From opera to live jazz, here’s where you can enjoy dinner and a show in Dubai.

No matter what you’re looking for, Dubai’s dining scene is a melting pot of restaurants and bars that will satisfy your every mood. From unique dining experiences, to the wallet-friendly to traditional roast dinners, we really do appear to have it all.

Not to mention we’ve still got a bunch of hot new restaurants to open before the end of the year. And as Sean Connolly opens his first Dubai restaurant next week, we’ve rounded up four more dinner and a show experiences in Dubai. 

So if you’re looking for a side of entertainment with your dinner, head to one of these…

1. Sean Connolly at Dubai Opera

The brand new restaurant at Dubai Opera by celebrity chef Sean Connolly is opening on Friday September 1. The steak and seafood restaurant is described as an informal brasserie and is taking up residency at the top of the Dubai Opera building. Menu highlights at the new restaurant include a golden egg on a bed of caviar, salmon gravalax with beetroot chili and orange and a lamb shoulder designed for sharing. There will also be a sashimi selection and a collection of steak cuts.

It will be a great dining option for anyone with tickets to upcoming shows at Dubai Opera. And it’s a big month at the venue in September, with a collection of Mozart shows, Johnny Clegg and Lea Salonga.

Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, various shows, Sean Connolly restaurant timings to be confirmed. Tel: (04) 362 7312, Dubai Opera Tel: (04) 440 8888. More info on website.

2. Enigma and Q at Palazzo Versace

The two-part dinner and a show experience at Palazzo Versace begins at Enigma, the hotel’s Turkish restaurant. Choose from a two-course (Dhs140) or three-course (Dhs180) menu of seasonally changing modern Turkish dishes which include choices such as a baby gem salad, 8-hour cooked octopus and seven spices lamb neck.

After dinner, the experience continues at Q’s bar and lounge – the first ever bar by music legend Quincy Jones. His purpose-built live music venue with living room-like space will feature performances from an ever-changing schedule of acts directed by Quincy himself. The second act to take up residency is 29-year-old pianist Justin Kauflin from September 5.

Palazzo Versace, Al Jadaf, Dubai, pre show dinner daily 7pm to 11pm from Dhs140, performances at Q’s are daily 9pm to 11.30pm. Tel: (04) 556 8888. More info on website.

3. Bagatelle

This high-end French restaurant in the Fairmont transports you into a glamorous hotspot in the French Riviera, where singers come draped in sequins and waiters are dancing on the dinner tables by the end of the evening.

The a la carte menu is predominantly French but features influences from across the Mediterranean too. The Escargots a L’ail – Burgundy snails served in a garlic butter (Dhs120) – is a must try, and other menu highlights include the Faux Filet de Wagyu (Dhs345) and the Filet de Loup de Mer, a pan-seared seabass (Dhs185). Alongside dinner, live musicians and acts mingle among dinners, and eventually toe tapping turns into table dancing – for the waiters as well as guests.  It’s a lively combination of fine-dining French cuisine coupled with live music, DJs and dancing on the tables.

The Fairmont, Sheikh Zayed Road, daily 8pm till late. Tel: 04 354 5035. More info on website.

4. Music Hall

Every Thursday and Friday, Music Hall at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray puts on one of Dubai’s most alternative dinner and a show productions. At least 10 successive multicultural live stage performances cover a wide variety of music styles, ranging from Middle-Eastern to Russian, from Rock to Gipsy fusion via French and American Pop, Salsa, Indian and Persian.

Live shows are interspersed with DJ music sets, while the diverse gourmet menu overseen by Jumeirah Group Head Chef offers fusion cuisine served at tables, and international finger food served at the couches perfect for those wishing to dine and dance at the same time.

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Thurs and Fri 9pm to 3am. Tel: (04) 447 6646. More info on website.

And coming soon… La Perle and The Atrium

The highly anticipated Franco Dragone water-based show La Perle opens next Thursday August 31. The 1300-seat theatre, located in Al Habtoor City, will be the only one of its kind in the world, and will consist of an aqua-stage filled with 2.7 million litres of water. The theatre has been custom-built for an international cast of 65 skilled artists, who will demonstrate stunning aquatic and aerial stunts during the 90-minute live show. Shows will take place twice a night, five days a week and tickets start from Dhs400.

If you want dinner before heading to La Perle, there are a whole host of Al Habtoor City dining options across one of the three hotels in the area (The Westin, The W and The St Regis all neighbour the theatre) and The Atrium, the purpose built restaurant block. Several venues are expected to launch pre-theatre set menus, and we anticipate Mexican Zoco, Asian karaoke restaurant Blind Dragon and British pub The Rose & Crown to all be in the line-up.

The Atrium, Al Habtoor City, Downtown Dubai, various outlets at The Atrium will serve pre show menus, La Perle Tues to Fri, 7pm to 8.30pm and 9.30pm to 11pm and Sat 4pm to 5.30pm and 7pm to 8.30pm from Aug 31, tickets from Dh400. La Perle Tel: (04) 437 0001. More info on website.

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