Where Restaurateurs Eat: Column 11

Ray Yafi, the co-founder and partner behind A Normal Day café and a host of F&B brands shares her favourite restaurants.

Jun 19, 2025

If you’ve recently joined my Substack tribe, you might like to check out the first ten Where Restaurateurs Eat columns to give you some context before reading the recommendations from this month’s super woman.

Nominations for aspirational female restaurateur-entrepreneurs are always much appreciated. They might not be on my radar - and could land themselves a feature here.

And now let’s hear from…

Ray Yafi is the co-founder and partner behind A Normal Day café in Dar Wasl mall and a host of F&B brands including Yellow Block, the prettiest cheese and charcuterie boards, which is how I first stumbled upon her a few years ago.

Her top three go-to, favourite restaurants in the UAE. Actually Ray squeezed in a fourth choice 😉

My regulars are a mix of comfort, soul, and ease!

Lana Lusa: Overlooking the water canal, it’s a short walk from my home, and something about it always feels familiar. I go there when I need a little reset. And the sardines are some of the best I’ve eaten.
Al Naqa Lao Kebab House: Chef AJ’s place was a recent discovery in Neighbourhood Food Hall, and one of those rare meals where you genuinely feel the story in the food. It moved me in a way food rarely does. That’s what keeps pulling me back. It’s not just the taste, it’s the heart behind the concept.
Lila Wood-Fired Taqueria: I’m a taco girl through and through, and this place on Jumeirah Beach Road is my go-to for something easy and always good. The Baja fish taco is a staple in my rotation.
One more worth mentioning, even if it’s not a regular go-to, is Ossiano. One of those “wow” moments. The storytelling in the menu; the entire experience really stayed with me. I think that’s what makes a place special, when it leaves you with more than just a good meal.

One home country restaurant:

I grew up across ten different cities, so “home” has always felt like a moving target. I’m originally from Syria, but I don’t get to go back, so I don’t have a go-to spot “back home.” Syrian food, though, is my emotional anchor. A proper Syrian breakfast is the closest thing I have to being there, and Baba Ghanouj in Dubai (Barsha and Deira outposts) gives me that. It’s nothing fancy, just a simple, homey spread, but I’m so grateful for it. The flavours take me somewhere familiar, even if I can’t be there myself.

One restaurant located elsewhere internationally:

After a long trip to Sevilla, I landed at a little Andalusian seafood place called El Cairo, and it was exactly what I needed. Maybe it was the timing, maybe it was the space, but that meal felt like a big warm hug. Everything was simple, fresh, and full of soul. It may not be a top-name spot, but it gave me something real that I won’t forget.

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