Restaurant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Michelin-recognised Greek, worth booking in DIFC.
Avli by Tashas is Dubai's most credible Michelin-recognised Greek restaurant, holding consecutive Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025. Located in DIFC's Gate Village, it suits business dinners and special occasions at the $$$$ tier. Book well ahead — this is a hard reservation, particularly for groups and weekends.
Gate Village in the DIFC has a high density of credible dining rooms, and Avli by Tashas earns its place among them. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) signal consistent kitchen discipline, and a Google rating of 4.5 across more than 900 reviews confirms the room is delivering for a broad range of guests. If you want Greek cooking taken seriously in Dubai — not a beach taverna approximation, but a polished, $$$$ interpretation — this is where to go. Book in advance; this is a hard reservation to get on short notice.
The location inside Gate Village Building 9 puts Avli in the heart of Dubai's most concentrated fine dining corridor. That address matters: the DIFC crowd is exacting, expense accounts are real, and venues that don't perform get found out quickly. Avli has held its Michelin Plate recognition across two consecutive guide years, which in a market as competitive as Dubai is a meaningful signal of baseline quality, not a lucky one-off.
The atmosphere here leans toward the kind of composed, mid-volume energy you want from a $$$$ Greek restaurant. Think measured lighting, a room that allows conversation without requiring you to raise your voice, and a crowd that skews professional and international. It is not the place to come if you want the loose, convivial noise of a Greek island taverna , the DIFC setting and the price point both push in the opposite direction. For a livelier Greek atmosphere with comparable seriousness of cooking, Estiatorio Milos offers a useful contrast in register. If you are comparing Greek restaurants more broadly across cities, OMA in London and AGORA in London set a useful benchmark for what the format looks like at its most ambitious in Europe.
For anyone considering Avli for a private event or group dinner, the DIFC location is an asset. Gate Village draws corporate clientele as a matter of geography, and the restaurant's format , a polished Greek menu in a composed room , translates well to business entertaining and celebratory group meals. At the $$$$ price tier, the per-head spend is appropriate for occasions where the venue itself is part of the message.
What the main room delivers for groups of four to six is a relatively controlled noise environment compared to many Dubai dining rooms at this price point , an advantage if the dinner involves conversation that matters. For larger private configurations, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly to confirm what dedicated space is available, since seat count and private room specifics are not publicly confirmed in detail. What is clear from the Michelin recognition and review volume is that the kitchen has the consistency to hold up across a full table, which is not a given at this price tier. If you are weighing private dining options in Dubai more broadly, Trèsind Studio and Row on 45 offer contrasting formats worth considering depending on your brief.
Greek cuisine in Dubai does not have the depth of Japanese or Italian representation, which means the competition is narrow but the expectations from informed diners are high. Avli sits at the leading of that narrow field. For reference points outside Dubai, Mavrommatis in Paris, Akra in Athens, and Andros Taverna in Chicago each represent what Greek cooking looks like when handled with real intent. Avli's Michelin Plate recognition puts it in credible company within that global frame.
For Dubai visitors who want to explore the city's dining scene beyond Avli, FZN by Björn Frantzén and 11 Woodfire are the most interesting options in the modern cuisine category at a similar or lower price tier. See our full Dubai restaurants guide for a wider overview, and our Dubai hotels guide, Dubai bars guide, Dubai wineries guide, and Dubai experiences guide if you are planning a fuller trip. If you are moving between the UAE, Hakkasan in Abu Dhabi is worth noting as a comparable-tier option a short drive away. Greek dining references further afield include Krokodilos in London and Estiatorio Milos in Miami.
For Greek specifically, options in Dubai are limited , Avli is the most credible Michelin-recognised choice in the city. If you are open to other cuisines at the same $$$$ tier, Avatara delivers a strong Indian tasting menu and Al Mahara is the reference point for high-end seafood. For something at $$$ with serious kitchen credentials, Zuma remains one of Dubai's most consistent bookings. If the priority is modern cuisine rather than Greek, 11 Woodfire punches above its price tier.
Smart casual at a minimum, leaning toward smart. The DIFC setting and $$$$ price point mean the room skews well-dressed by default , think business casual for a weekday dinner and a step up for weekends. There is no published dress code, but trainers and beachwear will read as out of place. Dubai's fine dining norms generally hold here: dress as you would for any serious European restaurant at this price tier.
Greek cuisine naturally accommodates several common restrictions , vegetables, legumes, and seafood feature prominently in the format. That said, specific dietary accommodation details are not confirmed in public information, and there is no published phone number or website to verify in advance. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if dietary needs are specific or complex. Do not assume a Michelin-recognised kitchen at this price tier will be inflexible, but confirm rather than guess.
Possible, but not the obvious choice. At $$$$ with a format geared toward group and occasion dining, solo guests tend to feel more at ease at the bar or counter if available , and Avli's layout specifics are not publicly confirmed. Solo diners who want serious Greek food in a city with limited options will find the kitchen quality here worthwhile. If the solo experience matters as much as the food, a more counter-friendly venue in the DIFC area may be more comfortable. Worth calling ahead to ask about seating options.
Yes , this is one of the stronger cases for booking Avli. The Michelin Plate recognition, the DIFC address, the $$$$ price tier, and the composed atmosphere all align with what a special occasion dinner needs to deliver. The kitchen has demonstrated consistency across two guide years, which matters when the evening has to go right. For anniversaries or celebratory group dinners where Greek cuisine suits the brief, Avli is the correct call in Dubai. If you need a private room confirmed, reach out well in advance , hard bookings at this tier disappear fast.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avli BY TASHAS | $$$$ | Hard | — |
| 11 Woodfire | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Avatara Restaurant | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Al Mahara | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Zuma | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| City Social | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Greek cuisine is thinly represented in Dubai, so direct like-for-like alternatives are limited. For broader Mediterranean with similar DIFC convenience, Zuma covers Japanese-influenced sharing plates at a comparable price point. If you want a different fine dining register entirely, Al Mahara at the Burj Al Arab delivers a more theatrical setting for roughly the same spend. Avli's two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) give it a credential advantage over most Greek options currently operating in the city.
Gate Village Building 9 in the DIFC attracts a corporate and finance crowd, and the $$$$ pricing signals a polished room. Business casual to smart evening wear is a safe read for this address and peer set. Shorts and casual footwear would be out of place; overdressing is not a risk here.
Greek cuisine structurally accommodates a range of dietary needs: seafood-forward dishes, vegetable-based mezze, and grilled proteins are category staples. Avli's Michelin Plate recognition suggests kitchen professionalism that typically extends to dietary requests. Specific menu accommodation details are not documented in Pearl's data, so check the venue's official channels before booking if you have strict requirements.
Gate Village dining rooms at the $$$$ tier are generally counter- or table-service formats rather than solo-friendly bar setups, and Avli's corporate DIFC context makes solo dining functional but not the format the room is built around. If solo dining comfort matters to you, Zuma's bar counter is a stronger fit for the same neighbourhood and price range.
Yes, with the right group. Two Michelin Plates in consecutive years (2024 and 2025) provide the external validation that makes a special occasion booking easy to justify. The Gate Village address in the DIFC is a credible setting for business dinners, anniversaries, or milestone meals. For larger private groups, the corporate draw of the DIFC location means private dining arrangements are worth enquiring about directly.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
