Top 20 celebrity chef restaurants in UAE

The UAE, and especially Dubai, is focused on being the next culinary capital of the world. This mission is being facilitated by establishment of world-renowned concepts across the GCC region, with kitchen heroes at the helm of it.

Hotelier Middle East has listed 20 such restaurants, which are imagined and led by celebrity chefs, and offer dining experience par excellence.

Chef: Gary Rhodes

Rhodes is an English restaurateur and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and the distinctive spiked hair style that he once wore. He has fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA, Hell's Kitchen, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain. In 2006, he competed to represent the South of England in the BBC's Great British Menu, but lost to Atul Kochhar.

As well as owning four restaurants, Rhodes also has his own line of cookware and bread mixes. He can now be seen on the new programme Saturday Cooks, as well as the food show Local Food Hero.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Rhodes Twenty10, Steakhouse by Gary Rhodes, Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai; Rhodes W1, Grosvenor House Dubai; Rhodes in Residence, Grosvenor House Dubai

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Chef: Pierre Gagnaire

Gagnaire is a well-known French chef, and is the head chef and owner of the eponymous Pierre Gagnaire restaurant. He is an iconoclastic chef at the forefront of the fusion cuisine movement. Beginning his career in St. Etienne, France,  where he won three Michelin Stars, Gagnaire tore at the conventions of classic French cooking by introducing jarring juxtapositions of flavours, tastes, textures, and ingredients. Gagnaire says he wishes to run a restaurant which is 'facing tomorrow but respectful of yesterday' ("tourné vers demain mais soucieux d'hier").

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, Dubai; Choix Patisserie and Restaurant par Pierre Gagnaire, Dubai

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Chef: Atul Kochhar

Kochhar is an Indian-born, British-based chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is one of the most critically acclaimed chefs in Britain for his take on modern Indian cuisine. He was also the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star, which he maintained with the opening of his first solo venture - Benares restaurant in London in 2007. He regularly appears on television shows including Masterchef Goes Large and Great British Menu, and is a regular guest on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Rang Mahal by Atul Kochhar, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai

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Chef: Nobuyuki Matsuhisa (aka Nobu)

"Nobu" is a celebrity chef and restaurateur known for his fusion cuisine, blending traditional Japanese dishes with South American (Peruvian) ingredients. His signature dish is black cod in miso.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Nobu, Atlantis the Palm, Dubai; Nobu, Four Season, Doha

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Chef: Luke Thomas

At 18 years old, Thomas become chef patron of his first restaurant, Luke’s Dining Room, which won Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Restaurant of the Year in 2013. At 20, he opened Retro Feasts, a pop-up social diner concept in Mayfair, focused on recreating childhood favourites for today’s open-minded diners, followed by Luke’s Eating House & Gin Rickey’s Bar in Chester. 2015 saw Luke launch Retro Feasts in Dubai as his first overseas venture. He has also penned ‘Luke’s Cookbook’, published by Penguin.

Michelin star restaurant: No

Restaurants in the region: Retro Feasts, The Beach JBR, Dubai

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Chef: Richard Sandoval

Sandoval commanded limelight with his contemporary French restaurants, Savann and Savann Est. Soon, though, he returned to his first love – and in 1997 he opened Maya, his flagship modern Mexican restaurant in New York.
With the broad range of restaurants in his portfolio, Sandoval combines authentic Latin ingredients with international flavours and creative techniques, to create concepts and cuisines such as modern and coastal Mexican, Latin-Asian, Peruvian and Pan-Latin. Also, he dons many other hats, like that of a culinary consultant, television personality, cookbook author and brand ambassador, along with his Toque.

