Dubai hotspots Gerbou and Smoked Room named among world's most beautiful restaurants

World title winner of the Prix Versailles architecture and interior design award will be chosen from among 16 finalists in December

The entrance of Gerbou restaurant. Photo: Gerbou

Two Dubai venues have made it to the World's Most Beautiful Restaurants list for 2025. Omakase eatery Smoked Room and Emirati-inspired Gerbou are among 16 restaurants named in the annual list by Prix Versailles, which recognises outstanding achievements in architectural and interior design.

The Prix Versailles publishes the list in a number of categories, from airports to museums and hotels. A world title in each category will be announced in December at the Unesco headquarters in Paris.

Opened in 2023, Smoked Room at St Regis Gardens on Palm Jumeirah is helmed by Spanish chef Dani Garcia, and earned a Michelin star just six months after opening. An intimate omakase restaurant, it has a crescent-shaped dining area, filled with a single 14-seater table facing the live kitchen with an open-fire cooking station.

Smoked Room is made up of mirrors, brass and black brick. Photo: Smoked Room

A separate dessert room is located next door, featuring spacious bench seating and Japanesque walls.

Smoked Room was designed by Astet Studio, and has a material palette of black brick alternated with metals, mirrors and brass mesh.

“The main dining area's semicircular layout allows guests to enjoy a theatrical experience as they watch their dishes being prepared over an open flame,” Prix Versailles said, adding that the restaurant's interior evoke “a sensory journey enhanced by remarkable smoky staging”.

Gerbou, meanwhile, has been praised for highlighting Emirati architecture. The Nad Al Sheba restaurant's name roughly translates to “welcome to our humble abode” in Arabic.

Designed by Kristina Zanic Consultants in collaboration with Tasmeem Tashkeel, the stand-alone restaurant's layout “is a perfect blend of traditional elements and sophisticated modernity”, Prix Versailles said, adding that its designers “have created an homage to the region’s flora and fauna, featuring fish-scale lighting, camel leather sofas and chairs made from ghaf trees”.

Gerbou is located within the historic Nad Al Sheba Centre Building. Photo: Gerbou

“The design is a wonderful reflection of the restaurant’s cuisine, made from 70 per cent locally sourced ingredients. Chef Ionel Catau carefully couples ancestral flavours with innovative techniques, a pairing that is echoed in the establishment’s decor. The whole is a wonderful illustration of Emirati hospitality.”

Another regional restaurant also made it to the global list – Riyadh eatery Kimyona. Designed by Azaz Architects, the restaurant's interior design is inspired by analogue black-and-white photography.

The Prix Versailles “world's most beautiful” awards have been presented since 2015. Last year, it named Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport as the most beautiful airport in the world.