… And we are live from The What’s On Dubai Awards 2026. Keep refreshing this page throughout the evening so you can see who takes it home first
The What’s On Dubai Awards 2026 is here and it’s the biggest night in Dubai’s food and entertainment calendar.
Last updated: 8:33pm
The What’s On Dubai Awards is the largest food and entertainment industry awards in the UAE – and the only one voted for entirely by the public. Every year it shines a light on the restaurants, bars, attractions, and experiences that genuinely define life in this city: the brunch that has regulars booking months ahead, the spa that actually lives up to the hype, the newcomer that had people talking from its first week of service.
Tonight, across a stellar field of categories spanning Entertainment & Leisure, Restaurants, Food Concepts, Casual Dining, Fine Dining, and the coveted Editor’s Choice awards, the trophies go home. We’re covering every single one – live, as they happen.
Without further ado, let’s get the party started and see who the What’s On Dubai Awards 2026 winners are…
Entertainment & Leisure
FAVOURITE ATTRACTION
WINNER: Global Village
Global Village is, by any measure, a phenomenon. The world’s largest multicultural festival destination brings together more than 90 countries, 3,500 shops, 250 dining options, and 40,000 live performances across a single season – and it does so in a way that feels genuinely exciting rather than simply enormous. Year after year it draws the crowds, and year after year it earns them.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Game Over Escape Rooms
Game Over Escape Rooms continues to set the standard for immersive puzzle entertainment in Dubai, with consistently clever theming and production values that put it in a category of its own.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Wild Wadi Waterpark
Wild Wadi Waterpark remains one of the most enduring names on Dubai’s leisure landscape – a reliable, exhilarating day out that has earned its status as a resident and tourist staple alike.
FAVOURITE CONCERT, SHOW OR FESTIVAL
WINNER: Swan Lake at Dubai Opera
When the Hungarian National Ballet brought Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to Dubai Opera, it sold out 8,000 seats across six nights. That number speaks for itself. This was classical ballet at its most transported, performed with the precision and passion that reminded the city exactly why live performance – done properly – is irreplaceable.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Grease The Musical at Dubai Opera
Grease The Musical brought genuine West End energy to the Dubai Opera stage, drawing audiences who hadn’t set foot in a theatre in years — which is exactly what a production of this scale should do.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ushuaïa Dubai Harbour Experience
Ushuaïa Dubai Harbour imported the spirit of Ibiza’s most iconic club to the UAE waterfront, delivering an outdoor festival experience with production values that Dubai has come to expect from the best in the world.
FAVOURITE DAYCATION
WINNER: La Cantine Beach Dubai
On Bluewaters Island, La Cantine Beach Dubai has cracked something that many beach clubs still struggle with: an offer that feels genuinely active and genuinely relaxed at the same time. Pickleball, paddle yoga, and real waves on a stretch of sand that’s arguably the city’s finest – it’s the daycation that manages to feel like a holiday.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: One&Only Royal Mirage
The private beach and manicured gardens of One&Only Royal Mirage offer a daycation experience that feels a world away from the city – which, given how much city there is to escape, is the whole point.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Summersalt Beach Club, Jumeirah Al Naseem
Summersalt Beach Club at Jumeirah Al Naseem delivers the kind of refined beach day that only a Jumeirah property can – clean lines, great service, and an address that carries genuine weight.
FAVOURITE STAYCATION: DUBAI
WINNER: Banyan Tree Dubai
Banyan Tree Dubai on Bluewaters Island is the kind of property that earns this award by doing everything properly rather than loudly. Five hundred metres of private beach, an award-winning spa, and a TakaHisa omakase counter sourcing fish directly from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market – it’s a stay-and-never-leave proposition that delivers on every front.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort
Thai-influenced, lagoon-fringed, and reliably excellent, Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort is the Palm Jumeirah staycation that keeps its regulars loyal and its newcomers immediately converted.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Sofitel Dubai The Palm
Sofitel Dubai The Palm brings French-accented luxury to the island’s western crescent – elegantly designed, generously proportioned, and with a pool and beach setup that makes it feel like a long-weekend in the south of France.
FAVOURITE STAYCATION: NORTHERN EMIRATES
WINNER: Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort
The UAE’s only overwater villas sit above a protected mangrove sanctuary – and Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort makes the most of its extraordinary setting at every turn. This is a Maldivian escape that, critically, requires no long-haul flight – just an easy hour’s drive north of Dubai.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: DoubleTree By Hilton Resort and Spa Marjan Island
DoubleTree By Hilton Resort and Spa Marjan Island is one of RAK’s most well-rounded escapes – a full-facility resort with a generous beach, reliable spa, and the kind of amenities that make a weekend feel genuinely restorative.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Rixos Bab Al Bahr
Rixos Bab Al Bahr earns its reputation through the sheer scope of its all-inclusive offer – multiple pools, a private beach, and entertainment that keeps families and couples equally well-served.
