Food

How Middle Child Became Dubai’s Most Beloved Restaurant Without Even Trying

BYLeila Khatib

November 5, 2025

“When I was building Middle Child it was very important for me to build a space that lasts for years and years,” Chef Lynn Hazim tells MILLE. “I didn’t want to be trendy, I wanted to be timeless— and this applied to both design and food.” Ironically, for a place that wasn’t designed for the feed, it’s impossible to scroll through Instagram without seeing it.

When Hazim opened Middle Child in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue, she didn’t set out to start a viral restaurant, she simply just wanted to make food that felt honest. “The menu is quite small, so most of the dishes feel most ‘me,’” she says. “There’s nothing in there that I wouldn’t want to eat every day. But I think the pappardelle bolognese might be my favorite to cook because of the low and slow process and how comforting the smell is.” That same warmth has made Middle Child one of Dubai’s most talked-about new openings.

The restaurant, tucked into a corner of Alserkal Avenue, has the kind of energy that feels increasingly rare in Dubai. Read: unforced, unfussy, and a little bit nostalgic. There’s bar seating that faces the window, an eight-seat communal bar where strangers actually start talking, and an atmosphere that seems to resist the gloss of the city’s dining scene. “I never really knew how to describe Middle Child’s menu before opening,” the chef admits. “Then people started coming in and immediately telling me how homey and comforting the food is. It wasn’t necessarily a reaction more than an intention to create simple, honest food that you crave and want to come back for.”

Instagram/@middlechildmiddlechild

Hazim, who spent years working and traveling before launching her first solo project, brings those experiences into every corner of Middle Child. “I think subconsciously all of my travels have influenced the place,” she says. The understated yet meticulous design mirrors her culinary philosophy: nothing extraneous, everything intentional. “I wanted to create a space that allows for spontaneity in dining out that is not often found in Dubai. Bar seating facing the window, an eight-seat communal bar where I now often see new people meeting and becoming friends— it makes me so happy.”

There’s a quiet pride in the way she talks about the restaurant. “There’s no bad seat at Middle Child,” she insists. “I don’t have a favorite table, they’re all nice to sit at. Even the chairs facing the wall have this big canvas of art fixtures and posters to look at.” It’s the kind of thoughtfulness that guests might not consciously notice but can always feel.

Choosing Alserkal Avenue as home wasn’t incidental. “I wanted to be somewhere in Dubai that grew organically, and Alserkal is one of the few places that have,” she says. “I love the community and the crowd that comes to Alserkal.” It’s a natural fit. The creative, self-sustaining energy of the neighborhood mirrors her own.

Instagram/@middlechildmiddlechild

Even the name comes from something deeply personal. “Because I am a Middle Child,” she laughs. “Middles usually receive less attention at home and because of that they tend to forge stronger bonds with friends. I found my way building bonds through cooking, hosting and feeding people, and creating little families of my own.” That spirit of turning attention into connection is at the restaurant’s core.

Walk in on any afternoon and you’ll see that philosophy in action. “I already see people coming back to Middle Child and seeing friends and acquaintances and going to their table to say hello,” Hazim says. “I see new friendships forming over the communal bar and I hope Middle Child continues to be a place centered around community.”

For the chef-turned-entrepreneur, this is just the beginning. “There is still so much to do at Middle Child, especially in the mezzanine upstairs,” she says, eyes already set on what’s next. “From private dinners to cooking classes and cookbook clubs. I can’t wait to start working on these in the coming months.”

How Middle Child Became Dubai’s Most Beloved Restaurant Without Even Trying

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How Middle Child Became Dubai’s Most Beloved Restaurant Without Even Trying

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