Earlier this week at the What’s On Awards Dubai 2026, Rowley’s was named Favourite Casual Steakhouse. Dubai’s award-winning steakhouse for 2026 is now officially Rowley’s DIFC, and the steak restaurant locals have been calling the best steak in Dubai just got the trophy to prove it. We’re still a little stunned, a lot grateful, and incredibly proud of the team that earned it.
A Thank-You First
When we opened Rowley’s in DIFC, we set out to do one thing well. Steak. Frites. Salad. A sauce. A room that worked. A kitchen that ran late. We weren’t chasing trophies. We were trying to feed the city the way we thought it deserved to be fed.
Years later, the What’s On voters picked Rowley’s as Dubai’s Favourite Casual Steakhouse for 2026. We never expected to be writing this kind of post. Today, we are. And the first thing to say is thank you. To the regulars who walk in twice a week. To the first-timers who came back. To the team in the kitchen, on the floor, and behind the bar who turned up every day to keep the format honest. This one belongs to all of you.
The Story So Far
Rowley’s came to Dubai with a single belief. The steakhouse format had drifted too far from what people actually wanted. Tasting menus had grown longer. Prices had crept up. Bookings had become a sport. Somewhere along the way, eating a great steak in this city had stopped being something you could just decide to do on a Tuesday.
So we built Rowley’s around the opposite. Walk in. Order steak. Eat well. Leave full. No reservations, no fuss, no fifteen-page menu. Just the cuts that matter, plated with unlimited classic frites and a sauce of your choice.
That’s what we showed up with on Level P3 of Central Park Towers. That’s the format that grew the room, brought back the lunch crowd, filled the terrace, and somehow, against a field of dozens of nominees, took home Dubai’s Favourite Casual Steakhouse in 2026.
What Won the Category
We think a few things tipped it.
First, the Power Lunch. AED 80 for a 250g steak, fitness salad, and unlimited classic frites. Monday to Friday from 11:30am to 7:30pm. It is the most-ordered plate in the room and the reason a real DIFC working lunch is still possible in 2026.
Second, the late kitchen. Open daily until 2am. After midnight, the AED 79 Late Night Combo runs every night. Most kitchens in DIFC shut at 11pm. Ours doesn’t.
Third, the weekend format. The Anti Brunch. A 1kg Côte de Bœuf for the table, AED 350, three to four people. Friday and Saturday all day. No buffet line. No six-hour ordeal. Just one centerpiece cut, fixed price, and time that actually feels worth spending.
Fourth, the Monday Special. AED 290 for two steaks, two house salads, unlimited classic frites, and a bottle of Rowley’s Prestige wine. The smartest two-person dinner in DIFC.
And underneath all of that, the four classic sauces (Spitfire, Fox, Secret, Peppercorn) that the regulars order by name. A walk-in policy that respects your day. A terrace that earns its Burj Khalifa view from October to April. A team that turns up.
Thank You, Dubai
We mean this part. Dubai didn’t have to vote for us. There were dozens of casual steakhouses in the running. The fact that the city’s diners, judges, and editors landed on Rowley’s says something we won’t take for granted.
To the lunch tables that come back Tuesday after Tuesday. To the date-night couples doing the Monday Special. To the post-event crowd that finds us at 1am after Sky Views. To the first-timers who hear about us from a friend and walk in expecting nothing. Thank you.