Every year, during the holy month, restaurants across the UAE change their working hours to be respectful to customers, traditions and local sentiments.
This year, the onset of Ramadan is also accompanied with the government easing restrictions on travel in Dubai. As a result, restaurants are cautiously opening doors, but for limited hours and while adhering to the regulations – that is, limiting occupancy to 30 per cent of capacity, with tables set two metres apart.
In light of these changes, here’s a look at some establishments that are open for dine in during the day:
Amazonico
DIFC eatery Amazonico is reopening to serve its blend of South American, European and Asian cuisine. Advance booking is essential.
12pm to 10pm; Gate Village 11, DIFC; 04 571 3999; reservations@amazonico.ae
Bread Street Kitchen
The Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Atlantis the Palm is now open daily, serving its British signatures like beef Wellington and fish and chips.
12pm to 9pm; Atlantis The Palm, Crescent Road, Dubai; 04 426 2000; atlantis.com/dubai
Cassette
Cassette, the modern Parisian-style cafe in Al Quoz, will be reopening its doors daily, serving its signature menu for both in-cafe dining and takeaway.
9am to 5pm; The Courtyard, Al Quoz, Dubai; 04 349 1966; cassette.ae
Cafe M
Media One Hotel's Cafe M is now open throughout the day. Stop by for light bites, comfort food and sweet treats.
7am to 10pm; Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City; 04 427 1000; www.mediaonehotel.com
Coya
The Peruvian restaurant will be accepting dine-in customers starting Wednesday, April 29.
12.30pm to 10pm; Restaurant Village Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach Road; 04 316 9600; reservations@coyarestaurant.ae
Eat Greek
The Greek restaurant chain is now allowing dine-in customers in its JBR and Dubai Mall branches.
12pm to 10pm; 043255446; www.eatgreekkouzina.com
Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen
The British celebrity chef's Caesars Palace Bluewaters Dubai eatery is open for business during the day, but advance booking is essential.
12pm to 3.30pm, then sunset to 10pm; Caesars Palace Bluewaters Dubai; 04 556 6666; www.caesars.com/dubai
Hillhouse Brasserie
Dubai Hills eatery is reopening from Tuesday, April 28. The restaurant serves an international menu.
6.30am to 10pm; Dubai Hills Golf Club; 800 666 353; www.facebook.com/HillhouseBrasserie
LPM
The fine-dining establishment will be opening doors once more on Thursday, April 30, giving residents a chance to sample its French-Mediterranean fare. There will be an a la carte menu available all day and an Iftar menu available in the evening.
12pm to 10pm; Gate Village No, 8, DIFC; 044390505; www.lpmrestaurants.com/dubai
McGettigan's JLT
The Irish pub will be serving food and soft beverages from midday daily, with last orders at 8pm.
12pm to 9pm; Bonnington Hotel, JLT, Dubai; 04 356 0470; www.mcgettigans.com
Nammos
Chic Greek restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai will be open from Friday, May 1.
12pm to 10pm; Four Seasons Resort Dubai, Jumeirah Beach, Dubai; www.nammosworld.com
Perry & Blackwelder’s
Souk Madinat Jumeirah's smokehouse Perry & Blackwelder's is reopening on Tuesday, April 28.
12pm to 10pm; Souk Madinat Jumeirah; 800 666 353; www.jumeirah.com/en/dine/dubai/perry-blackwelders-original-smokehouse
Quattro Ristorante
The vegetarian restaurant located in Mankhool is opening doors once more. Customers can expect its popular Italian and Mexican fare including tacos, pizzas and sizzlers.
11am to 10pm; Mankhool, Dubai; 04 3939 395
Rockfish
Located in Jumeirah Al Naseem, Mediterranean seafood curated by Chef Marco Garfagnini will be served beachfront for lunch and dinner.
12.30pm to 3.30pm, then from 5pm onwards; 04 432 3232; restaurants@jumeirah.com
Shimmers
The beach restaurant in Jumeirah Mina A'Salam will be serving its Greek delicacies and views.
12pm onwards; 04 432 3232; restaurants@jumeirah.com
The Duck Hook
British eatery The Duck Hook at Dubai Hills is reopening on Tuesday, April 28.
6.30am to 10pm; Dubai Hills Golf Club; 800 666 353; www.facebook.com/theduckhookdxb
The London Project
British Bluewater’s Island The London Project is reopening from Thursday, May 7. The lush, green eatery, with views over the sea and Dubai Marina, will be open daily from midday, with a brand new menu on offer.
12pm to 10pm; Bluewater’s Island, Dubai; 056 913 4699; info@thelondonproject.com
The Noodle House
Branches of popular pan-Asian eatery The Noodle House are reopening at Nakheel Mall and Souk Madinat Jumeirah on Monday, April 27 ,and at Jumeirah Beach Residence on Tuesday, April 28.
12pm to 10pm; 800 666 353; www.thenoodlehouse.com
Trattoria Toscana
Souk Madinat Jumeirah's Italian eatery Trattoria Toscana is reopening its doors from Tuesday, April 28.
12pm to 10pm; Souk Madinat Jumeirah; 800 666 353; www.jumeirah.com/en/dine/dubai/madinat-trattoria-toscana
Vietnamese Foodies
The Vietnamese restaurant has announced that its JLT location is open for takeaway and dine in, with its outdoor area open after iftar. The menu will be available via QR code, only cashless payment will be accepted and the restaurant encourages reservations to be made in advance.
12pm onwards; 045656088; www.vietnamesefoodies.com
Zero Gravity
The beach restaurant has opened once more, with a menu featuring everything from an all-day breakfast selection to pizzas, burgers and sushi. Throughout Ramadan, a four-course iftar menu is also available for Dh99.
9am to 9pm; Dubai Marina, Skydive Dubai Drop Zone, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud St; 04 399 0009; info@0-gravity.ae
Zuma Dubai
Popular high-end Japanese restaurant Zuma Dubai is now open daily in DIFC.
12pm to 10pm; Gate Village, DIFC; 04 425 5660; zumarestaurant.com/locations/dubai
Note: This list will be updated. To add timings for your restaurant, please email listings@thenational.ae
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
More on animal trafficking
More on Quran memorisation:
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Company%20profile
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
