Plant-based chain Neat Burger — which boasts Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio on its board of financial backers — is not necessarily only one for vegans. Instead, says the brand’s co-founder Stasi Nychas, the burgers are prepared to appeal to the rising cult of flexitarians — or those who subscribe to a semi-vegetarian lifestyle.
Accordingly, “No compromise on taste” is the headline promise of Neat Burger, which is opening its first UAE branch in The Dubai Mall on Thursday, and the first 500 customers get to eat for free.
“Our target is people who want to eat less meat, maybe once or twice a week. And how do we convert meat-eaters? It all comes down to taste,” Nychas, who has flown to Dubai from London to oversee the launch, tells The National.
“We want our customers to have that nostalgic feeling they get when eating from the popular [fast food] brands.”
The chain has an all-plant-based menu. The burger patties are a variation of meat, chicken and fish alternatives, the cheeses are vegan and the shakes are blended with soya milk. “We have a vision to make sustainably delicious food accessible to everyone,” says Nychas.
Meat substitutes have been rather slow to enter the mainstream food scene. Although it’s gained considerable traction in recent years, as vegan options continue to grow in number, faux meat still hasn’t quite taken off, as a lot of it simply doesn’t taste like the real deal. Neat has been trying to crack the plant-based meat code since 2019, when it opened its first branch in London.
“Our burgers three years ago probably taste different than what we are offering now,” Nychas says, at Neat's new location overlooking the mall's skating rink.
“Consumers can be inherently selfish in the way they eat. They’ll come and try something, and if it doesn’t taste like a burger, they’re not going to come back.
“We spent a lot of time with our food team making sure each burger has the right amount of sauce and that everything tastes, feels and looks like the burgers we’re eating anywhere else.
Indeed, the brand’s Original Cheez, Crispy Chick'n and Fish Burger prove to be quite the faux meat treat. True to its promise, the first two burgers — with meat and chicken alternatives — offer an authentic experience, with none of that earthy aftertaste usually associated with meat substitutes. Neat develops its own protein range, from ingredients including pea, corn and rice.
The fish burger is the most impressive, made with jackfruit, but still eerily bearing a strong seafood flavour. Aside from the sandwiches, the plant-based chicken nuggets are also a crunchy hit.
“Taste is always at the forefront, and that’s how we are going to grow our consumer base,” Nychas explains.
The celebrity names backing the brand don’t hurt, either. The growth of Neat Burger could partly be attributed to the star power of seven-time Formula One world champion Hamilton and, more recently, Oscar-winning actor and climate change activist DiCaprio.
“Their joining the business has given us great exposure through their networks,” Nychas says, admitting the brand has used these big names to gain “an extra push to the market”.
The superstar investors aren’t only for marketing purposes, however. Hamilton, a vegan himself, shares the same vision as Nychas and the other co-founders, including DiCaprio, Unicef ambassador Tommaso Chiabra and creative director Zack Bishti.
“I’m really proud of the boundaries we have been able to push in this space and the plans for expansion are really exciting,” the F1 star said in a statement ahead of the Dubai launch.
Aggressive global expansion is on the menu at Neat. The Dubai branch represents its 10th outpost, with eight in the UK and one in New York.
Nychas says Dubai was the perfect next stop for Neat Burger to forward its agenda — as a storm of health-consciousness and vegan options sweep the food scene across the Emirates. Adding a local aspect to the menu, the chain is introducing “hotter and spicier” options for UAE customers.
Nychas also shares Neat Burger's plans to increase its presence in the Middle East, with the possibility of branching out to Abu Dhabi in the “close future”. In fact, he says, the chain is participating in the coming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Neat Burger opens on the level two food court of The Dubai Mall on November 3; the first 500 customers eat free on launch day
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Mobile phone packages comparison
More about Middle East geopolitics
Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)
SHAITTAN
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NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5