Frequently asked questions

Why hold another awards ceremony?

Dubai’s restaurant scene may have come of age, but the city doesn’t yet have an awards ceremony to match. No single evening in the local calendar celebrates Dubai’s culinary success stories with impartiality, credibility, and the faith of the local food and beverage industry.

Who picks the winners?

We do. Without fear and without favour. Time Out Dubai is a weekly magazine, which reviews literally hundreds of restaurants every year. We were the first publication to review restaurants anonymously and to pay for those meals. Today, Time Out Dubai remains the only authoritative, independent guide to eating out in the city. The editorial team decides on the winners of the Restaurant Awards, with the same integrity they bring to the weekly magazine.

So it’s another chance for Time Out Dubai to bash local restaurants?

Taking a critical stance is the key to having an independent, influential voice. But when Time Out Dubai issues praise, its praise has value. For that reason, our awards ceremony will have value. The ceremony is our opportunity to applaud publicly those restaurants that set the city’s standards.

Why doesn’t Time Out Dubai put its awards to a popular vote?

Dubai’s restaurant scene deserves a benchmark of quality. Popularity polls reveal many things: busy restaurants, busy locations, aggressive merchandising and determined staff. But they do not deliver benchmarks of quality.

Don’t restaurant managers value popular votes?

It is down to individual restaurant managers to assess the popularity of their restaurants. What is clear is that managers of superior restaurants do not wish to push marketing collateral onto their customers at the dining table in order to ‘win’ – preventing their participation in crude surveys of popular opinion.

Does my opinion count at all?

Of course. For the first time ever we are opening the shortlist and our carefully selected winners up for debate on the Time Out Dubai blog. After the winners are announced we will be asking for your feedback and comments. If you disagree we want to hear about it. Tell us what your favourite restaurant is and give us your opinion at www.timeoutdubai.com/dubai/blogs/.

How have you categorised the awards?

Time Out Dubai’s editorial team has identified cuisines from around the world, which are well represented by restaurants in the city. Highly Commended restaurants will be acknowledged in each cuisine-based category. Where possible, an outright winner will be acknowledged.

Are there more award categories?

Yes. Time Out Dubai will present several awards based on dining trends in Dubai, as opposed to cuisine-based categories. Consider Best Brunch, Best Café and Best Business Lunch, to name but a few. Time Out Dubai will also honour the city’s Best New Restaurant – a restaurant that opened for business no earlier than January 2007. At the climax of the evening, Time Out Dubai will honour the single most impressive outlet in Dubai with the Best Restaurant 2008 award.

What do the winners receive?

We want the recipients of these awards to benefit from as much publicity as possible. Each winning outlet will therefore receive an impressive gold trophy to be displayed in a corporate environment.