COP28: Where to find 1.5°C-aligned business lunches

More than 70,000 delegates are expected to descend on Dubai for the COP28 climate conference being held from 30 November to 12 December.

Apart from climate scientists and other stakeholders, there will also be a wide range of business leaders who will be scouring the city in between sessions for a bite to eat and to meet.

Interestingly, COP28 will offer the first “1.5° C-aligned menu” as part of the conference’s efforts to be carbon neutral. The 1.5 degrees Celsius increase in temperatures is the figure that is internationally agreed upon in order to prevent worsening and irreversible effects of climate change. 

Food and beverage vendors at Expo City, Dubai World Trade Centre and Erth will be able to use a digital platform that enables them to calculate the carbon and water intensity of menu items. 

Furthermore, COP28 is mandating caterers to minimise waste, use sustainable packaging, provide training, and recycle where possible, the organisers have said. It’s estimated that 250,000 meals will be served every day of the 12-day event. 

“Caterers have been asked to ensure that at least 50 per cent of food served falls within sustainable limits for carbon and water intensity, as well as aligning with UAE guidelines on macronutrients. By providing carbon-conscious choices and supporting information, delegates will be able to make informed eating choices at COP28,” say the organisers in a statement.

It’s expected that more than 90 food and beverage outlets will showcase a diverse range of cuisines, including a “100 per cent vegan food truck park”.

Using the ‘Eat App’, visitors and delegates will be able to make reservations in the Blue and Green Zones of the event, as long as they have the necessary accreditation.

Listed below are some of the restaurants that will offer a “1.5° C-aligned menu”, according to a statement released by WAM. 

Selected restaurants in the Green Zone

• Assembly Mezze Skewers: Chef Athanasios Kargatzidis, behind Baron, Lebanon’s top-ranked restaurant in the MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants guide for 2022 and 2023.
• Alif Café: This Expo 2020 Dubai-born brand is a farm2table-led concept, which champions organic and sustainable produce and carbon-neutral techniques.
• PXB: Located in the Terra pavilion across three floors, PXB offers a plant-based menu, spanning everything from all-day brunch specialties such as buckwheat pancakes and date syrup, to mains like Katsu curry, loaded burritos and Asian noodles.
• The Four Food Truck Parks: Combining brands such as Dubai-founded burger joint Pickl, Mexican hotspot Taco Club, Asian street food specialists Baofriend, homegrown authentic Vietnamese restaurant Vietnamese Foodies and much more. It will also offer a pop-up cart from Dubai community coffee shop Spill the Bean, hailed by The Financial Times as one of the world’s best independent coffee shops.
• Expo City Farm: This will make its debut as part of COP28’s Green Zone, featuring both indoor and outdoor spaces growing crops, fruits and vegetables.
• Q Coffee: More than just a coffee shop, the concept is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Women’s Economic Development program. Organised in partnership with Sustainable Growers, it has helped provide financial independence to over 724,000 women, and consequently uplifted 2.8 million children. Q Coffee is a celebration of Rwandan culture, heritage, and coffee, and offers tastings and workshops in coffee making and fair-trade practices.
• Hideaway: The sibling of London’s Hide by Chef Ollie Dabbous will make its UAE debut and bring its modern British and Mediterranean cuisine to the Green Zone.
• Reform Bar Grill: This gastropub will serve up signature British comfort foods.
• Tost: Acclaimed Emirati chef Faisel Nasser will offer winter comfort foods through his new concept Tost. Specialising in soups and loaded cheese toasties, it will be at Expo City Dubai.

Selected restaurants in the Blue Zone

• PXB Partners: This is a whole food truck concept dedicated exclusively to 100 per cent plant-based food, starring five of the world’s leading vegan restaurants: Farmacy, Roots Rolls, Chuck Chick, Wild and the Moon and Floozie Cookies. Other casual Blue Zone food trucks that require no reservations include vegan ice cream brand House of Pops and Emirati dessert specialist Legaimat by Al Fanar.
• Gup Shup: Rohit Ghai will offer his contemporary take on authentic Indian street food through Gup Shup, his brand-new concept at Expo City Dubai.
• Philly Jawn by Ghostburger: Bringing an all-American twist to the event with its special COP28 menu of smash burgers and sandos.
• AJEENÉ: Chef Faisel Nasser will offer flavours of the Levantine region. 
• Yamanote Collective: This will be the first all-day-dining concept from UAE-born Japanese bakery Yamanote Atelier, and the eighth branch of Vietnamese Foodies.