Curators/Dubai
Meet the people behind Dubai’s most trusted dining recommendations. Each Moqa Curator owns a niche they genuinely live, from specialty coffee to fine dining, and shares a personal guide to the spots worth your time and money. No algorithms, no paid placements, just real taste from people who’ve done the eating for you.
12 curators·98 places·0 sponsored picks
Dubai · 12 curators
01Business lunch regular
Orla Whitebread
Boujee Before 3PM: Dubai’s Best Business Lunches
@orlawhitebread·07 places
+302Date-night curator
Letty Ghosn
The Best Date Spots: Good Food & Beautiful Ambience
@letty_ghosn·07 places
+303Aesthetics lover
Aurora Garcia
Not Everything Beautiful is Worth Visiting. These Dubai Venues Are.
@aauroragarcia·07 places
+304Work-from-café nomad
Rhea Mirani
A Sensory-Sensitive Guide: Dubai Cafés You Can Actually Think In
@byrheamirani·08 places
+405Hidden gems scout
Sonia & Vishnu
Dubai’s Best-Kept Secrets: The ‘Anti Viral’ Guide
@transatlanticfoodies·07 places
+306Aesthetics lover
Ty Gaskins
Dubai Restaurants Where the Room Is the Main Course
@tygaskins·10 places
+607Luxury diner
Nada Abaza
Dubai Dining That Justifies the Bill
@nadbazz·07 places
+308Bakery connoisseur
Nikita Bhatia
A Pastry Chef’s Unfiltered Verdict: Dubai’s Best Bakeries
@_.nikitabhatia·09 places
+509Luxury diner
Vailey Kim
Dubai Restaurants for More Than Just a Good Dinner
@heetico_co·07 places
+310Luxury diner
Vama Kothari
An Editor’s Guide to Dubai’s Best Rooftop Dining
@vamakotharii·07 places
+311Aesthetics lover
Karishma Sakhrani
Dubai Restaurants That Are Too Pretty to Gatekeep
@karishma_sakhrani·07 places
+312Luxury diner
Rhoda Belle Napala
Fine Dining Experiences Worth Every Course
@rhodabellen·15 places
+11More curators coming
The next niche could be yours.
Apply for a spotApplications open
Think you’re the friend everyone texts before booking?
That instinct deserves a page. Apply with your niche and the places you stand by: your face, your name, your list, alongside the people above. Every application is reviewed personally.
One curator per niche. If yours is open, it’s yours.
The program
Latest addition: Rhoda Belle Napala · August 2026
A Moqa Curator is a Dubai local with one niche they genuinely live — specialty coffee, bakeries, work-friendly cafés, luxury dining, hidden gems — and one published guide to the places they stand by. Every guide is written in the curator’s own words, and every venue on it is somewhere they have visited and would spend their own money on. Their notes also appear on venue cards across Discover and Happening, right where you’re deciding.
Curators are selected through an open application that every applicant completes personally: their niche, their list of picks, and a written note on each place explaining why it earns a spot. Applications are reviewed individually — we look for a distinct niche, a real history with the places, and notes that read like a friend’s advice rather than a press release. One curator per niche keeps every list accountable to a name and a face.
No curator is paid by venues, and no venue can buy its way onto a list — the same zero-sponsorship rule as Moqa’s Chef’s Picks. Guides stay live: picks, ratings and offers refresh from the Moqa index, and the roster above grows as new curators pass review.
Verbatim, from their applications
Orla WhitebreadBusiness lunch regular“I’ve been reviewing Dubai restaurants since the day I moved here, sharing my thoughts and expertise both editorially and across social media. After five years of eating my way around the city every single week, from the newest openings to the institutions that have stood the test of time, I genuinely live and breathe Dubai dining.”
Boujee Before 3PM: Dubai’s Best Business LunchesLetty GhosnDate-night curator“As someone who grew up in Dubai, I know that there are so many new spots to discover but I’m quite picky about what makes a place worth coming back to and recommending. I do appreciate a good aesthetic but I care just as much about the food, service and overall experience. Think of my picks as tried-and-tested favourites.”
The Best Date Spots: Good Food & Beautiful AmbienceQuestions
Every curator applies through the open application at moqa.ae/curators/apply: their niche, their list of picks, and a written note on each place explaining why it earns a spot. Applications are reviewed personally — we look for a distinct niche, a genuine history with the places, and notes that read like a friend's advice. One curator per niche keeps every list accountable to a name and a face.
