been a sommelier, a waiter, a bottle shop attendant, written a very small wine magazine, been a wine sales rep, trained and tasted wine with the inexperienced and experienced, and had her own wine website with cellar management and online sales. She now lives in Dubai and is on a journey to explore regional food and wine.
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- Social Name: My Fash Diary
- Real Name: Tala Samman
- Blog: www. myfashdiary.com
- Facebook stats: 14,512
- Instagram stats: 60,623
- Twitter stats: 17,300
- Overview: Born in Chicago, originally Syrian, and grew up in Dubai, The London College of Fashion graduate edits the first blog to come out of the UAE in 2009. Her blog has a tipsy balance between food and fashion, though she is credited with driving traffics to restaurants with her reviews and appearances.
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- Social Name: The Hybrids
- Real Name: Ascia ACF
- Blog: www.hybridheadpiece.com
- Instagram stats: 1,205,017
- Twitter stats: 22,231
- Overview: Ascia is a Kuwaiti blogger, with a massive following across the region. Although her forte is not food, her fans do seem to follow her footsteps, whether it is retail outlets or restaurants. Her light-hearted, commentary-style reviews , makes her one of top bloggers in the region.
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- Social Name: Abdulla Eats
- Real Name: Abdulla Al Shaikh
- Blog: abdullaeats.blogspot.ae
- Instagram stats: 3089
- Overview: Abdulla is an Emirati food blogger, who is steadily rising ranks and carving a niche for himself. His Instagram is usually bilingual, reaching out to expats and locals alike.
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- Social Name: Dubai Fans
- Real Name: Anonymous
- Instagram stats: 151,447
- Overview: Food critique in a shroud, this anonymous foodie has a penchant for mystery and good food.
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- Social Name: I Live In A Frying Pan
- Real Name: Arva Ahmed
- Blog: www.iliveinafryingpan.com
- Facebook stats: 1687
- Twitter stats: 3516
- Overview: Ahmed spent her childhood in Dubai and then moved to the USA for studies followed by work. Nine years later, she returned and committed herself to rediscovering this city with its ever-expanding menu of international flavours
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- Social Name: My Custard Pie
- Real Name: Sally Prosser
- Blog: www. mycustardpie.com
- Facebook stats: 1706
- Instagram stats: 2515
- Twitter stats: 7653
- Overview: Prosser is a food DIY champ, and shares her escapades to source fresh ingredients and recipes on her blog. She throws in a few travelogues to spice things up and keep conversations casual.
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- Social Name: Travel Junkie Diary
- Blog: www.traveljunkiediary.com
- Facebook stats: 4812
- Instagram stats: 23,547
- Twitter stats: 2566
- Overview: The website is made by a group of friends, who enjoy travelling, punctuated by good food. Their palate is not restricted to the region and the international flavour they offer makes them stand apart from the crowd.
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- Social Name: Dima Sharif
- Real Name: Dima Sharif
- Blog: www.dimasharif.com
- Facebook stats: 7860
- Instagram stats: 1471
- Twitter stats: 3814
- Overview: Sharif is a food writer and conducts professional cooking classes as well. She is one of the few influencers who use videos to showcase her experiences and opinions, along with words.
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- Social Name: Foodie & Fabulous
- Real Name: Rupal Bhatikar
- Blog: www.foodienfabulous.com
- Facebook stats: 1760
- Instagram stats: 1183
- Twitter stats: 916
- Overview: Bhatikar is a marketing manager during the day and a food blogger at heart. She shares her family recipes and often collaborate with magazines for food features.