How we research, score & verify
This guide exists because Dubai's vegan and gluten-free diners deserve a credible, sourced resource — not a generic listicle. Here's exactly how every listing is built.
1. Sourcing
Every restaurant is cross-referenced across multiple independent sources before listing. We pull ratings and review counts from:
Google Reviews
Volume and recency of diner feedback
Zomato
Menu data and Dubai-specific diner ratings
Tripadvisor
Tourist and visitor perspectives
HappyCow
Vegan/vegetarian community verification
Talabat / Deliveroo
Delivery platform menus and ratings
Time Out Dubai & food blogs
Qualitative context and dish-level detail
Official restaurant websites
Menu confirmation and contact details
2. Diet-safety score
Our 5-point score adapts the accredited-audit approach for Dubai's dining landscape. Unlike UK-based coeliac accreditation schemes (which Dubai restaurants do not hold), we assess practical cross-contact care for both vegan and gluten-free diners — including dairy, honey, and fish sauce contamination, not just gluten.
Diet-Safety Score Scale
- 5
Dedicated Facility
Fully vegan and/or fully gluten-free kitchen with no cross-contact ingredients on site. The strongest assurance tier.
- 4
Dedicated Preparation
Dedicated menu, separate prep surfaces, and trained staff. High care but shared kitchen handles some allergens.
- 3
Standard Care
Vegan and GF items clearly labelled. Shared kitchen with standard cross-contact procedures. Good for most diners.
- 2
Limited Assurance
Some options exist but no dedicated prep. Dairy/gluten used widely; cross-contact likely. Verify directly.
- 1
Verification Required
Evidence is stale, contradictory, incomplete, or the venue/branch cannot currently be verified. Confirm before visiting.
- —
Not Yet Scored
This listing has been sourced but not yet safety-scored. Confirm directly with the venue.
We deliberately avoid claiming accreditation Dubai restaurants don't hold. The highest tier (5) reflects a dedicated facility with no cross-contact ingredients on site — not an external certification body.
3. Named dish counts
We don't say "has vegan options." We count named dishes on the current menu that are vegan, gluten-free, or both. This gives diners a real sense of choice, not marketing language. Dishes are listed on each restaurant's detail page with vegan/GF flags and notes on preparation.
Note: Dish counts and safety scores are populated progressively as each restaurant is catalogued. Listings currently showing "—" or "Not yet scored" have been sourced and verified but not yet assessed in detail. This is a deliberate choice — we publish what we can confirm rather than inventing figures.
4. Verification cycle
Every listing carries a last-verified date. We aim to re-verify listings every 3–6 months. Status flags — "temporarily closed," "moved," "menu changed," "verify before visiting" — alert diners when a listing may be stale. Listings older than 6 months without verification are downgraded and flagged.
5. Best Of guides
Our long-tail "Best Of" pages (e.g. Best Vegan Brunch in Dubai, Gluten-Free Bakeries in Dubai Marina) filter the directory by relevance and safety score. They are editorially curated, not auto-generated, and link back to fully-sourced individual restaurant pages.
Limitations & disclaimer
This guide is not medical advice. Safety scores reflect publicly available information at the last-verified date and may change without notice. Diners with coeliac disease or severe allergies must confirm preparation, ingredients, and cross-contact procedures directly with restaurant staff before ordering. We do not audit kitchens and do not claim external certification on behalf of any venue.
Data maintenance
Restaurant data is maintained as a structured dataset that can be synced from a spreadsheet or database — so listings stay editable without a developer. Restaurant owners can request a listing or correction via our submission page.
This guide is not medical advice. Diners with coeliac disease or severe allergies must confirm preparation, ingredients, and cross-contact procedures directly with restaurant staff before ordering. Safety scores reflect publicly available information at the last-verified date and may change.