The space includes a restaurant, a cookbook shop and a grocer.
If you’re a middle child, you’ll know all about the psychological term Middle Child Syndrome. Chef Lynn Hazim has decided to own the phrase and turn it into a point of pride. In Alserkal Avenue, her debut venue folds together a restaurant, a cookbook shop, and a pantry into a compact, characterful space. Arguably one of Dubai’s hottest dining destinations right now, Middle Child opened in 2025 and picked up the One To Watch Award from the Middle East and North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026.
Lynn is a Beirut-born, Dubai-based foodie. She spent 10 years working at Google and has now moved from tech to the restaurant industry. She has built a loyal audience through her No Soup For You blog. With over 19,000 followers, Lynn shares her passion for food through captivating visuals and engaging narratives, offering a glimpse into her gastronomic adventures across Dubai and beyond.
Appropriately for a venue named Middle Child, the atmosphere is neither attention-seeking nor withdrawn. Alserkal Avenue, with its galleries, homegrown operators and creative footfall, suits it perfectly. The 40-seat neighbourhood eatery is cosy without trying too hard. A wall of pop art brings character, and shelves are stocked with carefully curated cookbooks, gourmet pantry staples, and small-batch condiments, reflecting not only Hazim’s personal taste and culinary curiosity but also reinforcing the feeling that food here is meant to be shared. Tight tables line the wall, but the eight-seat counter is where the experience truly comes to life, designed to encourage conversation between strangers and a connection with the open kitchen.
It’s personal without being precious, and there’s a touch of nostalgia to both the setting and the menu. In the kitchen, the focus is on comfort-driven, seasonal cooking, with quality produce and thoughtful technique leading the way. A concise menu offers comforting classics such as Eggplant Caponata with fresh mozzarella and warm focaccia (AED 65), a nostalgic Sour Cream and Onion Dip served with Ritz crackers (AED 45), and a heartier Pappardelle Bolognese with five-hour slow-cooked beef ragù (AED 92).
Hazim leans into dishes that sound familiar but arrive with enough care and calibration to justify the trip. The Radicchio and Clementine Salad (AED 59) is a good example. It is visually striking, all deep crimson leaves and bursts of citrus, but its success lies in the balance of bitterness with the sweetness of caramelised walnuts and the savoury pull of Parmigiano.
The Seabass Crudo (AED 75) is similarly disciplined. Dressed with coriander seeds and fresh coriander leaves, and swimming in lime and olive oil, it could easily tip into sharpness, but it does not. The fish remains at the centre of the dish, delicate and clean, while everything around it works in support, enhancing but never overpowering.
Then there is the Steak with Jammy Onions (AED 167). A dish proving that simplicity can be seriously crave-worthy. The 200g beef striploin is cooked to your liking, delivering a satisfying char, while the slow-cooked onions bring sweetness and depth to every bite. It’s a dish that feels unfussy yet deeply comforting, much like the venue itself. A big plate of Housemade French Fries (AED 39) is golden, salty and the perfect accompaniment for dipping into the moreish jammy onion sauce.
Desserts seduce with Roasted Rice Soft Serve with Caramelised Puffed Rice (AED 32) and Sage and White Chocolate Cake (AED 28), but it’s the Bannofee Pie (AED 45) that had us enamoured. This perfect pie is proof that simple pleasures are often the most satisfying, layering banana, silky toffee and light cream into a combination that feels both nostalgic and indulgent. Each spoonful strikes the right balance between sweetness and texture, while the chocolate pieces on top add a welcome crunch.
Service, meanwhile, is impressively assured. For a venue with this much hype and tables that rarely seem empty, the team remains warm, patient and engaged. Recommendations are offered with confidence, dishes are explained without script-like stiffness, and there is none of the harried energy that so often creeps into viral dining rooms.
Alserkal Avenue is a vibrant hub where culinary artistry meets cultural creativity, and Middle Child is perfectly at home amid the FACT award-winning bkry, Kokoro, and Nightjar Coffee Roasters, adding flavour to a neighbourhood spirited by Gooder Skateboarding and the independent Cinema Akil.
In family terms, the middle child is often the bridge, the peacekeeper, the one who makes the whole unit cohere. Middle Child the restaurant plays a similar role, with Hazim flipping the notion of ‘Middle Child Syndrome’ on its head, creating a culinary meeting point for creatives and the wider community.
With workshops, collaborations and events in the pipeline, Middle Child is only starting to hit its stride.
Where: Middle Child, Warehouse 13A, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai
When: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 12:30pm to 10:30pm
Contact: @middlechildmiddlechild