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The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is to launch a new regional ranking in 2022, covering North Africa, the Levant, the Gulf states and more.
Following on from the restaurant list’s expansion into Latin America and Asia, the organisation has identified a gap in the market and will from next year assemble a ranking of the best restaurants in a region whose thriving dining scene is often overlooked.
In 2022, the inaugural edition of Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be hosted in Abu Dhabi. The date for the diary is 7 February, and the ranking will include 50 restaurants from the 19-country region, from Morocco in the west, to Iran and Oman in the east.
Restaurants will be assessed by 250 voters across the MENA region, and will be more a reflection of the country’s rich and diverse food culture than a fine-dining ranking.
As usual, the build-up to the main event will include special awards: the Icon Award honouring an individual respected across the gastronomic sphere; the One To Watch Award highlighting a rising-star restaurant; and MENA’s Best Female Chef Award.
Food experts and chefs will convene in Abu Dhabi from 4-11 February 2022 for an extensive event programme, hosted in partnership with the city’s Department of Culture and Tourism as part of the Abu Dhabi Culinary Calendar. The #50BestTalksformat will feature as well as a series of collaborative dining events.
Countries included in the MENA region for the purposes of Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants are: Algeria; Bahrain; Egypt; Israel; Iran; Iraq; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Morocco; Oman; Palestine; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Syria; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; Yemen.
