Abu Dhabi’s culinary calendar just got serious. The MICHELIN Guide Food Festival Abu Dhabi 2025 returns from 21 to 23 November at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. This year’s edition brings together some of the planet’s most decorated chefs for three days of extraordinary dining.
It’s not just another food event. This festival has become the UAE’s most credible stage for global gastronomy. Experience Abu Dhabi and Nespresso are backing it, and the lineup reads like a wishlist from every serious diner’s bucket list.
The Michelin Food Festival in Abu Dhabi caught me by surprise last time — I went expecting a fancy showcase, but it turned into this sprawling, lively mix of booths, live cooking demos and people crowding around tables like it was a street market. I stood in line for a tiny portion of something from one of the starred chefs and ended up talking to the guy next to me for 20 minutes about how Abu Dhabi’s food scene has quietly levelled up over the past few years. The air smelled like charred meat, fresh herbs and whatever magic was happening on the grills, and by the time the sun dropped the whole place lit up with strings of lights and music drifting from the main stage. It wasn’t stuffy or pretentious — just good food, good energy, and that rare feeling of being part of something bigger than your own table. If you’re heading there in 2025, wear comfortable shoes, bring an appetite and don’t try to plan every bite. Wander, taste what looks interesting, chat with strangers, and let the night pull you along. You’ll leave fuller and happier than you expected.
Why This Year Feels Different
Abu Dhabi has quietly matured into a destination that chefs actually want to visit. Not as a stopover, but as a place worth showcasing their best work. The 2025 roster proves it—Three MICHELIN Star veterans, innovative home-grown talent, and chefs who’ve built empires on authenticity alone.
The festival bridges cultures in ways few events manage. You’ll find Japanese yakitori masters plating beside Texan pitmasters, Swiss Alpine innovators sharing space with Singaporean spice merchants. It’s chaotic in the best way, and it works because the city itself is a crossroads.
Stefan Stiller: Four Decades of Discipline
Chef Stefan Stiller helms Taian Table in Shanghai, a Three MICHELIN Star temple to European-Asian precision. He’s been cooking for over 40 years, starting in the small German town of Celle before landing in China’s culinary capital.
His dishes are architectural—every element balanced, every flavour intentional. Stiller doesn’t chase trends. He refines classics until they become something elevated yet familiar. At the festival, expect his signature tasting menu style: intricate plating that tells stories through texture and restraint.
Mano Thevar: Spice, Memory, and Modern Soul
Singapore’s Thevar holds Two MICHELIN Stars, and Chef Mano Thevar’s cooking feels like a homecoming. He grew up in Penang, learned classical technique in Europe, then returned to his Indian roots with fresh eyes.
His plates are vibrant and deeply personal. South Indian aromatics meet Japanese ingredients and French finesse. It’s the kind of cooking that makes you pause mid-bite because it’s sparked a memory you didn’t know you had. His Abu Dhabi menu will likely lean into that nostalgia—bold, colourful, unapologetically emotional.
Mitja Birlo: Swiss Mountains Meet Desert Heat
Chef Mitja Birlo runs The Counter in Switzerland, a Two MICHELIN Starred restaurant known for Alpine ingredients and painterly plating. His food looks like contemporary art but tastes grounded—rooted in seasons, landscapes, and respect for produce.
Birlo’s philosophy centres on connection. To the earth, to the farmer, to the diner. His festival appearance will showcase Swiss precision with unexpected Middle Eastern warmth. Think mountain herbs, olive wood, and dishes that feel like poetry translated into taste.
Peter Cuong Franklin: Vietnam Reimagined
Ănăn Saigon earned its One MICHELIN Star by turning Vietnamese street food into fine dining without losing its soul. Chef Peter Cuong Franklin trained at Le Cordon Bleu after a stint in finance, but his real education came from watching his mother cook in Da Lat.
His dishes are love letters—bánh xèo tacos, pho carpaccio, flavours that bridge tradition and modernity. Franklin’s storytelling resonates in the UAE, a place built by immigrants chasing dreams. Expect warmth, nostalgia, and plates that feel like they’re speaking directly to you.
