The results are in on the top spots to dine in our neck of the woods. Global gastronome 50 Best has released its annual ranking of MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants, receiving the stamp of approval from S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna and Lavazza on its way out.

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How did we fare? Khufu’s cracked the top five, being the only restaurant based outside of Dubai to do so. The restaurant boasts an unmatched view of the Giza Pyramids and reimagined local dishes.

Khufu’s is joined by six other Egyptian restaurants on the list, including Zooba in 21st place (up from 24th last year), Kazoku in 24th place (down from 12th), Sachi Cairo and Sachi Giza in 27th and 40th place respectively (the Cairo branch up from 33rd and the Giza branch down from 15th), Izakaya in 34th place (up from 30th), and newcomer to the list Reif Kushiyaki in 47th place.

Our seven restaurants made us the second most decorated city, following the undefeated Dubai with 19 eateries on the list. Dubai has consistently topped the rankings since 50 Best’s regional launch in 2022, with Orfali Bros Bistro, a catalog veteran, scoring the highest this year. Amman was hot on our heels with six restaurants mentioned — while we had a higher number of restaurants on the docket, Amman’s six offerings scored higher than our seven.

How do restaurants make the cut? 50 Best operates on a voting system much like The Oscars’ Academy, polling almost 1.1k constituents from 27 international regions — each with a panel of 40 voters —, all of whom are food experts. Each voter submits 10 restaurants that they must have visited at least once within the previous 18 months, with a maximum of 6 of the votes being located in the voter’s home region — members cannot vote for restaurants they own or have financial ties to. Consultancy firm Deloitte independently adjudicates the data.

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