Want to know the smartest way to eat Dubai's best Chinese restaurants? Go at lunch. The same kitchens that charge AED 600 a head at dinner run set menus and dim-sum lunches at a fraction of the price - same woks, same dumpling chefs, half the bill. The best Chinese lunch in Dubai in 2026 ranges from a DIFC dim-sum service to a 73rd-floor set menu with a view. Here are the ten we book when we want the high end without the high spend, ranked with the exact lunch dishes and prices.
Part of: Top 20 Chinese Restaurants in Dubai → — one of the drill-down guides in that cluster.
10 Best Chinese Lunch Spots in Dubai - Ranked
Ranked on lunch-specific value: set menus, dim-sum deals and how much room you get for the spend.
#1 Royal China DIFC (Lunch)
What makes it special: The benchmark DIFC dim-sum lunch - refined Hong Kong-style baskets at well below dinner prices.
What to order: Weekday dim-sum lunch set (~AED 145) with har gow, siu mai and cheung fun.
Best for: a grown-up business lunch Skip if: you want a loud, casual room
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#2 Mott 32 (Lunch)
What makes it special: A 73rd-floor set lunch with the famous duck and a daytime view over Ain Dubai - the splurge that makes sense.
What to order: Set lunch with dim sum and char siu (~AED 220); pre-order duck if sharing.
Best for: a special lunch with a view Skip if: you want a quick bite
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#3 Hakkasan (Lunch Set)
What makes it special: Hakkasan's signature dim sum in a low-lit room at a daytime set price - a genuine value window.
What to order: Dim-sum lunch set (~AED 188) and crispy duck salad.
Best for: a treat lunch at a famous room Skip if: you want the full evening atmosphere
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#4 Long Teng (Set Lunch)
What makes it special: Cantonese seafood specialist with a sharp-value set lunch - the locals' weekday pick.
What to order: Set lunch (~AED 110) with a wok dish, dim sum and soup.
Best for: the best-value serious lunch in town Skip if: you want a quiet, formal room
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#5 Yauatcha
What makes it special: All-day fine dim sum with a patisserie counter - lunch is its natural home.
What to order: Venison puff (AED 48) and prawn cheung fun (AED 52); finish at the dessert counter.
Best for: a smart dim-sum lunch with dessert Skip if: you want a big banquet
Book a Table →#6 Wokyo (Business Lunch)
What makes it special: Fast, cheap and reliable - the everyday office lunch that doesn't disappoint.
What to order: Express lunch box (~AED 45) with noodles and a protein.
Best for: a quick weekday desk-break lunch Skip if: you want an occasion
Book a Table →#7 Cantonese Express (Set)
What makes it special: Roast-meat counter with a set lunch - char siu and duck on rice, done in minutes.
What to order: Two-meat set on rice (~AED 48) with soup.
Best for: a fast, excellent value lunch Skip if: you want table service
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#8 Asia Asia (Lunch Set)
What makes it special: A dramatic marina room with a value lunch set - the cheapest way into the experience.
What to order: Lunch set (~AED 130) with dim sum and a wok main.
Best for: a scenic lunch that won't break the bank Skip if: you want a purist Chinese menu
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#9 Maiden Shanghai
What makes it special: A lively dim-sum lunch in the 1920s-Shanghai room - calmer and cheaper than the dinner scene.
What to order: Dim-sum lunch selection (~AED 160) and char siu beef.
Best for: a stylish weekend lunch Skip if: you want a quiet corner
Book a Table →#10 Din Tai Fung
What makes it special: Soup dumplings and fast service make this the most reliable mall lunch in the city.
What to order: Pork xiao long bao (AED 38) and fried rice (AED 42).
Best for: a quick, brilliant mall lunch Skip if: you want a leisurely sit-down
Book a Table →The Lunch Value Hack, Explained
Here's the logic. Fine-dining Chinese rooms keep their dumpling and roast-meat chefs busy through the quiet midday window by running set menus and dim-sum deals - so you get the same kitchen at often half the dinner spend. DIFC is the epicentre (Royal China, Yauatcha), and the marquee rooms (Mott 32, Hakkasan, Maiden Shanghai) all run daytime sets that turn a AED 600 dinner into a AED 200 lunch. Book 12-1pm for the calmest service; many DIFC sets stop at 3pm sharp. If you only want speed and value, the roast-meat and noodle counters (Cantonese Express, Wokyo, Din Tai Fung) get you out in 30 minutes. Compare the splurge end in our fine-dining Chinese guide.
How We Ranked This List
Every restaurant on this best Chinese lunch in Dubai guide is one we have eaten at independently across 2024–26, paying our own bills — no comped meals and no paid placements. We rank on the cooking first: consistency across repeat visits, the strength of the signature dishes, and honest value for what you actually pay. Atmosphere, service and how a kitchen copes under pressure break the ties.
We also gate every featured spot on first-hand photography. If a restaurant appears here, we have shot its room and its food ourselves — which is why you see real plates above rather than stock images. The AED prices are what we paid in 2026 and can move with menus and seasons, so treat them as a guide. Spotted something that has changed, or a place we have missed? Tell us through the suggest-a-restaurant form and we will go and eat there.
Where to Go Next
Keep drilling into Dubai's Chinese scene with these companion guides:
Browse the cuisine & area pages: Chinese cuisine guide · DIFC area guide.
Full restaurant reviews: Mott 32 Dubai review · Hakkasan Dubai review · Long Teng review · Maiden Shanghai review.
Your Questions Answered
What is the best Chinese restaurant for lunch in Dubai?
For 2026 we rank Royal China in DIFC first for lunch - a refined Hong Kong-style dim-sum service with a weekday set around AED 145, well below its dinner spend. The full list covers ten, from a 73rd-floor set lunch to AED 45 office boxes.
How can I eat fine-dining Chinese in Dubai cheaply?
Go at lunch. Mott 32, Hakkasan and Maiden Shanghai all run daytime set menus and dim-sum deals at roughly half their dinner price - same kitchen, smaller bill.
Where is the best dim-sum lunch in Dubai?
Royal China and Yauatcha in DIFC lead for refined dim-sum lunches; Long Teng offers the sharpest-value Cantonese set lunch in the city at around AED 110.
What time is best for a Chinese lunch in Dubai?
Aim for 12-1pm for the calmest service. Many DIFC lunch sets stop at 3pm, so don't arrive too late, and book ahead on weekdays for the popular rooms.
Where can I get a quick cheap Chinese lunch in Dubai?
Cantonese Express does a two-meat set on rice around AED 48, Wokyo runs express lunch boxes from AED 45, and Din Tai Fung is the most reliable quick mall lunch.
The single best dining tip I give visitors: book Mott 32 or Hakkasan for lunch, not dinner. You get the same kitchen and the same view for roughly half the money - and you can still see your food.