John Bates: Texas Smoke Meets Global Refinement
Chef John Bates brings InterStellar BBQ from Austin, Texas. It’s One MICHELIN Starred, which is rare for barbecue, and it’s earned through decades of obsessive craft. Bates treats smoke like a language—patient, communal, generous.
His festival menu will likely fuse charred Texas intensity with fine dining elegance. Over 30 years in hospitality taught him that great food isn’t just technique. It’s teamwork, timing, and the magic that happens when fire meets fat at exactly the right moment.
Ron Hsu: Family Legacy on Every Plate
Lazy Betty in Atlanta holds One MICHELIN Star and a backstory that makes you root for it. Chef Ron Hsu named it after his mother, turning his family’s immigrant journey into a dining experience that feels like a warm embrace.
Raised in Georgia by Taiwanese parents, Hsu learned hospitality before he learned haute cuisine. His tasting menus are meticulous but never cold—elegant, inclusive, and deeply human. His appearance underscores what modern fine dining has become: less about exclusivity, more about connection.
Augusto Garcia: Argentina’s Vineyard Voice
Zonda Cocina De Paisaje sits inside Mendoza’s historic Lagarde winery, and Chef Augusto Garcia’s cooking is all about terroir. He works with local tomatoes, olives, herbs, and pomegranates, transforming them into dishes that express Argentina’s wine country heartbeat.
For Abu Dhabi, Garcia will bring flavours from South American vineyards to desert luxury. His storytelling celebrates slow living, sustainability, and sensory discovery—values that align perfectly with the MICHELIN ethos of excellence through authenticity.
Abe Tomohiko: The Quiet Power of Yakitori
Yakitori Abe earned its Bib Gourmand through decades of discipline. Chef Abe Tomohiko grills each skewer with precision and respect, embodying the ancient art of Japanese simplicity. Every piece of chicken tells a story of balance and restraint.
His participation marks a milestone for Abu Dhabi’s food scene—Japanese craft meeting Middle Eastern appreciation for mastery. Expect elemental cooking: pure, smoky, quietly transcendent. No fuss, just perfection over glowing coals.
Beyond the Chefs: A Festival for Everyone
This isn’t just a series of exclusive dinners. The festival sprawls across Emirates Palace gardens with live cooking stations, workshops, and cultural performances. Families, food lovers, and industry professionals all get something to explore.
MICHELIN Star Table Dinners offer limited-edition tasting menus where visiting chefs collaborate with local restaurants. Expect experimental pairings, interactive presentations, and the hum of a city that genuinely loves eating beautifully. Tickets start from AED 85, with free entry for children under 12—rare accessibility for an event of this prestige.
Abu Dhabi’s Culinary Transformation
The capital has quietly evolved into a gastronomic powerhouse. MICHELIN-starred establishments, innovative Emirati chefs, and a growing appetite for culinary tourism have positioned it as a bridge between East and West.
Events like this festival amplify that reputation. Abu Dhabi isn’t just hosting global talent—it’s shaping global dining trends. Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental reinforces the city’s luxury hospitality brand whilst the chef lineup deepens its credibility on the world stage.
Why It Matters
The MICHELIN Guide Food Festival Abu Dhabi 2025 represents more than indulgence. It’s a statement about where the UAE sits culturally. This is a place that values craftsmanship, celebrates diversity, and invests in experiences that last beyond a single meal.
With Experience Abu Dhabi and Nespresso as partners, the festival integrates world-class gastronomy with the Emirate’s broader vision of cultural sophistication. It’s a blueprint for tourism’s future—one that speaks through flavour, community, and sustainability.
As the third edition unfolds, the festival has moved beyond novelty. It’s become an institution, and one that residents should take seriously. Whether you’re a diner who lives for these moments or someone curious about what makes food worth celebrating, this November offers something genuinely rare.
More Info
The festival runs from 21 to 23 November 2025 at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi.
The lineup includes Stefan Stiller, Mano Thevar, Mitja Birlo, Peter Cuong Franklin, John Bates, Ron Hsu, Augusto Garcia, and Abe Tomohiko from MICHELIN-recognised restaurants worldwide.
Tickets start from AED 85, with free entry for children under 12 years old.
Visitors can enjoy live cooking stations, culinary workshops, interactive tastings, cultural performances, and MICHELIN Star Table Dinners featuring collaborative menus.