The awards, now in its 17th year, includes 27 categories, each consisting of 10 nominees. The shortlist is available in full here.
Winners will be revealed at a glamourous private event attended by over 500 of Dubai’s best chefs and restaurateurs on March 10, 2022 at the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai in Business Bay.
The awards utilises a system of anonymous and independent restaurant visits, spending hundreds of thousands of dirhams to help decide on the best eateries in town.
The review process for the awards is available here.
“Our team is out 12 months of the year – and every week we visit literally dozens of restaurants to assess them against a set of criteria that include quality of the food, service, setting, ambience and atmosphere, and overall value for money,” Time Out editorial director Holly Sands told Caterer Middle East.
“What really sets us apart is that we do this all anonymously – booking restaurants under pseudonyms and paying every bill, to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars a year. Because it’s absolutely crucial to our process, and to our brand ethos, that we experience things exactly as a regular paying customer would do. No special treatment,” Sands added.
The awards cover a wide range of cuisines represented in Dubai, in addition to separate awards that also celebrate the city’s best steak, seafood, romantic and outdoor restaurants.
Three new categories have been added this year: Best Burger Restaurant, Best Family Restaurant and Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year. The latter focuses on mid-range, licensed restaurants, with additional judging criteria for this award including a specific price point requirement: diners should be able to enjoy two-course meal for two under AED500, including a house beverage each.
Two awards are also up for grabs for Best Buffet Brunch and Best À La Carte Brunch, while separate awards are also available for newcomers to Dubai’s food circuit, with the Casual Newcomer and Fine Dining Newcomer categories. Only venues that opened between November 1, 2021 and January 17, 2022 are eligible for newcomer awards. These restaurants are not entered into any other categories.
“In 17 years, there has never been a more competitive set of shortlists for the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards – and having been part of the process for almost 12 of those 17 years, I can confidently say this has been one of the toughest judging periods we’ve ever worked through,” Sands said.
For enquiries and ticket bookings for the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2022 ceremony, contact Joseph Oakley on [email protected] or 04 444 3846.
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