Michelin star restaurant: No

Restaurants in the region: Maya, Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai; Toro Toro, Grosvernor Tower Two, Dubai; Zengo, Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai; Pampano, The Pearl - Qatar; Toro Toro, Marsa Malaz Kempinski, Qatar

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Chef: Vineet Bhatia

Bhatia is a multi-award winning chef and owner of the Michelin starred Rasoi - Vineet Bhatia, located in London Chelsea. He was one of the first Indian chef-restaurateurs to be awarded a Michelin star in 2001.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Indego by Vineet, Grosvenor House Dubai; Ashiana by Vineet, Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers, Dubai; Maharaja East by Vineet, Mövenpick Hotel Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

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Chef: Giorgio Locatelli

Locatelli was brought up in northern Italy. His uncle ran a restaurant, giving him an appreciation and understanding of food from an early age. After working for a short spell in local restaurants in north Italy and Switzerland, Locatelli went to England in 1986 to join the kitchens of Anton Edelmann at The Savoy. In 1990, Locatelli moved to Paris and worked at Restaurant Laurent and La Tour d’Argent. In 2002, Giorgio and his wife Plaxy opened his first independent restaurant, Locanda Locatelli, in Seymour Street. The restaurant, which serves traditional Italian dishes, was awarded a Michelin star in 2003, which has been retained every year since.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Ronda Locatelli - Atlantis The Palm, Dubai

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Chef: Jamie Oliver

James Trevor "Jamie" Oliver is an English celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his global campaign for better food education. In June 2008, he launched a restaurant called Jamie's Italian, his first high-street business venture, in Oxford, England. Jamie's Italian has proved very successful and there are now 35 restaurants in the collection. The brand has been franchised globally and now includes branches in the UAE, Australia, Ireland, Russia, Turkey, Singapore and Hong Kong. Dozens more are planned over the next 4 years.

Michelin star restaurant: No

Restaurants in the region: Jamie’s Italian, Jumeirah Beach Hotel (closed)

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Chef: Sanjeev Kapoor

Kapoor is an Indian chef and entrepreneur. He stars in the TV show Khana Khazana, which is the longest running show of its kind in Asia; it broadcasts in 120 countries and in 2010 had more than 500 million viewers. Moreover, he has a number of restaurants across Middle East, and has penned much-celebrated cookbooks.

Michelin star restaurant: No

Restaurants in the region: Khazana - Dubai (2 outlets); Khazana - Doha; Options by Sanjeev Kapoor, Dubai; Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor, Dubai (3 outlets); Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor, Abu Dhabi

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Chef: Marco Pierre White

Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary British cuisine, and has been dubbed the first celebrity chef, and the enfant terrible of the UK restaurant scene. He was called the godfather of modern cooking by Australian MasterChef, and was, at the time, the youngest chef ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars. Moreover, he has trained chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Curtis Stone.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi; Marco Pierre White Grill, Conrad Dubai; Wheeler’s of St James, DIFC, Dubai; Frankie’s Italian (2 outlets)

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Chef: Yannick Alléno

Yannick Alléno started his career at the Royal Monceau working with Gabriel Biscay before joining the Hotel Sofitel Sèvres close to chefs Roland Durand and Martial Henguehard. In 2008, together with Florence Cane, he launched the Group Yannick Alléno. Since then, he has developed his activities and services at Cheval Blanc in Courchevel and in Saint-Tropez and Paris, France and at the Royal Mansour in Marrakech, at the One&Only The Palm in Dubai, at the Shangri-La in Beijing and in the 101 tower in Taipei. 

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: STAY, One&Only The Palm Dubai; 101 Dining Lounge and Bar, One&Only The Palm Dubai

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Chef: Wolfgang Puck

Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-born American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and occasional actor. Following the 1981 publication of his first cookbook, Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen based on his Ma Maison recipes, Puck and Barbara Lazaroff opened the restaurant Spago on the Sunset Strip in 1982. Fifteen years later, in 1997, Puck and Lazaroff opened the award-winning Spago in Beverly Hills, which has been recognized as one of the top 40 restaurants in the U.S. since 2004. His success enabled him to launch the Wolfgang Puck Companies, which includes the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. and Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: CUT by Wolfgang Puck at The Address Downtown Dubai; CUT by Wolfgang Puck at Four Seasons Hotels Bahrain Bay; Also opening a casual dining at Dubai International Airport this year (i.e. 2015).