No. Curators are not paid by venues, venues cannot buy their way onto a list, and there are no affiliate placements. Every pick is somewhere the curator has personally visited and would spend their own money on, and their notes are published verbatim.
Guides are assembled live from Moqa's venue index, so ratings, offers and venue details are current on every visit. Curators add and swap picks as their lists evolve, each guide carries an updated label, and the masthead itself grows as new curators launch — most recently with new additions each month.
Aurora GarciaAesthetics lover“Dubai has been my playground for the past few years, thanks to my career in luxury hospitality and fashion. I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit discovering the city’s best restaurants, cafés and hotels. My standards are high, but the places that make this list always get the details right.”
Not Everything Beautiful is Worth Visiting. These Dubai Venues Are.Rhea MiraniWork-from-café nomad“Known for not being able to sit in one place and taking every chance to try new foods, somewhere between picky and precise and known as the recommendation queen. Rhea's work ethic is no different, don't overstimulate her and give her good food + coffee, her output is excellent!”
A Sensory-Sensitive Guide: Dubai Cafés You Can Actually Think InSonia & VishnuHidden gems scout“We're Sonia & Vishnu, a husband-and-wife duo who have spent years exploring restaurants, cafés and hidden corners across the world. Every recommendation is somewhere we've personally visited and loved, chosen for quality, atmosphere and the story behind it - not because it's gone viral.”
Dubai’s Best-Kept Secrets: The ‘Anti Viral’ GuideTy GaskinsAesthetics lover“I’ve always been drawn to places that tell a story, whether it’s a beautifully designed dining room, or a restaurant that captures a city’s spirit. I founded Sahtein Club, a membership club celebrating hospitality and memorable experiences. My editorial work in food, culture, and design journalism has taken me behind the scenes, always looking for what makes a place worth returning to.”
Dubai Restaurants Where the Room Is the Main CourseNada AbazaLuxury diner“My days basically revolve around the food I will eat and I’m not easily impressed. I’m the person everyone texts asking where to eat because I refuse to recommend anywhere I wouldn’t pay for myself. Good food gets a second visit. Great food gets forced onto all my friends.”
Dubai Dining That Justifies the BillNikita BhatiaBakery connoisseur“Born and raised in Dubai, then moved to Paris where my subjects were basically flour, sugar, butter and eggs, so yes, I do have very strong opinions about croissants. That turned into a personality, and now I'm on a serious buttery mission to find Dubai's best bakeries - so your money goes to the ones actually worth it.”
A Pastry Chef’s Unfiltered Verdict: Dubai’s Best BakeriesVailey KimLuxury diner“Dubai’s been home for the past few years, and between modelling, travelling and my love for good food, I’ve found so many great spots around the city. I love places that look good but taste even better, especially when the flavours are bold, rich and satisfying. I’m especially obsessed with seafood and a really good cut of beef. So far, every friend who’s tried one of my recs has loved it.”
Dubai Restaurants for More Than Just a Good DinnerVama KothariLuxury diner“A former editor at a legacy UAE entertainment magazine, now trading the newsroom for passion projects and the slower work of building taste. Born and raised in the Gulf, she writes with a reporter’s eye and an insider’s ease across fashion, luxury and travel.”
An Editor’s Guide to Dubai’s Best Rooftop DiningKarishma SakhraniAesthetics lover“I judge restaurants the way most people judge first dates. The food has to impress, the interiors need personality, and the vibe has to make me want to stay for “just one more.” Being a MasterChef India finalist just means I’m a little harder to please. ;) If I’ve recommended a place, it’s because I genuinely love it.”
Dubai Restaurants That Are Too Pretty to GatekeepRhoda Belle NapalaLuxury diner“Filipina in the Dunes, I document my personal selections of Dubai’s most distinguished dining destinations, where gastronomy, ambiance, and hospitality meet. Each chapter is a curated reflection of the restaurants that define elegance and create unforgettable dining moments.”
Fine Dining Experiences Worth Every CourseYes — applications are open at moqa.ae/curators/apply. If you know someone whose recommendations you always trust, send them that page; every application is reviewed individually. Taste matters more than follower count.
Chef's Picks (moqa.ae/chefs) are recommendations from 50+ professional chefs — where the people who cook Dubai's best food actually eat. Curators are locals with one deeply-lived niche, from specialty coffee to hidden gems. Both follow the same rule: no ads, no paid rankings, no sponsored picks.
