10 new restaurants to dine at in Dubai this year

These venues, from new concepts to post-pandemic relaunches, will appeal to diverse palates

Cocotte on JBR specialises in rotisserie chicken. Photo: Cocotte

Japanese restaurant Kata overlooks The Dubai Fountain. Photo: Kata

Attiko, serving an Asian-inspired menu, is located on the 31st floor of W Dubai – Mina Seyahi. Photo: Sunset Hospitality Group

Turkish restaurant Ruya Dubai will relaunch at The St Regis Dubai on Palm Jumeirah. Photo: Ruya

Peruvian-Japanese restaurant Issei at Radisson Hotel Dubai Damac Hills promises views of Burj Khalifa and Dubai Marina. Image: Issei

Bar Baar will relaunch at Occidental Al Jaddaf.

Turkish restaurant Kasibeyaz at Dubai Hills Mall is one for meat lovers. Photo: Kasibeyaz

French restaurant Couqley opened at Pullman Hotel in Downtown Dubai. Photo: Couqley

Bebek has a striking, neon-lit interior. Photo: Bebek

‘Tis the season to dine out. October brought with it at least half a dozen new restaurants — from Hayal, Rosa’s Thai, The Nice Guy, a third branch of Joe & The Juice and Lulu & The Beanstalk (as well as Em Sherif Sea Cafe in Abu Dhabi) — but foodies in Dubai still have plenty to look forward to.

Here are 10 restaurants that have launched this month or are scheduled to open before we ring in the new year.

Cocotte

Coming to Dubai straight from the streets of London, this rotisserie chicken joint is the brainchild of Romain Bourrillon. The Michelin-lauded chef has created a menu that celebrates healthy and home-made dishes, many of which will be served in Cocotte’s JBR outpost, which opened this month.

The star of this French-inspired menu is its chicken, which is marinated for 24 hours in herbes de Provence and cooked on a traditional rotisserie spit. Diners can choose from a full (Dh122), half (Dh63), or quarter chicken (Dh43).

Other dishes include sandwiches such as halloumi pesto and chicken waffle, plus kale and squash salad, ratatouille, rosemary fries and an opulent truffle mac and cheese.

More information is available at 04 564 1995

Attiko

Attiko is located on the 31st floor of the W Dubai Mina Seyahi. Photo: Sunset Hospitality Group

Another import, Attiko is a super-cool restaurant from Turkey’s party capital Bodrum, and operated in the UAE by the same group, Sunset Hospitality, as its Turkish counterpart. The Dubai outpost, which opened on November 8, is being described as a “high-energy bar and lounge for music and food connoisseurs”.

Located on the 31st floor of the W Dubai — Mina Seyahi, the sleek indoor-outdoor space is designed to resemble an Asian garden. On the menu, you can find dishes such as shrimp tempura, oysters, tuna and beef tataki, aubergine tempura, yellow tail carpaccio, black pepper chicken, Chilean sea bass, lobster with lime butter, and Wagyu striploin. Dessert, too, is Asian-inspired, and includes three kinds of mochi ice cream and passion fruit cheesecake with banana ice cream.

More information is available at 04 350 9983

Kata

Luxury hospitality group Amai Gourmet Restaurants, which launched in Dubai in October, rolled out its first restaurant on November 14. Kata will serve high-end Japanese cuisine in The Dubai Mall, with an indoor-outdoor space overlooking The Dubai Fountain.

From the expansive menu, chef Ricardo Bojador recommends the following dishes: for vegetarians, the mushroom truffle rice pot with truffle butter; for meat lovers, the Angus tenderloin cooked over a robata grill and served with shishito pepper and teriyaki sauce; for seafood lovers the extravagant Kata roll with striploin, caviar and foie gras; and for dessert, the matcha crisp with matcha custard, strawberry coulis and jasmine flower.

More information is available at 054 582 9933

Couqley

French restaurant Couqley opened at Pullman Hotel in Downtown Dubai. Photo: Couqley

The beloved French restaurant from JLT launched its second Dubai outpost, at the Pullman Dubai Downtown, on November 15. Couqley French Brasserie spans over 580 square metres, and offers garden-inspired booth seating, dining tables under olive trees, triple-height ceilings, and a terrace located on and accessible from the promenade of the Dubai Canal.

On the menu are all the Couqley signatures, including steak frites, chicken and mushroom tagliatelle, foie gras with strawberry coulis; creamy mushroom puff pastry; pappardelle pasta in truffle sauce; lobster brioche; and one of the most delectable French onion soups in town.

