These brothers were born and raised in Aleppo, a city with a culinary history dating back several centuries, the place where spice bazaars have been feeding kitchens along the Silk Road since ancient times. And they learned all of it. After going their own way to different parts of the world and gaining new experiences, one of them had an idea: What if they reunited?
This is how Orfali Bros Bistro was created. It has been the best restaurant in the Middle East and North Africa for three years in a row now.
The Road to Dubai
Mohammad started with Dubai. Wassim started with Moscow, Kazakhstan, and Egypt. Omar had been staying in Aleppo before going to Beirut. For many years, Mohammad used to work as a chef and was popular in the region as a TV cook, using the ingredients and methods from everywhere he went and trying to combine them with his Aleppian heritage. “I have moved from Kuwait to Dubai,” Mohammad said in the Michelin Guide, “For many years I’ve been thinking of a way to unite the family, so I’ve decided to bring my brothers to Dubai. Wassim joined me in 2012 and Omar in 2013. Since then, I’ve wanted us to do something together.”
And what they did first was teach. Their Orfali Bros Masterclass started in 2015 and gave more than twenty-four courses until the pandemic came in 2020. The students always said the same thing: you have to open a restaurant. And they did that in 2021.
A Bistro Built on Bistonomy
Orfali Bros Bistro was established in 2021 in Wasl 51, one of the neighborhoods in Dubai’s Jumeirah area. The bistro accommodates a small number of guests in casual, open-space venues with tall two-story kitchens overlooking the eating area. Guests can see the savory kitchen below, run by Mohammad, and the dedicated pastry kitchen upstairs managed by Wassim and Omar.
The Orfali brothers describe the restaurant’s style as bistronomy, a blend of bistro traditions and gastronomy. The World’s 50 Best defines bistronomy as an effort to bring together “Aleppian heritage with Dubai’s vibrant food scene,” featuring “courses inspired by art, travel and life experiences.” Roots of my backyard forest is served with carrots and nasturtium. Guess What? Combines local tomatoes, feta, and sourdough. The shish barak, dumplings cooked in yogurt sauce, is stuffed with wagyu beef and served with yogurt sauce and sujuk oil on top. The OB croquettes and corn bomb became classics of the house order.
As Mohammad told the Michelin Guide: “The food at Orfali Bros is personal. We are not just chefs, we are family.”
The Accolades
Orfali Bros Bistro got the Bib Gourmand Award from Michelin for its outstanding quality at affordable prices. It was then ranked 87th on the 51-100 Best Restaurants Worldwide list in 2022, 46th on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2023, and 37th on the World’s 50 Best 2025. The restaurant got the distinction of being the best restaurant in MENA in 2023, 2024, and 2025, which is the only restaurant to be given such an honor for three consecutive years. In 2026, it got 4th place on the MENA 50 Best list.
According to Mohammad, who got the award three times, “We all work together. We are happy for all of us. It is about getting all of us on the map in the best possible way.”
What Comes Next
The brothers are growing without losing focus. Three Rows, a fresh concept located across from the original location, will offer their signature pizza and burger in a less formal atmosphere. They have opened a restaurant named Manao, a Thai concept based out of Dubai. They are also working towards opening a cooking school in Aleppo, aimed at training the future chefs of Syria. “The idea,” as Mohammad explained to Khaleej Times, “is to educate the young generation about our heritage.”
Three brothers from the same city, creating something for the city that raised them, all from a distant table in another city. Food at Orfali Bros has always had a very particular distance, and what is created through it.
