Middle Child

Dubai

Craveable cooking from a Beirut-born rising star

Lynn Hazim, the cook, host and former Google analyst behind Middle Child, has something unique to offer Dubai's culinary scene. In a city awash with glass-fronted mall-style restaurants, Hazim has designed Middle Child as a home away from home.

Part restaurant, cookbook shop and pantry, no-reservations Middle Child is a haven for gourmets. The all-day menu features simple dishes perfected by Hazim, who has spent the last 10 years writing recipes for her blog, Instagram account and supper clubs. Think: ribbons of pappardelle with rich bolognese, simmered for hours; steak with jammy onions and a towering pile of French fries; or sour cream and onion dip with salty Ritz crackers for dunking.

Many of the ingredients used in the dishes at Middle Child, which opened in 2025, can be found on the beautifully arranged wooden shelves lining the walls of the restaurant, taking the culinary experience curated by Hazim into people's homes. Deeply inspired by cookbooks and food writing, Hazim's choice to sell cookbooks alongside her menu means diners can flip through the pages of Middle Child's library, perhaps inspired by the experience to create something of their own.

Middle Child calls AlSerkal Avenue, a warehouse-lined centre of arts and culture in Dubai, home. Here, most venues are locally owned. It's a place where you're likely to walk into any store, gallery or restaurant and find the owner lining up shelves or clearing plates – something Hazim says is a rarity in Dubai's restaurant scene.

Named after Hazim's experiences growing up in Lebanon in a food-obsessed family as a middle child, this winner of the One To Watch Award, as part of Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, is getting its well-deserved time in the limelight.

Read the interview with chef Lynn Hazim and watch the video:

The American Express One To Watch Award recognises a rising star restaurant within the MENA region which 50 Best believes has the potential to break into the list in the years to come. Its winner is selected by the 50 Best team based on the votes of its Academy and specific editorial criteria. 

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