Dubai's The Maine to open new restaurant in Ibiza this summer

The home-grown brand is continuing its international expansion after launching in London in 2021

Founder Joey Ghazal, who launched The Maine in 2015. Photo: Diala Shuhaiber

Dubai’s home-grown restaurant The Maine will open a new international location in Ibiza this summer.

The brainchild of Candian-Lebanese restauranteur Joey Ghazal, The Maine has been a staple of Dubai’s dining scene since 2015.

With three restaurants in Dubai, and its first international outpost in the heart of London’s Mayfair, which opened in 2021, the brand is now looking to conquer another European hotspot, opening on the famed White Isle in June.

The new restaurant will be set in a restored 18th-century finca by the small church of Sant Francesc de S’Estany in the Unesco world heritage-listed area of Salinas, a short drive from Ibiza Town. It will feature a terrace split across two levels, with a capacity for 200 alfresco diners. The menu will stay loyal to The Maine’s ethos, with plenty of fresh seafood, locally-sourced ingredients and New England-inspired dishes.

The Maine Ibiza will open in a restored 18th-century finca. Photo: The Maine

Much like its Mayfair outpost, the restaurant will offer an entertainment programme featuring regular sets from different DJs from the island, as well as live performances.

Maine Ibiza will also open through the day as Casa M, serving healthy bowls, vegetarian and vegan options, as well as Mediterranean market platters using fresh and locally sourced produce.

The original The Maine Brasserie is located at the DoubleTree by Hilton JBR. In 2019, a more casual iteration of the restaurant, The Maine Street Eatery, opened in Dubai’s Studio City. In 2020, the city welcomed The Maine Land Brassiere, an elevated version of the venue, to Business Bay.

Ghazal previously told The National of his plans to expand The Maine. “Internationally, there is no brasserie concept that is New England-inspired — it does not exist — so we kind of inadvertently stumbled on something that is quite unique," Ghazal said.

"The Maine has legs; it is multi-occasional and cross-generational. As a brand, it attracts all different ages and groups and income brackets and occasions. So you can come for a date night, you can come to celebrate a business deal, you can come for a quiet dinner, or you can come to party — it has that kind of flexibility."

See photos of The Maine Mayfair

Seafood is the star of the show at the New England-inspired restaurant The Maine. All photos: The Maine Mayfair

The freshly shucked oysters

The Hamachi ceviche with aji amarillo and coriander

The restaurant serves various cuts of steak

A jazz band provides the background music for diners

The restaurant's terrace