Dubai in summer gets a bad reputation it doesn't fully deserve. Yes, the heat sends most of the city indoors, but that's exactly when the restaurant scene tightens up and gets interesting, fewer tourist traffic, more room at the good tables, and kitchens that finally have the bandwidth to do their best work instead of just surviving a Friday brunch rush. This is our shortlist for the next few months, built around the spots doing something worth talking about right now. 

Mimi Kakushi

Jumeirah Beach Road. 1920s Osaka by way of jazz-age nostalgia, if 1920s Osaka had prawn popcorn tempura and foie gras on the menu. Loud, stylish, and unbothered by the idea that Japanese food needs to whisper.

Kinoya

The Greens. No pretense, no frills, just the best ramen in the city from a chef who started this as a sold-out supper club before it was ever a restaurant. Most dishes under 50 dirhams, which in Dubai counts as a miracle.

Kokoro

Al Serkal Avenue. Forty-four seats, a wall of rubber ducks, and hand rolls built to order in front of you. No reservations, so go with time to spare and an appetite for A5 Wagyu.

Manāo

Jumeirah 1. A Michelin star five months after opening, from the team behind Orfali Bros. Eleven courses of Thai food that respects the source material without imitating it. 

WAWA Dining

Al Barsha. Tucked behind a hotel, easy to miss, hard to forget. Japanese-Korean izakaya plates and a miso black cod worth the drive.

Images courtesy of respective outlets.