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Chef: Vikas Khanna

Vikas Khanna is an award-winning Michelin starred Indian chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer, filmmaker, humanitarian and the host of the TV show MasterChef India and Masterchef Junior. In 2011, People magazine put Khanna in the list of "Sexiest Man Alive" and also referred to him as "The Hottest Chef of America". He has worked for the Taj, Oberoi, Welcomgroup, and Leela Group of Hotels and with some of the most influential chefs of the world, including Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Khanna started a restaurant in 2009, in Flatiron district of New York, called Junoon, which was later rolled out in Dubai.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Junoon, Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai

Chef: Simon Rimmer

Rimmer originally studied fashion and textile design and taught himself to cook. He then founded his first restaurant, Greens, a vegetarian restaurant in West Didsbury, Manchester in 1990. He opened his second restaurant, Earle, in Hale in 2006, followed by his first overseas outlet, The Scene, in Dubai.

Michelin star restaurant: No

Restaurants in the region: The Scene, Pier 7, Dubai

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Chef: Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Jean-Georges began his training in a work-study program at Auberge de l'Ill as an apprentice to chef Paul Haeberlin, then went on to work under Paul Bocuse and Louis Outhier at L'Oasis in southern France. With this impressive three star Michelin background, Jean-Georges travelled to Asia and continued his training at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, the Meridien Hotel in Singapore and the Mandarin Hotel in Hong. He has published several cookbooks reflecting his style of cooking, and has a number of restaurant concepts under his belt.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Market Kitchen, Abu Dhabi (a consultative partnership via Culinary Concepts Hospitality Group, New York City); planned two directly-operated outlets to open in 2015 at Four Seasons Resort at Jumeirah Beach, Dubai.

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Chef: Antonio Carluccio

Carluccio, OBE OMRI (born 19 April 1937) is an Italian chef, restaurateur and food expert, based in London. He is perhaps best known for his partnership with fellow Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo and their BBC Two television series Two Greedy Italians. In 1991, Antonio and his then wife opened an Italian food shop, named Carluccio's. They expanded this in 1994 to a wholesale business — a joint authentic Italian restaurant with integrated food shop, the premises opened to serve light, Italian-based breakfasts to diners. The chain expanded, initially across southeast England, and subsequently across the UK. Today, Carluccio's operates from over 80 UK locations.

Michelin star restaurant: No

Restaurants in the region: Carluccio’s, Abu Dhabi (3 outlets); Carluccio’s, Dubai (6 outlets); Carluccio’s, Doha

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Chef: Silvena Rowe

Silvena Rowe, known for her edgy style and outrageous hair, is a British chef, food writer, television personality and restaurateur. At the age of 19, she moved to London and cooked in the kitchen of the Notting Hill bookshop Books for Cooks, which led her to cook for Princess Michael of Kent, Ruby Wax and Tina Turner. In 2011, her restaurant Quince opened at The May Fair Hotel in Mayfair, London, which has influences of her Turkish heritage. Currently Silvena shares her time between Dubai, Sofia, New York and London.

Michelin star restaurant: No

Restaurants in the region: Omnia by Silvena, Dubai; Omnia Gourmet, Dubai

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Chef: Jason Atherton

Jason Atherton is an English chef. His restaurant Pollen Street Social gained a Michelin Star in 2011, its opening year. He was the executive chef at Gordon Ramsay's Michelin starred Maze in London until April 2010. In 2014 he co-hosted the Sky Living TV series My Kitchen Rules.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region: Marina Social, InterContinental Dubai Marina

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Chef: Sergi Arola

Sergi Arola’s culinary journey started when he was asked to come and work with one of Spain’s most celebrated chefs, an opportunity that would catapult Arola’s career into the upper echelons of Spanish fine dining. He joined the kitchen of El Taller in Barcelona, Ferrán’s culinary research center, learning and experimenting under the expert example of Adrià. In 1997, Chef Arola left Barcelona for Madrid. In 2000, he embarked on opening his own restaurant, La Broche. His second venture, the eponymous Arola, is located in Barcelona’s fashionable Hotel Arts, in the city’s Olympic Village. He has also penned a cookbook, Cooking is Fun, which features signature recipes from La Broche.

Michelin star restaurant: Yes

Restaurants in the region:  P&C by Sergi Arola, Shangri La, Abu Dhabi