More information is at 055 491 0097

Issei

Issei opened at Radisson Hotel Dubai Damac Hills on November 16 after successful outposts in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Tallinn. The Nikkei restaurant will serve a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese ingredients and seasonings, with chefs flown in from Peru to helm the kitchen.

On the menu are dishes such as crispy octopus, black cod, mushroom tobanyaki, ceviche, sushi, maki, plus South American corn, potatoes, limes and chilis, and East Asian-style fish and rice.

The rooftop restaurant boasts Burj Khalifa, Dubai Marina and golfing green views.

More information is available at 04 879 1111

Bar Baar Freestyle Kitchen & Bar

Indian restaurant Bar Baar shuttered mid-pandemic, but is gearing up to relaunch at a new location on November 26. Restyled as a “freestyle” kitchen, the venue at Occidental Al Jaddaf will not only serve contemporary Indian fare and desi Chinese (the dhaba-style chicken curry, spicy momos and motichoor cheesecake were highlights) it was known for, but also a range of international dishes such as miso-marinated black cod, Turkish manti and lobster Indiana.

More information is available at 056 555 4626

Kasibeyaz

The family-run restaurant launched in Istanbul in 1974, and will open its Dubai flagship later this month. A massive space, it claims to be the biggest restaurant in Dubai Hills Mall and includes a terrace and indoor children's play area.

The terrace at Kasibeyaz, Dubai Hills Mall. Photo: Kasibeyaz

On the menu are signature Anatolian dishes, including sarma, eli bogrunde (baked lamb with tomatoes, peppers and onions), lahmacun flatbread with minced meat, kofte and the chain's famed baked golden baklava stuffed with Antep pistachios or walnuts. Turkish tea and coffee will also be served.

More information is available at 055 847 0711

Maison de Curry

Chef Paritosh Sharma, who was part of the pre-opening teams of Michelin-lauded Tresind and Carnival by Tresind in Dubai, will helm the kitchen at Maison de Curry when it opens in December. The menu seeks to explore the evolution of the humble curry, and dishes are inspired by the various sauces, spices and gravies that have migrated across centuries and countries, from Europe, Asia and Africa all the way to South America.

Lobster risotto in jungle curry is a speciality, we are told, while other dishes include curry ramen, German currywurst and Jamaican goat curry.

The restaurant is set on the Souk Al Bahar strip with views of Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain.

More information is available at 052 406 6183

Ruya Dubai

Turkish restaurant Ruya will serve Anatolian cuisine. Photo: Ruya

Another restaurant set to reopen in a different location, Ruya Dubai will launch at The St Regis Dubai on Palm Jumeirah in December. The original outpost in Grosvenor House closed its doors in May 2020. The restaurant, which is originally from Mayfair, London, specialises in Anatolian cuisine.

The interior, too, channels an Ottoman-inspired vibe with patterned tiles, opulent chandeliers and a juxtaposition of marble and metal.

As for the menu, diners can expect signature dishes — which offer a modern take on age-old Turkish recipes — including lamb cutlets with smoked aubergine, marinated baby chicken with pastry-wrapped rice pilaf, and two-cheese pide with slow-cooked egg and home-made pastirma or sujuk. Plenty of new dishes “inspired by the Mediterranean and Black Sea” will also make their way to the menu.

More information is available at 04 218 0000

Bebek

Bebek has a striking, neon-lit interior. Photo: Bebek

Yet another Turkish restaurant set to open in December, Bebek is located in a two-storey villa in Jumeirah 3. The massive space has been revamped to resemble the glamorous resto-lounges dotted along the promenade of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, an area from which the restaurant draws its name. Expect luminous arches, retro fixtures, futuristic lighting and velvet furniture in royal blue and red.

On the menu are a mix of international and traditional Turkish dishes such as stuffed vine leaves, kofte, Turkish tzatziki, manti, lahmacun, pide flatbread and doner kebabs.

Scroll through the gallery below to see the restaurants included in Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi

One star: 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant, The Galleria Al Maryah Island. Cuisine: Japanese contemporary.

One star: Hakkasan Abu Dhabi in Emirates Palace. Cuisine: Chinese. Photo: Hakkasan

One star: Talea by Antonio Guida, Emirates Palace. Cuisine: Italian. Photo: Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace

Bib Gourmand: Almayass, The Galleria Al Maryah Island. Cuisine: Lebanese. Photo: Almayass

Bib Gourmand: Beirut Sur Mer, Mamsha Al Saadiyat. Cuisine: Lebanese. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Bib Gourmand: Otoro, Al Qana. Cuisine: Japanese contemporary. Photo: Otoro

Bib Gourmand: Tazal, Al Qana. Cuisine: Mediterranean. Photo: Tazal