Lynn Hazim, a former Google executive, opens Middle Child, a no-reservations restaurant in Dubai's Alserkal Avenue, blending food culture with spontaneity.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Jul 29, 2026 ALN: Middle Child isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a bookshop, a pantry, a neighbourhood hangout in an Alserkal Avenue warehouse – and one of the only places in Dubai where you genuinely cannot book a table. Its founder, who traded a decade at Google for a life in food, explains why that’s exactly the point.
There’s a version of this story that sounds like a movie: high-flying tech executive has an epiphany, throws it all away, follows the dream. Lynn Hazim is quick to puncture it.
“There wasn’t one big dramatic moment. I actually loved my time at Google and learned a huge amount there,” says Lynn, the founder of Middle Child, the restaurant-bookshop-pantry hybrid that’s quietly become one of Alserkal Avenue’s biggest draws. “But over the years I noticed that everything I did outside of work revolved around food. I was spending weekends cooking, hosting dinners, running supper clubs, travelling around meals and restaurants. Food slowly became the thing I cared about most.
“At some point I realised I was spending more energy dreaming about a future restaurant than thinking about my next step in tech. Once that happened, it was hard to ignore. I knew I’d regret not trying more than I’d regret leaving.”
Any sensible restaurant consultant would have said: pick a lane. Middle Child picked three. Alongside the dining room, there’s a bookshop stocked with food writing and a pantry of ingredients you won’t find in a supermarket run.
“Food has never existed in isolation for me,” Lynn explains. “The way I cook is shaped by the books I read, the ingredients I discover, the places I travel to and the conversations I have around a table. The original vision for Middle Child was never just a restaurant. I wanted it to feel like a place built around food culture in a broader sense. Somewhere you could come for lunch, leave with a cookbook, discover a pantry item you’ve never seen before, or come back for an event a week later. To me those things all belong together.”
In a city where the hottest tables are locked down weeks in advance, Middle Child’s no-reservations policy reads as a statement. The founder insists it’s not a flex.
“We didn’t choose a walk-in model because we thought it was cooler or more exclusive. We chose it because it felt right for the kind of place we wanted to build. Restaurants should still have room for spontaneity.
“Some of my favourite restaurant experiences have happened because I just decided on the day that I wanted to go somewhere. I didn’t want Middle Child to become a place that required planning weeks ahead.
“The walk-in system isn’t always the easiest option operationally, but I love the energy it creates. You see people popping in on a whim, neighbours dropping by, people taking a chance on a wait because they want to be here. It feels more alive that way.”
Middle Child could have chased footfall in DIFC or Downtown. Instead it opened in a warehouse in Al Quoz’s arts district – a decision the founder describes as the least difficult one of the whole project.
“Alserkal felt like home long before Middle Child existed. I’ve spent years coming here for exhibitions, talks, films, pop-ups and events. It’s one of the few places in Dubai where people come not because they need to be there, but because they’re curious. They’re looking to discover something, learn something, or spend time around creative people. That spirit felt very aligned with what I wanted Middle Child to be.
“Many of our regulars work here, create here, or spend their weekends here. Over time, Middle Child has become part of the rhythm of the neighbourhood, and I don’t think that would have happened in quite the same way somewhere else.”
The plaudits arrived fast. A MENA 50 Best One to Watch award landed just months after opening – reassurance, the founder says, at a stage “when you’re fixing problems, changing systems, questioning decisions and wondering if you’re completely crazy for doing this”. But the glow was complicated by world events that soon put the whole industry’s challenges into perspective. “The impact wasn’t this long, uninterrupted wave of momentum. Reality caught up with all of us pretty quickly.
“What I remember most is actually how proud the team felt. A restaurant is hundreds of small things done well every day, and it felt like recognition for all of that effort.”
Earlier this year came another marker: Homegrown Restaurant of the Year at the What’s On Dubai Awards – a title that fits Middle Child almost too neatly. “‘Homegrown’ is exactly what Middle Child is,” the founder says. “This wasn’t a concept imported from somewhere else or created by a large hospitality group. It started as supper clubs, pop-ups, and years of obsessing over food before there was ever a physical space. Dubai has given me a home for many years, and to be recognized by the city as one of its homegrown restaurants feels very special. More than anything, it belongs to the team.”
The menu is deliberately small – “every dish on it has earned its place” – but crowd favourites have emerged. “If we’re talking about what our guests order most, it’s probably the pappardelle bolognese and the steak with jammy onions. Those are the dishes people come back for again and again.”
The founder’s personal pick, though, is quieter: the seabass crudo. “I love how simple it is. There’s nowhere to hide with a dish like that. When the fish is great and everything is balanced, it feels effortless, but a lot of thought goes into making something that simple taste special. It captures the kind of food I personally love to eat: ingredient-led, unfussy and full of flavour without trying too hard.”
Which, come to think of it, isn’t a bad description of Middle Child itself.
Where: Middle Child, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai
Contact: Walk-ins only
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