Taste, Vote and Win: Dubai Food Festival Hidden Gems is Back!

Wednesday, February 6, 2019/ Editor -

Hidden Gems returns to Dubai Food Festival 2019, shining a light on 40 of the city’s undiscovered culinary treasures
Residents can vote for their favourite restaurants through the Zomato app until 25 February with the Top 10 Hidden Gems to be announced on 2 March
Special menu promotion at all Hidden Gems restaurants just AED35 throughout DFF

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 06 February 2019: Dubai Food Festival (DFF) is set to bring back Hidden Gems, its annual list of the most appetizing culinary spots in the city – chosen by the city’s residents. Through a partnership with food app Zomato, DFF gives Dubai residents and visitors the power to vote for their favourites from 40 shortlisted restaurants and cafes. Ten lucky voters will stand a chance to win big with Zomato, with each taking home AED1,000 and a year-long Zomato Gold membership (terms and conditions apply).

Offering incredible flavours, the Hidden Gems are a pocket-friendly option to enjoy delicious meals every day of the week. To help the public try out food at multiple Hidden Gems before casting their votes, all 40 restaurants are offering a special DFF meal priced at AED35 per person from today until 2 March, with the 10 winners extending their menu until the festival ends on 9 March. All set menus can be viewed on individual restaurant pages on Zomato’s website and their app, with an option for delivery.

This year’s shortlist reflects the diverse dining options across Dubai, from little eateries tucked into the streets of Al Muraqqabat, Al Rigga and Karama in Old Dubai, to lesser-known food havens in Downtown Dubai and JLT. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from including unique cuisine combinations like Mexican and Filipino as well as various vegan-friendly and gluten-free options. The list is also a must-try for those looking to taste Emirati flavours and recipes within the city. The Chicken Madfoon from Bait Al Mandi is a sight (and taste) to behold while the Balaleet and Khoboz Khameer from LocalAwi puts a modern twist on classic Emirati breakfast dishes.

Voting is now open to the public until 25 February on www.dubaihiddengems.com through the Zomato website and app. Users can register on Zomato or log in with an existing account to cast their votes. While only one vote can be submitted once per restaurant, voters can revisit the Hidden Gems page multiple times during the voting period to vote for other shortlisted restaurants. The list of top 10 Hidden Gems will be announced on 2 March.

The complete Hidden Gems shortlist is below:

Restaurant name	Cuisine	Location
Bait Al Mandi Restaurant	Emirati	Al Barsha
LocalAwi	Emirati	Al Barsha
Socialicious	Thai, Vegetarian	Jumeirah Village
Eat Artisanal	Mediterranean	Business Bay
Asian5	Asian	Downtown Dubai
Spicy & Ginger	Thai	Za'abeel
Shanghai Kitchen	Chinese	Al Satwa
Indulgence Cafe	Indian, Pakistani	International City
All Fresh	Fast Food	Za'abeel
Sai Dham Vegetarian Restaurant	Indian, Chinese	Oud Metha
House of Pizza	Pizza	Palm Jumeirah
Two Seasons Restaurant	Indian, Chinese	Al Karama
MTR - 1924	Indian	Al Karama
Sticky Rice	Thai	Jumeirah Village
Golden Myanmar Restaurant (Chang Cheng)	Chinese, Indonesian, Thai	Al Quoz
312 Cafe	Cafe, Fast Food	Al Sufouh
Qiso Cafe	Fast Food Cafe	Dubai Silicon Oasis
Ketli Café	Indian	Al Karama
Chalet Grill Plus	Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese	Al Barsha
Cancios Restaurant	Mexican, Filipino	Al Muraqqabat
El Greco	Greek	Jumeirah 1
Bangkok Town	Thai	Hor Al Anz
New Asia Flavours	Indian, Chinese	Discovery Gardens
Danial	Iranian, Indian, Seafood	Al Safa
Cedar Tree	Lebanese	Motor City
Samarkand Restaurant	Pakistani, Indian	Al Barsha
New Marina Restaurant	Arabian, Chinese, Indian	Al Rigga
Healthy Little Secrets	Healthy Food	Business Bay
Thai Time	Thai	Al Safa
Lakeside Spice	Indian	Business Bay
Wok's Den	Asian Street Food	Jumeirah 1
Khana Khazana - Ibis Styles Hotel	Indian	Al Hudaiba
Spice Hut	Pakistani, Chinese	Mirdif
The Desi Circle	Street Food, Indian	Al Karama
Baker Street Cafe	Cafe, Bakery	Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT)
Al Falamanki	Lebanese	Jumeirah 2
Catfish	Healthy Food, African	Business Bay
Unforgettable Biryani	Pakistani, Filipino	Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT)
Sultan Dubai Falafel Restaurant	Arabian, Middle Eastern	Deira
Dil Se Desi	Chinese, North Indian, Indian, Bengali	Bur Dubai