The 13 best new restaurants in Dubai right now
Looking to try somewhere new? Bookmark these…
If you’ve exhausted all of your usual dinner spots, you’re in the right place as new restaurants in Dubai are always popping up. Whether it’s a fancy fine-dining spot for a romantic date night, or somewhere more cool and casual to gather with your mates, we’ve got the inside scoop on the must-visit places across the city.
Here are 13 new restaurants in Dubai you need to try.
Tatel
Celeb-backed Tatel, born in Madrid and now found in Ibiza, Beverly Hills, Mexico City and Riyadh, is now open in Hotel Boulevard, Autograph Collection in Downtown Dubai, formerly the Vida Downtown. Modeled after a glamorous 1920s speakeasy, the restaurant is warmly lit and richly adorned, with a mirrored ceiling, plush leathers, and dark woods. Open daily from 7pm, resident DJs spin through the week, while live music takes over on the weekends. Whether you’re sipping signature serves in the lounge, dining by the open kitchen in the restaurant, or booking a private space for a VIP dinner, you can expect to enjoy an array of Mediterranean flavours.
Aretha
From Rikas Hospitality comes exciting new live music venue Aretha, located at the St Regis Gardens, Palm Jumeirah. Aretha is for foodies and music lovers who are looking for a restaurant with it all: good food, good drinks, and great music. Guests can immerse themselves in the exceptional live performances, paying homage to the “Golden Era of music”: the swinging sixties and soulful seventies, while enjoying delicious food and creative cocktails. The international menu features dishes such as Wagyu beef rossini, grilled rock lobster, and, the chef’s signature dish, poached egg caviar with crispy potato and parmesan emulsion.
Aretha, St Regis Gardens, Palm Jumeirah, Tues to Sun, 7pm to 3am. Tel:(0)4 880 5242. @arethadubai
Lila Molino
Now welcoming foodies in Alserkal Avenue, Lila Molino is an all-day Mexican dining concept from the wonderful husband and wife duo behind Lila Wood-Fired Taqueria. The new community hangout also doubles as a coffee roastery, café, and concept store selling handpicked Mexican crafts, local farm produce, and homemade tortillas, chips, and salsa to make your own Mexican feast at home. Whether you want to cosy up on the sofas with a coffee, get some work from one of the high tables, or enjoy a weekend breakfast with loved ones, this creative hub offers the ideal setting to unwind, inspire, and connect. Breakfast is served daily until 12pm, featuring a variety of delicious Mexican dishes such as breakfast tacos with lamb chorizo, fresh chilaquiles, steak and eggs, griddled breakfast torta, or, for those with a sweet tooth, sweetcorn and blackberry pancakes. For lunch, mole enchiladas poblano, signature green enchiladas suizas, and the mixed chopped salad a la Mexicana are just some of the incredible flavour-packed dishes you’ll get to try.
Lila Molino & Café, Warehouse 18, Alserkal Avenue, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 6pm, closed Mondays. @lilamolino
Tania’s Teahouse
Cuppa tea-quila anyone? Beloved Tania’s Teahouse, the pretty pink cafe on Jumeirah Beach Road, has moved to a new location with a brand-new look and feel, and an alcohol license. That’s right, if picking from the vast number of teas and coffees had you scratching your head, you will now have alcoholic sip options to pick from on the menu. Now in its soft opening, Tania’s is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a revamped menu, three event spaces, and a heightened in-house dining experience.
Tania’s, Dubai Hills Business Park, daily 8am to 11pm. @taniasteahouse
Three Cuts
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Three Cuts, is the name of the new licensed steakhouse now welcoming diners to the rooftop of Nakheel Mall, Palm Jumeirah. A homegrown concept by father and son Joe and Jason Bassili, the steakhouse blends laid-back elegance with a touch of old-school design featuring intimate booth seating, a chef’s table, a bar, and a hidden speakeasy club. The concise menu focuses on – you guessed it – three cuts of meat: sirloin, tenderloin, and ribeye, along with chef’s selections and a raw bar offering fresh seafood. Look out for the expansive terrace, set to open in September.
