Taste of Dubai 2025: 3 days, 16 restaurants, zero self-control

Taste of Dubai is one of those weekends where “I’ll just pop in for a quick bite” turns into eight plates, three live bands and a random BBQ workshop.

The festival takes over Dubai Media City Amphitheatre for three days, bringing together 16 restaurants, celebrity chefs, live music, workshops and an artisan market. It’s marketed as Dubai’s biggest celebration of food, drink and music – and for once, the slogan isn’t lying. 

Dates, location and what kind of festival this is

Taste of Dubai is a weekend festival built around food first, with music and activities layered on top.

• 3-day festival at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre
• 2025 edition: 14–16 February (Friday to Sunday) 
• Single site with stages, restaurants, bars and activity zones
• Tickets sold via Platinumlist from the official “Get Tickets” button 

The festival runs across one outdoor venue, so once you’re in, everything is walkable. Media City Amphitheatre is already a regular home for concerts and big events, so expect proper staging, sound and crowd flow – not a random car park situation.

If you’re planning your food calendar across the UAE, it sits nicely alongside other big events like Taste of Abu Dhabi and Alserkal’s What The Food weekend, which turn November and October into busy months for food fans too. 

Food: 16 restaurants, 4–5 dishes each

Food is the backbone of Taste of Dubai. The organisers cap the line-up at 16 restaurants and treat the selection like a curated playlist. 

• 16 “carefully selected” restaurants from across Dubai
• Mix of award winners, buzzy newcomers and crowd favourites 
• Each restaurant serves 4–5 dishes
• One “Taste Exclusive” dish only available during the festival weekend 

In practice, that means you can graze across half the city without leaving the grass. Menus are built around taster portions, so you’re not stuck with one heavy main dish and instant food regret. That festival-exclusive item is usually where chefs show off – think limited-edition sliders, OTT desserts or twists on signature plates.

If you want to stretch your food budget outside the festival weekend, it’s worth bookmarking guides like 10 best cheap restaurants in Dubai for under AED 100. Same city, much cheaper plates. 

🍽️ Restaurants at Taste of Dubai 2025

Chefs, cook schools and firepits

It’s not just “grab food and sit on the grass”. Taste leans hard into workshops and chef interaction.

• Celebrity chefs from around the world lead demos and classes 
• Dedicated Cook School and Taste Chefs Hub for hands-on sessions
• Taste Firepit sessions for BBQ and open-fire cooking tips 
• Mix of bookable and first-come, first-served workshop spots

If you’re the “watch cooking reels at 1am” type, this is your playground. Workshops tend to be practical – knife skills, pasta, BBQ basics, plating – rather than fluffy menu talks. The Firepit sessions skew more smoke and sizzle, with pitmasters sharing how long things actually take on the grill (spoiler: longer than your usual Friday barbecue).

Best hack: treat these workshops like main acts on a festival schedule. Pick two or three you actually care about, then build your eating and wandering around them.

👨‍🍳 Chefs at Taste of Dubai 2025

• Marco Pierre White 
• Alvin Leung 
• Dani García 
• Annabel Karmel 
• Akmal Anuar 
• Eric Lanlard 
• José Pizarro 
• Hattem Mattar 
• Fred Casagrande 
• Jenny Morris 
• Andrew Dickens 
• Joseph Nesbitt‑Larking 
• Cameron Lamb 
• Tarek Ibrahim 

Music, vibes and the VIP angle

The festival is built to keep you there from daylight to late evening, which is where the music comes in.

• Live bands, DJs and acoustic sets across two main music areas 
• Extra music zone inside the Taste VIP Lounge
• Licensed outlets spread around the site for drinks 
• Mix of upbeat sets and more relaxed, end-of-night energy

You can easily do Taste of Dubai as a “food first, music in the background” day, or turn it into a full-on night out with friends. The VIP Lounge adds seating, bar access and its own music, so if you hate queuing and hovering for tables, that might be the move.

Licensed outlets handle everything from mocktails and soft drinks to house beverages, so you don’t need to hunt for a bar – they’re baked into the site plan.

🎯 What you can do at Taste of Dubai 2025

• NOOR Cooking Adventure — interactive cooking demos using NOOR Oil, free food tastings, plus games, a kids’ zone (art, balloon-making) and fun activities for adults. 
• Dibba Bay Oyster Shuck Off — oyster-shucking competition with chefs, masterclasses, tasting (raw and grilled oysters), and oyster + beverage pairing sessions. Includes an amateur-shucking competition open to festival-goers. 
• Maison Perrier Lounge — a chill lounge bar where you can try the new range of Maison Perrier drinks, mocktails by local mixologists, and take part in light interactive games while sipping. 
• Majlis (Official Launch) — launch of a new halal-certified non-alcoholic brew (Arabian ale) on 14 February. A sampling & beverage-experience feature (non-alcoholic). 
• Exhibitors & Artisan Vendors / Artisan Market — browse stalls from local and emerging small brands, food producers, craft vendors, plus chances to shop snacks, ingredients, condiments and other foodie finds. 
• Music and Live Entertainment — music areas across the venue, covering DJs, live bands and different vibes from day to night; licensed outlets for drinks; suitable for a full-on evening night out. 

Beyond eating: markets, brands and things to do

When you need a break from stuffing your face, the site has enough distractions to keep things interesting.

• Taste Artisan Market with small and emerging brands 
• Exhibitors ranging from local makers to bigger household names 
• Brand activations, sampling stands and mini experiences 
• Licensed outlets plus chill spaces dotted between stages

Expect stalls selling sauces, snacks, condiments, coffee, kitchen bits and the odd “I don’t need this but I’m buying it” gadget. Brands usually come armed with freebies and competitions, so it can feel like a foodie version of GITEX’s exhibition floor – just with more carbs and fewer enterprise cloud demos.

If you’re not from Dubai and you’re using Taste as an excuse for a quick trip, the festival site itself is central enough that you can bolt on a Marina, JBR or Palm food crawl before or after. Our Food section on Tbreak is a decent rabbit hole if you want more restaurant ideas. 

Taste of Dubai 2025 – FAQs

Written by

Share

Copied