The cream of Qatar’s hospitality industry joined us at Al Messila, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Doha, as we paid tribute to the venues and people that make the country’s food & beverages sector so resilient and innovative.
Marking our 11th edition, this year’s Fact Dining Awards were a little different to the usual – due to the ongoing situation, the event was moved from April to June and, to ensure the comfort of everyone attending, we headed inside.
But, the change of setting certainly didn’t dampen everyone’s enthusiasm for an evening that’s always one of the high spots in Qatar’s entertainment calendar. And the enthusiasm of our readers – the city’s diners, brunchers and snackers, who cast the all-important votes to help establish our winners – was also unchanged. In fact, over the 50 categories and 780-plus nominees, we recorded a massive 140,000 individual votes. This number is a jump of 40% from last year and came as a surprise, even to us!
As always, each category had two winners. ‘FAVOURITE’ chosen by online public votes and ‘BEST’, determined by an anonymous panel of industry experts, mystery shoppers and the fact Qatar team, who are out and about throughout the year visiting venues to identify the best in the business.
And, of course, there’s the coveted awards for Best and Favourite overall – which, at this year’s event, were taken by Kai’s Songbird, Doha, and IDAM by Alain Ducasse.
The Chef of the Year category, now in its third year, proved hugely popular, both with the industry and with our audience. The competition was, as always, fierce, with a significant number of votes being cast. We were delighted to present this award to Khouder Ghourab, Executive Chef at Ahwet Zeitouna, Babel Qatar and Bebabel – a much deserved and hard earned tribute.
Of course, the success of this year’s event would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our valued partners. Al Messila, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Doha, our gracious host. The Entertainer, for great giveaways. Candela Entertainment, which provided amazing entertainment. Candeel, which supplied candles. Signature Events for the staging, audio and more. Swot Creative Hub for the stunning digital effects and Dream Machine Qatar for the photo booth. Hostesses from Firma Events helped the event run smoothly, Red Bull staged a fun activation and Genesis put on a stunning display of vehicles.
Fact Qatar would like to offer sincere appreciation to all of them and, of course, to all our nominees and winners for taking part.
Qatar Publishing Director Chirine Halabi, said: “The last few months have been challenging for all of us but we are very proud of how the hospitality industry has coped and, hopefully, we can now look forward to better times ahead.
“We know how much everyone looks forward to this event and, of course, we are aware that the awards is not just a social occasion but also an indication of the health of our industry. Thankfully, that’s demonstrated by the strength of public participation which increases each year. We are grateful for everyone who took part in the Fact Dining Awards Qatar 2026 and we look forward to welcoming everyone again next time.”
