Four new restaurants and cafes open in Dubai Design District

A Japanese-style bakery, Emirati restaurant and burger joint are among the additions

Goat at Dubai Design District is a new homegrown burger joint, the name of which is an acronym for "greatest of all time". Dubai Design District

Four new venues have opened in Dubai Design District, expanding the creative hub’s diverse foodie offerings.

This includes a Japanese-inspired bakery, a modern Emirati restaurant and a burger joint with views of Dubai Creek, which will all join the district's culinary offering that's already home to spots such as Tokyo-style street food and pizza place Akiba Dori, Indian favourite Mohalla and Mediterranean-inspired The Lighthouse.

What are the four new venues in d3?

Otaku, which means “home” in Japanese, adopts a minimalist aesthetic in d3's Building 7, offering home-made baked goods alongside speciality coffee. There’s also a retail area, which exclusively stocks mugs, kettles and tumblers from Japanese brand Kinto. It had its soft opening in April, after relocating from Jumeirah.

The Name, which opened in June, is a restaurant, cafe, retail store and co-working hub all wrapped into one. On the menu are Mediterranean-inspired dishes with a Levantine touch, including flatbread with spicy black Angus beef and labneh, a smoked pastrami and cheddar sandwich, plus batatas with melted vegan cheese.

Emirati spot Smat offers everything from a traditional lamb shank machboos and yoghurt-marinated chicken breast to contemporary fusion dishes such as the Indian-inspired cauliflower pakora burger and regag parmigiana. The kitchen team has collaborated with local farmers to include fresh organic ingredients. It initially opened in March.

Finally, Goat, an acronym for “greatest of all time”, is a home-grown burger store located alongside Dubai Creek, by d3’s The Block that's still in its soft opening phase. Think classic double Wagyu cheeseburger or an arigato with teriyaki sauce, shemeji mushrooms, enoki tempura and Japanese mayo, all served in a brioche bun.

“We are proud to be home to a wide range of original restaurants and cafes that you won’t find anywhere else in Dubai,” says d3’s executive director Khadija Al Bastaki.

“We are certain that our quartet of new restaurants and cafes will be a delight for everyone who visits our community, as well as this season of the Rethink Summer.”

Rethink Summer is the district’s long-running programme of cultural events, exclusive dine-in deals, free ice creams, creative workshops and retail promotions.