Fresh Argentinian medialunas is the move at new bakery Pancita. Plus pastrami deli goods at Hudson & Rye, fancy ramen at Dubai Opera, and more new restaurants in Dubai…

If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and cafe in Dubai, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that have piqued our interest so far this month.

RAMEN HISA (Japanese)

What happens when one of Dubai’s most decadent Japanese restaurants decides to distill everything down to a single bowl? TakaHisa, known for lavish tasting menus and an equally lavish bill, has answered with Ramen Hisa, a 28-seat spinoff devoted entirely to the pursuit of refinement in a bowl of noodles. The house pedigree shows with house-made and egg noodles chosen bowl by bowl, the seafood option runs on premium bluefin tuna from Japanese wholesaler Yamayuki, and the beef bowls cycle through Wagyu, Kobe and Ozaki. The room strips away the excess too. Expect shoes off at the door, tatami flooring, floor chairs, and no more than 28 covers at a time. It’s TakaHisa’s philosophy shrunk down to its most essential form, and somehow no less serious for it.
Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai. @ramenhisa

HUDSON & RYE (Deli)

It seems like the Big Apple has landed in Dubai town with Hudson & Rye taking a ground-floor site in DIFC. The name nods to the Hudson River and rye bread, the backbone of a proper deli sandwich, and the menu goes all in with signature Reubens made with house-made pastrami. Elsewhere on the menu: oven-roasted turkey sarnies, tuna melts, cheeseburgers, and sides like pickles, potato pancakes and onion rings, plus a full breakfast run. The founders have their sights set on 10 UAE locations within five years, so consider this just the opening act.
Ground floor, Tower 3, DIFC Square, daily. @hudsonandrye

PANCITA (Bakery)

Pancita is the Argentinian bakery-meets-brunch spot that spent last summer as a pop-up before Dubai’s Argentinian community made its permanent existence non-negotiable. Its calling card is the medialuna: a yeast-fermented pastry that takes three days to make and about six seconds to eat, which seems like a poor return on effort until you taste one. Pancita’s are crispy-topped, impossibly light, and available in a range of flavours, with the sweet-savoury combo of cheese and date syrup, finished with sesame seeds, our clear pick. The pastries first surfaced at Le Guépard in Alserkal Avenue, and word tore through the city’s Argentinian crowd faster than you could say Lionel Messi. Beyond the medialunas: huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, and empanadas made fresh daily. Order a dozen and mix it up.
Wasl Square. @pancita.bakery

S.E.A BISTROT (Asian)

Behind S.E.A Bistrot is Shane Macneill, a multi-award-winning chef who’s spent decades in other people’s spotlights. He was working in high-end and Michelin star restaurants since 1997, cutting his teeth with the Nobu Group before stints at Novikov, Cipriani, Shanghai Me and, most recently, MayaBay. After years managing large teams from the pass, Shane made the call to return to the stove himself, cooking daily alongside his French wife Djo, who runs front of house. The menu draws on South-east and Eastern Asian influences, pulling from Japan, China and Thailand. Think bistrot spirit, not seafood, despite the name. The duck salad is already the dish critics are raving about. File under low-key, casual weekend lunch.
Jumeirah 3, @seabistrot      

DEAR DUMPLING (Chinese)

Self-proclaimed dumpling-folding pro Alicia Soo has taken over the old Jun’s kiosk spot in Motor City’s Neighbourhood Food Halls, and she’s kept things ruthlessly simple with three menu items, no more. The house dry noodles come with springy egg noodles tossed in a signature spicy sauce, served alongside crispy fried dumplings, bok choy and a scattering of crunchy chicken skin. The silky dumplings are boiled and tossed in homemade Sichuan chilli sauce, while the crispy dumplings are fried until golden and served with homemade sweet chilli sauce. Guests choose from three fillings (chicken, chicken and prawn, or shiitake mushroom and Chinese olive vegetables) with dumplings sold by the eight or 12-piece. Every dumpling is folded by hand, every bowl of noodles made to order, and the whole mini operation runs on an ethos that comes from doing three things properly instead of twenty things adequately.
Neighbourhood Food Halls, Motor City, @deardumplingdxb

LE PIAF (Piano Bar)

Le Piaf Dubai

Paris’ most theatrical night out has crossed a continent. Le Piaf, the piano-bar concept from Paris Society, has opened its first address outside Europe at Jumeirah Emirates Towers (replacing La Cantine), bringing the brand’s signature red velvet, gilded mirrors and crystal chandeliers with it. The evening unfolds in acts with soft piano to start, a full-throated singalong by midnight, then the DJ takes over and dinner quickly becomes a club. The kitchen holds its own too, with Gillardeau oysters, Wagyu carpaccio, escargots de Bourgogne, and a chicken-and-caviar dish that’s become the house signature.
Jumeirah Emirates Towers, @lepiaf_restaurant_dubai