Three Cuts, Nakheel Mall rooftop, Palm Jumeirah, daily 7pm to 1am. Tel: (0)4 420 1113. @threecutsdxb
Akabeko
Bringing a first of its kind dining experience to Dubai is Akabeko, the city’s first Yakiniku dining experience to Palm West Beach. In a sleek and sophisticated dining space at voco Dubai The Palm, the A5 wagyu focused Yakiniku concept invites diners to grill their own meat over a tabletop stove. Given an elevated Dubai touch, this means a dozen different Wagyu cuts you won’t find anywhere else. Alternatively, leave the decisions in the hands of the chefs and order the Yakiniku Moriawase platter. Prefer to leave the cooking to the experts? Other signature dishes included the Supreme Wag-Yukke, a spicy tartar garnished with scallops, uni, ikura; and the decadent Akabeko Donburi with prime Wagyu steak, uni, caviar, which is covered in truffle. Finish off your meal with Akabeko’s signature truffle ice cream.
Akabeko, voco Dubai The Palm, Palm West Beach, 12pm to 4pm, 6pm to 11pm, daily. Tel: (0)50 561 8288. @akabeko_dxb/
Osteria Funkcoolio
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Last year, top chef Akmal Anuar unveiled plans for an exciting new Italian restaurant at Port De La Mer. And now, the 35-seater restaurant, called Osteria Funkcoolio, is officially open. The culinary mastermind behind top restaurants including Goldfish Sushi & Yakitori, 11 Woodfire and Abu Dhabi’s Otoro is known for his inventive, unlicensed Japanese restaurants. But for his latest venture chef Akmal is turning his attention to ‘Itameshi’ cuisine, a style defined as a fusion of Japanese and Italian dishes. While Italian flavours will be at the beating heart of the menu, chef Akmal isn’t moving entirely away from the Japanese cuisine he’s known and loved for. Expect to dine on an array of antipasti, salads, pizza and pasta that are rooted in Italian culinary traditions, but injected with Kyoto’s diverse influence. We’ve got our eye on dishes like the cavatelli duck pasta with white pepper and cabbage; and a shrimp and aji amarillo pizza.
Osteria Funkcoolio, Port De La Mer, Jumeirah 1, 3pm to 11pm, Weds to Mon, closed Tues. @funkcoolio
Lana Lusa
If you were a fan of the soul-warming Portuguese restaurant, Lana Lusa at Wasl 51, you will be delighted to hear that the restaurant has (finally) reopened just up the road, at the Four Seasons Private Residences Jumeirah. Already known for some of the most authentic Portuguese food in the city, the new, “elevated”, Lana Lusa boasts a stunning outdoor terrace overlooking Dubai Canal and an extended menu featuring a Portuguese heritage section. Chef Helio shares his love for Portuguese cuisine with each and every guest – including fresh seafood, flavourful meats, and hearty breakfasts – not to mention, the custard tarts. Oh the custard tarts.
Lana Lusa, Four Seasons Private Residences Jumeirah, Dubai. Weekdays 12pm to 1am, Fri to Sun, 9am to 1am. Tel:(0)4 380 1515. @lanalusadxb
The Showhouse
Looking for a wow-worthy dinner with a side of singing and dancing? Say hello to The Showhouse, a thrilling new addition to Dubai Marina’s dining scene and innovative dinner and a show concept brought to you by Solutions Group (the team behind En Fuego and STK). Located inside the Intercontinental Dubai Marina, The Showhouse promises to bring a new age of fun dining to the city with a delicious French-Mediterranean inspired menu and immersive multi-sensory performances that are sure to impress. Prices start from just Dhs395 for three-courses and a bottle of wine between two, making it the perfect option for a night to remember without the hefty price tag.
