Five sessions still open at What The Food.
Alserkal Avenue's food festival runs on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November. Most workshops are full. These five had places on Monday, and none of them costs anything.
Five placesChecked 26 October 2026Prices in AED
What The Food, Alserkal Avenue's food festival, is in its fifth year. This edition is themed Khubz wa Milh, bread and salt, and runs across Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November.
By Monday morning, 19 of the festival's 29 Eventbrite listings were sold out, almost all of them hands-on workshops. The talks held up better. Every session on the programme is free, but most need registering for one by one, so the list below is what is still worth claiming a place for.
Hours and prices change. Check with the venue before you go.
Keynote, Saturday 3pm
Aline Kamakian: When Food Becomes a Lifeline
Aline Kamakian founded Mayrig in 2003 and leads World Central Kitchen's Lebanon response. Her talk, on food as a lifeline, is the keynote of the weekend.
The facts
- Where
- Concrete, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1
- When
- Sat 31 Oct, 3pm
- Price
- No charge
- How to book
- Register on Eventbrite, from the event page on alserkal.online
- Who it's for
- Anyone who thinks of restaurants as more than places to eat
alserkal.online (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @alserkalavenue
Workshop, Saturday 3pm to 6pm
GPP x Subko: coffee cyanotypes
Cyanotype prints toned with coffee, with a zine to take away and a Subko coffee tasting alongside. A hands-on session that needs no booking at all.
The facts
- Where
- Warehouse 35A, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1
- When
- Sat 31 Oct, 3pm to 6pm
- Price
- No charge
- How to book
- Walk in. No registration needed
- Who it's for
- Photographers, and anyone who missed out on a sold-out workshop
alserkal.online (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @alserkalavenue
Conversation, Sunday 3:30pm
House to House: a culinary reading of the Creek
Shamma Al Bastaki, in conversation with Selma Abualia, on the Creek's food memories, drawn from oral narratives of the 1940s to the 1980s.
The facts
- Where
- Concrete, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1
- When
- Sun 1 Nov, 3:30pm
- Price
- No charge
- How to book
- Register on Eventbrite, from the event page on alserkal.online
- Who it's for
- Anyone curious about the city before the towers
alserkal.online (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @alserkalavenue
Conversation, Sunday 4pm
What Salt Keeps
Nazek Al Sabbagh, who founded Malleh Gourmet with her sister Zohoor in 2010, talks to the festival's curator, Leen Al Zaben, about maleh, the Emirati fish cured in salt and sun.
The facts
- Where
- Concrete, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1
- When
- Sun 1 Nov, 4pm
- Price
- No charge
- How to book
- Register on Eventbrite, from the event page on alserkal.online
- Who it's for
- Anyone curious about Emirati cooking
alserkal.online (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @alserkalavenue
Lecture-performance, Sunday 5:30pm
Mirna Bamieh: The Empty Seat at the Table
A lecture-performance by the artist Mirna Bamieh. It ends with bread, Gazan dukka, olive oil, labneh and olives, shared with the audience.
The facts
- Where
- Concrete, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1
- When
- Sun 1 Nov, 5:30pm
- Price
- No charge
- How to book
- Register on Eventbrite, from the event page on alserkal.online
- Who it's for
- Anyone who wants to end the weekend at a shared table
alserkal.online (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @alserkalavenue
How to plan the weekend
Saturday is short: the keynote at 3pm in Concrete, then the coffee cyanotypes in Warehouse 35A, which run until 6pm. Sunday is the fuller day, with three sessions back to back in Concrete from 3:30pm, finishing with Mirna Bamieh's shared table at 5:30pm.
To stay on, Cinema Akil screens Wild Relatives in The Yard at 8pm on Sunday, also free with registration.
If a session fills
Places were checked on Eventbrite on the morning of 26 October. If any of these fill before the weekend, we will say so on this page.
How we checked
Every fact here comes from the venue's own website, menu, booking page or Instagram, or from the Michelin Guide and official listings. Nobody paid to be in this guide, and nobody knew we were writing it. If something has changed, write to [email protected] and we'll correct it. How we pick a place →
Photos
- Lead photo: @alserkalavenue
- Aline Kamakian: When Food Becomes a Lifeline: @alserkalavenue
- GPP x Subko: coffee cyanotypes: @alserkalavenue
- House to House: a culinary reading of the Creek: @alserkalavenue
- What Salt Keeps: @alserkalavenue
- Mirna Bamieh: The Empty Seat at the Table: @alserkalavenue
