What The Food Returns to Alserkal Avenue. Bring an Appetite.
Potstickers with Kelvin Cheung, quince jam, Sudanese grooves and a tote made by the kids. The fifth edition puts plenty on the table, with one long communal table at its heart.
yapped Editors · Oct 29, 2026 · Updated Nov 2, 2026 · 3 min read
Quick facts
- Where
- Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai
- When
- Saturday, 31 October to Sunday, 1 November
- Price
- Free general entry; selected workshops require tickets or registration
What The Food returns to Alserkal Avenue on 31 October and 1 November, with a communal table at its centre and plenty of reasons to pull up a chair.
Curated by Leen Al Zaben in partnership with Dubai Eats, the fifth edition takes its theme from Khubz wa Milh, bread and salt: the idea that sharing food creates a bond. General entry is free. Come curious, and leave some room for lunch.
Start at the Table
Head to The Yard, where Nour Hage’s What We Leave Behind hangs above the communal table. The textile brings together recipes and memories contributed by participants. Food stories you can read before finding a few of your own.
Saturday’s talks at Concrete travel widely. Mayrig founder Aline Kamakian explores food as a lifeline, Omar Darwish looks at the markets and cafés of the Trucial States, and Nadir Nahdi follows bread from Cairo to Mombasa. Moza Almatrooshi and Asayel Mohammed bring the conversation to gardens and Emirati cooking.
Roll Up Your Sleeves
Kelvin Cheung covers the story of potstickers before you fill, fold and pan-fry your own. Zahra Abdalla makes Persian quince jam, served with bread, cheese and dessert. A persuasive case for paying attention.
Elsewhere, Subko asks you to bring a bread story, while Maknoon leads an olive oil tasting through Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. At Caroline Petit-Mason’s porcelain table, everyone draws on someone else’s plate. Choose your neighbour wisely.
“Pick a session, follow your appetite and take a seat. You’ll have plenty to talk about by then.”
Follow the Grills
Window and Carnistore handle the grill stations, with Carnistore bringing its Dream Philly Cheesesteak. Kave offers a glimpse of Rasheh, its supper club built around mothers’ recipes.
The Little Fox adds a two-day special: an Australian Wagyu katsu sando for AED 80, available while stocks last. ADIGA’s experimental Sudanese grooves give you a reason to linger in The Yard after eating.
The Kids Have Making to Do
The Jamjar’s free drop-in sessions run across both days, with ramen-bowl making, bucket-hat design and festival-tote decorating. You may arrive carrying their things and leave carrying their latest collection.
Saturday also brings Halloween cookie decorating with Strawberry Fields, while 1004 Gourmet teaches six- to twelve-year-olds to make gimbap. Check individual session bookings and charges before promising a place.
Leave Room for Sunday
Sunday gives the conversation more space. Mirna Bamieh’s The Empty Seat at the Table, a lecture performance on the Palestine Hosting Society, ends with shared bread, dukka and labneh.
Nazek Al Sabbagh and Leen Al Zaben discuss salt-cured maleh, while Shamma Al Bastaki explores the Creek through poetry and food. Caroline Petit-Mason and Miriam Tarabay turn to the objects around a meal, from porcelain to the saj.
Pick a session, follow your appetite and take a seat. You’ll have plenty to talk about by then.