FAVOURITE BAR
WINNER: Mimi Kakushi
Recognised by both the World’s 50 Best Bars and the Michelin Guide, Mimi Kakushi is the bar that Dubai’s most discerning drinkers keep returning to. The 1920s Osaka-inspired setting at Four Seasons Dubai is immaculate, the cocktail programme is among the most thoughtful in the city, and it manages to feel like a discovery even when it’s full.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Aether Dubai
Perched inside W Dubai – The Palm, Aether Dubai has carved out a reputation for atmospheric bar experiences that match its dramatic setting, with a drinks list that rewards attention.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Amelia Dubai
Amelia Dubai brings a polished, European lounge sensibility to the city, with a bar programme and setting that have made it a firm favourite for after-work drinks and weekend evenings alike.
FAVOURITE SPA
WINNER: Talise Ottoman Spa, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray
The facts are compelling on their own: 8,200 square metres, 42 treatment rooms, three authentic Turkish hammams, and a 4.5-tonne Bohemian crystal chandelier overhead. But Talise Ottoman Spa at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray wins this award because the experience behind those numbers lives up to them. The Middle East’s largest spa, and still its most impressive.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Bianco SPA, Jumeirah Golf Estates
Bianco SPA at Jumeirah Golf Estates is the city’s most compelling neighbourhood luxury spa – one that gives residents in the area an in-emirate retreat that rivals anything on the hotel circuit.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Pearl Spa & Wellness, Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach
The Pearl Spa & Wellness benefits from the Four Seasons standard that runs through everything at the Jumeirah Beach address – impeccably trained therapists, considered treatment menus, and a facility that never feels anything less than pristine.
FAVOURITE PILATES STUDIO
WINNER: Tula Studios
Tula Studios wins this award for range as much as quality. Reformer Pilates, aerial barre, pre-natal classes, multiple locations across Dubai – and throughout, small classes led by instructors who care. In a city where the wellness market grows faster than the infrastructure to support it, Tula has scaled without losing the thing that makes boutique studios worth attending.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: BODY BASE
BODY BASE at JW Marriott Marquis has built a strong community around its Pilates programme – the kind that keeps the timetable full and the waiting list longer.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Paus Club
Paus Club has become one of the city’s most talked-about wellness spaces, earning its reputation through an environment that takes both the physical and the mental side of a workout seriously.
RESTAURANTS
FAVOURITE ALL-DAY DINING RESTAURANT
WINNER: Huqqabaz Dubai, Jumeirah
Huqqabaz Dubai does something genuinely well: it transitions. Leisurely Turkish breakfasts become a polished Anatolian evening lounge without the experience feeling forced or split. The shisha programme has been elevated thoughtfully, and the whole offer reads as considered rather than cobbled together – which is exactly what all-day dining should be.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: AMAYA
AMAYA continues to perform across breakfast, lunch and dinner with a consistency that earns loyal regulars and keeps its tables reliably occupied.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: SANA
SANA has carved a strong identity in the all-day dining space with an offer that feels both considered and accessible – the kind of place people return to on different occasions for different reasons.
FAVOURITE BRASSERIE
WINNER: Brasserie Uptown, SO/ Uptown Dubai
Led by a Normandy-born chef, Brasserie Uptown at the fashion-forward SO/ Uptown Dubai is the brasserie that knows what it is and executes it with clarity. Daily themed dinners, a terrace overlooking the Jumeirah Islands, and a classically grounded French kitchen that doesn’t need to announce itself.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Rare Brasserie & Bar
Rare Brasserie & Bar has established itself as one of the city’s most reliable evening destinations – confident cooking, a well-considered drinks list, and an atmosphere that makes it easy to stay longer than intended.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Maine Land Brasserie
The Maine Land Brasserie brings the group’s established formula to a mainland setting without losing any of the energy – a brasserie with genuine character and a crowd that knows it.
FAVOURITE BRUNCH: A LA CARTE
WINNER: Tête-à-Tête, FIVE LUXE JBR
Described as Dubai’s most beautiful restaurant, Tête-à-Tête at FIVE LUXE JBR is a lavender-ceilinged French Riviera jewellery box of a space where dinner evolves, naturally, into a party. The à la carte brunch format suits it perfectly – this is a room that rewards time spent in it.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Shi Restaurant
Shi Restaurant has built a strong brunch following through attentive service and a menu that feels personal rather than produced at scale.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Beam by Nick Alvis
The Beam by Nick Alvis brings serious culinary credentials to the brunch circuit – the cooking reflects the calibre of a chef who has earned his reputation the long way.
FAVOURITE RESTAURANT: NORTHERN EMIRATES
WINNER: Sanchaya, DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa Marjan Island
RAK’s dining scene has grown significantly, and Sanchaya at DoubleTree Marjan Island is its strongest argument. Waterfront terrace dining on the Gulf edge, a pan-Asian menu that stretches from Cambodian duck curry to miso black cod, and the emirate’s only dedicated night brunch – it is, by some margin, the most complete restaurant experience north of Dubai.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Mekong, Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort
Mekong at Anantara Mina is a strong Southeast Asian restaurant in a setting that makes every meal feel like an event – the mangrove views don’t hurt.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ula Beach RAK
Ula Beach RAK has arrived at exactly the right moment for the emirate’s tourism boom, offering a beach dining experience that feels contemporary and relaxed in equal measure.
