Exchange Grill
There are times when all you want is a steak, and nowhere in the country does it better than Exchange Grill. Throw in a Malbec and a few sides (make sure one of them is the fries with truffle oil and parmesan) and then when you’re done, head to the room next door to the dark leather-seated lounge for cigars and single malts. It really is one of the finest evenings any man could ask for.
Fairmont Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, (+971 4 311 8316)
fairmont.com/dubai/dining/theexchangegrill
Prime 68
The American chef has brought flourishes from home including bourbon sweet potato mash topped with marshmallows and whoopee pie, while the wagyu meatballs with melted tomatoes would grace any top Italian restaurant. You can’t reinvent the steakhouse (in the end it’s about the meat) but you can find top additions to ensure the menu offers something new. A great restaurant.
JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai (+971 4 414 3000)
jwmarriottmarquisdubailife.com/dining/prime68
55 & 5th
This may well be the swankiest restaurant in Abu Dhabi. Everything about the interior is impressive, from the elevated wine loft (where you can also dine) to the Riedel glasses, carafes and the Laguiole steak knives. Luckily, the food matches the decor and atmosphere. Expect fine-dining dishes with attention to details and notably high-quality steak cuts.
The St. Regis Saadiyat Is land, Abu Dhabi (+971 2 498 8008)
55and5thabudhabi.com
Hunters Room & Grill
Meat is celebrated and elevated amid the flourishes of leatherbound menus, twelve types of salt, light amuse bouche dishes and deep, bold reds. It’s the meat (and chips) however, that makes this place so hugely impressive. And for the true connoisseur, there is a sublime Australian Blackmore 9+Wagyu on the menu.
Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi (+971 4 399 4141)
huntersdubai.com
Blue Flame
The signature steak and seafood restaurant at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel has been one of the most underrated restaurants in the city for some time now. From the goat cheese and spinach muffins in place of starter bread to special signature sauces with your meat (i.e. garlic muddled with beef consommé) this is a place that knows it has competition and works hard to give you that bit extra. And they do it all exceptionally well.
Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Garhoud, Dubai (+971 4 230 8580)
jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/jumeirah-creekside-hotel/restaurants/blue-flame
Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill
Attention to detail and doing the simple things well with the best ingredients, this is what Pierre White’s grill does and the meat heavy British menu is consistently reliable and always impressive. It’s why he has three Michelin stars.
Fairmont Bab Al Bah. Abu Dhabi (+97 1 2 654 3238)
conraddubai.com/en/dining-and-entertainment/marco-pierre-white-grill
Rivington Grill
The menu is a rarely changing comfort, there’s always a nice atmosphere, the staff know their stuff and the food is of consistently high quality with every meal. It’s perhaps the most reliable go-to restaurant in the city. And that sticky toffee pudding is still perfect.
Souk Al Bahar, Dubai (+971 4 423 0903)
rivingtongrill.ae
Rib Room
Foams and frou-frou have their place, but here’s a restaurant for no-nonsense dining. The steaks from Canada, Australia and the US all wow, and the famed wagyu is used extensively to fine effect. The five-cheese dessert and range of reds completes the menu, but a booth here really is a throne in the court of fine meat-eating.
Emirates Towers, Dubai (+971 4 3 19 8088)
jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/jumeirah-emirates-towers/restaurants_bars/the-rib-room
Gaucho
Argentinian food is more than just steak and Gaucho does all the other parts remarkably well. Simple starters like the chorizo sausage with roasted red pepper, balsamic and olive oil are fantastic, the pandebono breads are incredible and the staff here are among the best in Dubai.
DIFC, Dubai (+971 4 422 7898)
www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk/restaurants/