Why Syrian food ‘has gone kind of global’ and is starring on World’s Best Restaurants lists, and the chefs for whom the cuisine preserves their identity
- The recent rise of Middle Eastern food has put the cuisine of war-torn Syria in the spotlight. Restaurants serving it have opened from Dubai to New York
- Syrian chefs at the forefront of its spread talk about what the national cuisine is, how they adapt it to local tastes, and ‘bringing people together’
When Mohamad Orfali, the head chef and co-owner of Orfali Bros. Bistro in Dubai, received an email in January 2022 from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants group, he thought it was junk mail.
He had to read the message three or four times before he believed that the dining room he leads with his two brothers, Omar and Wassim, was shortlisted on the annual list of best restaurants in the Middle East and Africa region.
He then “sat in the corner of the kitchen and started crying”.
A few months later, Orfali Bros debuted at No 6 on the region’s 2022 list. In 2023, Orfali Bros. was named No 1 on the Middle East and North Africa World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
The achievement, Orfali says, wasn’t easy, particularly in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where competition from high-profile chain restaurants and hotel dining rooms is intense. But the chef believed his Syrian-inspired bistro would find an audience.
