2019 FACT Dining Awards: WINNERS

FACT Dubai Magazine hosted another glamorous awards ceremony for the third annual FACT Dining Awards, on November 12. The much-anticipated event, which heralds another successful year of operation for the publication in the city, was held at one of the Emirate’s most renowned hotpots, Wavebreaker at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah. Close to 400 guests were seen socialising and enjoying the laid-back ambience whilst savouring a variety of great food and drinks in the company of their industry peers, as the winners from the 40 categories were announced by former radio host and DJ maestro Saif and Sound.

The who’s who of Dubai’s hospitality sector turned out for the exciting ceremony turned lavish party, with top GMs, F&B Directors, Chefs, Marketing and PR professionals, as well as selected Dubai bloggers and social media influencers in attendance. Embodying FACT’s down-to-earth and fun approach, the event was a casual and classy affair with lots of fabulous food, free-flowing drinks and a lively vibe.

Speaking after the event, Edward Smith, Publishing Director at Nans Group Publishing, said: “Now in our third year, the FACT Dining Awards has become a highlight on the hospitality calendar in Dubai, and an event that we are very honoured to host. It’s our privilege to be able to recognise and award the efforts of all the excellent food and beverage outlets here in the city.

“The dining scene in Dubai is so diverse and dynamic, with so many loved venues alongside exciting new ventures opening up all the time. As members of the media, it is our duty to give credit to the hundreds of venues that are such a big part of daily life here in Dubai,” he added.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners, and to every single nominee – you are the heartbeat of this great city and this is just our way of showing appreciation for your continued hard work. It’s incredible to see the mutual support shared and received between the media and the hospitality industry in Dubai, especially because there are just so many high-quality venues. The competition is tough, which only means that the standard of food gets better and better every year.

“We thank everyone who came out and helped us to commend the best in the culinary game, and we’ll be back next year with more to celebrate,” he said.

The FACT Dining Awards recognises excellence in the food and beverage industry, with winners awarded based on both public vote and critics’ opinion. Each category was given two awards, the BEST and the FAVOURITE. The latter is the result of a popular choice decided through online voting, and the former is the critics’ choice decided by an independent panel of food bloggers, the FACT editorial team and industry experts in Bahrain.

This year, a staggering 45,000 unique votes were cast online by diners in Dubai. Some of the standout accolades included Best Newcomer – Fine Dining which was awarded to Tasca by Jose Avillez at Mandarin Oriental, Jumeira whilst the Favourite Newcomer – Fine Dining went to Akira Back at W Dubai – The Palm. The overall Best Restaurant in Dubai for 2019 went to the ever-innovative Tresind at Voco Dubai and the public spoke once more to award the immensely-popular La Petite Maison as overall Favourite Restaurant in Dubai for 2019. Other notable wins included 5-star hotels like The Ritz-Carlton Dubai, JBR,  The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, Five The Palm, Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, and JW Marriott Marquis Dubai to name but a few. A slew of independent and homegrown venues also walked away with accolades, namely Nola Social Eatery for Best Caribbean & North American, Alici on Bluewaters Island for

Favourite Seafood, and Seven Sisters for Favourite Rooftop Bar, amongst others.