Dubai Food Festival (DFF), the city’s annual festival of food, is back, the 14-day, city-wide festival of food will return between 2-15 May 2022 to showcase Dubai’s most exciting culinary offerings. Returning for the ninth edition, this year’s festival will take guests on an immersive tour of a city home to more than 200 nationalities and renowned for its rich culinary diversity. DFF will showcase the best authentic homegrown cuisine and concepts created by Dubai’s local food heroes, as well as world acclaimed fine dining restaurants, experiences and masterclasses by leading chefs with views of Dubai’s iconic locations. Festival favourites, Dubai Restaurant Week and Foodie Experiences, will once again headline DFF with exclusive dining experiences. Bookings are now open and with limited spaces available, diners are encouraged to secure their seats now. Here’s what is in store from the flagship events this DFF: DUBAI RESTAURANT WEEK — in partnership with 40 of the city’s best restaurants, Dubai Restaurant Week (DRW) returns from 6 May with specially curated three course dinner menus starting from AED150 per person or two course lunch menus starting from AED95. Diners in the city will be able to enjoy irresistible dishes using the freshest ingredients – all at an attractive price that saves customers up to 50 percent when dining out. This year’s DRW welcomes some of the city’s most recognised restaurants, including some of those listed in MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 such as LOWE, Reif Japanese Kushiyaki and Indochine, as well as hotspots that have launched in 2021/22 such as 11 Woodfire and Tamoka. Diners will also be able to enjoy restaurants with iconic views and global names at special DRW prices, including 99 Sushi Bar and Restaurant, Hutong and Inti, to name a few. DRW bookings are now open and spaces are limited, so reservations must be made in advance. Bookings can be made through Open Table https://www.opentable.ae/ and the full list of restaurants can be found at www.dubaifoodfestival.com. FOODIE EXPERIENCES — those looking for unique, one-of-a-kind food adventures across Dubai, DFF will welcome the return of Foodie Experiences, which will run for the entire duration of DFF and feature a curated series of Dubai’s most anticipated and prominent chef tables, masterclasses, culinary collaborations as well as out-of-the-box experiential dining concepts that are exclusive to DFF. Highlights for this edition include a sushi making class with Chef Tatsu at 1004 Gourmet, multi-course menus from would-be-food-waste scraps at Lowe, as well as a Paella Masterclass at Suq Restaurant, among others. Reservations for all Foodie Experiences are required in advance, by contacting the chosen restaurant directly. If that isn’t enough to entice the most discerning foodie, diners in the city can expect more events as part of DFF 2022 to be announced soon, including appearances by celebrity chefs and specially curated menus by ‘Made in Dubai’ restaurants. DFF will also be celebrating Eid Al Fitr with Eid Big Breakfast – which will offer authentic breakfast experiences for both dine in and delivery, and cater for various nationalities and cultures across the city. There will also be one-time only promotions in malls across the city up for grabs and new to DFF 2022, residents will be able to identify their favourite Hidden Gem restaurants in the city with DFF’s Social Eats Competition, to be in with a chance of winning! Exclusive dining offers will also be up for grabs as part of Dubai Comedy Festival as well as dining deals, experiences and fun for the whole family at Time Out Market and Ripe Market, plus much more!