The Showhouse, Intercontinental Dubai Marina, Dubai. Weds to Thurs, 7pm to midnight, Fri 7pm to 3am, Sat 1pm to 5pm and 6pm to 3am. Tel:(0)4 423 8312. solutions-leisure.com
Fifth Flavor
Adding to the impressive array of independent restaurants at Wasl Square is Fifth Flavor, an innovative new pan-Asian restaurant. From humble beginnings at Ripe Market back in 2021, the brand has grown into its first standalone restaurant, serving a unique menu that includes dishes like sushi tacos and chocolate mousse topped with black garlic ice cream. The experiential restaurant features a shop front where you can pick up an array of Asian goodies supplied by 1004 gourmet as well as brand merch. Here, you can also open up your palate with a drink at the tea bar. Once inside the restaurant, the cosy and inviting atmosphere is minimalistic and warm, with sustainable design elements including chairs crafter from papier-mâché and wood chips. Handcrafted fish-shaped chopstick holders add an artistic touch.
Fifth Flavor, Wasl Square block 9, Jumeirah, 6pm onwards, Tues to Sun, closed Mon. @fifthflavor.ae/
Kokoro
The UAE’s first handroll bar has made its way to Alserkal Avenue, welcoming guests to an intimate, 44-seater restaurant where culinary theatre takes centre stage. The brainchild of chefs Daniel Lee and Chef Patrick Pham, everything on the menu is made fresh to order with the talented chefs slicing, spicing, and serving a variety of sushi and hand roll dishes right infront of you. Split between 18 stools wrapped around the bar – perfect for being in the heart of the action; and 26 table seats, the traditionally minimalistic restaurant has been harmonised by a Feng Shui expert, and also features playful elements like some 80 rubber ducks. The best way to experience Kokoro is to take the chef’s recommendations. But you can also pick your own dishes from four distinct sections of the menu – handrolls, crudo, nigiri & sashimi or salads. But all are recommended to try the restaurant’s hero dishes, including the spicy tuna handroll, hamachi handroll, avocado handroll, shitake mushroom handroll and wagyu nigiri.
Kokoro Handroll Bar, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Sun, Mon, Weds, 12pm to 10pm, Thurs to Sat 12pm to 12am, closed Tues, walk-in only. @kokoro.dxb
Ronin
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When the hotly anticipated FIVE LUXE opened at the end of March, it brought with it a string of new drinking and dining venues. Among them is homegrown Japanese fusion restaurant, Ronin, bringing an Instagrammable touch to gourmet Asian dining on JBR. Currently open for dinner only, perch up in the dimly lit restaurant where dramatic interiors set the tone, or enjoy pretty beach and Ain Dubai views out on the terrace. For upping the wow factor, guests can also book the counter seating, and enjoy front row seats to the culinary team at work. On the menu, expect platters of sushi, raw plates of fresh fish, and an extensive offering of surf and turf from the robata.
Ronin, FIVE LUXE, JBR, 6pm to 2am daily. Tel: (0)4 455 9989. @ronin_dubai
Bulgari Yacht Club Restaurant
Now under the expert eye of Michelin-lauded chef Niko Romito, the Bulgari Yacht Club Restaurant has been reimagined. Still offering the same elegant, oceanic-inspired aesthetic, the culinary concept has been upgraded, with a renewed focus on Italian seafood. Guests will start their dining experience with a range of raw seafood, including crustaceans, fish, and mollusks. First courses pay homage to Italian classics like ‘Linguine alle vongole veraci’ and ‘Risotto alla marinara,’ while much of the mains revolve around the new large open grill, fueled by wood and charcoal, that will cook up whole fish, lobsters and meaty options. Completing the culinary journey are traditional Italian desserts brought up to date, including the vanilla pannacotta with seasonal fruit.
Yacht Club Restaurant, Bulgari Yacht Club, Jumeirah 2, daily 12.30pm to 11pm. Tel: (0)4 777 5433. bulgarihotels.com