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Dubai, the boosting city and hub of luxury has turned gourmet dining into an aristocratic obsession to lure the high-profile clientele. If you are a person who yearns for uniqueness, where each dish is an art and each meal is a performance, then this list is perfect for you. Imagine yourself enjoying delicious meals created by famous Michelin star chefs while not only seeing beautiful landscapes all around but also amazing aquatic life.
For the scrupulous eaters who want to have the “best of the best”, the expensive restaurants in Dubai promise much more than mere food – they offer a luxury experience. Whether it refers to an intimate dinner in a space inspired by a luxury yacht, or a multisensory, transportive performance dinner that fuses art, design, architecture, technology, music, design, and food, these places epitomize hedonism. Keep reading to find those handful of elite dining venues in Dubai that serve the ultimate in luxury dining like nowhere else.
1. Sublimotion
- Location: Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Jumeirah Beach Road.
- Cuisine: Multisensory gastronomic experience
- Contact: +971 4 777 2222
Sublimotion restaurant is not merely an oblong eatery but rather a show that encompasses cuisine in its technologically augmented form. With its permanent location in Ibiza, this temporary and limited-time restaurant serves a 10-course meal in a 12-seat space, with special elements such as tailored music and live performances. What makes it a dining spectacle is that this restaurant uses all your senses.
Every single course is cooked to perfection, being conceptualized by Michelin-starred chefs and offering a blend of international cuisines. At about AED 5,000 per person, this may sound exorbitant but the theatrical nature of the event and the amount of creativity that goes into the show is worth every dirham.
Ambiance: Sublimotion is a temporary restaurant situated in the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira; it creates dining experiences in different artistic ways. All the guests are placed at one large table, and there are modern project walls with 360-degree screens with surround imagery that changes according to the kind of meal served.
Special Foods: Their menu consists of 10 dishes and each dish is a stunning combination of gastronomy, art, and science blended with taste. Among them are edible bubbles, liquid nitrogen desserts, and holographic displays on the meals.
What Makes It Unique: The spectacular Sublimotion combines modern technology and Michelin-starred cuisine to deliver an experience unlike any other in Dubai.
2. Pierchic
- Location: Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah
- Cuisine: Italian
- Contact: +971 800 323232
With over-the-water bungalows, Pierchic restaurant will offer its guests an extraordinary dining experience. It is perched on a private pier and serves lovers of fine delicacies in a romantic and secluded manner with stunning views of the Arabian Gulf.
The cuisines offered an accent on sustainable, superior-quality Italian food. Every dish that is offered ranging from caviar-topped oysters to the main lobster thermidor is a result of such mastery. Pierchic offers one of the most exceptional dining experiences regarding both food quality and ambiance, with an average price tag of AED 800 – AED 1500 per person.
Ambiance: Pierchic is a symbol of luxury and sophistication of overwater bungalow concepts. Evening lighting and elegant, minimalistic design, modern furnishing, and floor-to-ceiling windows and doors with a magnificent view of Burj Al Arab make the place very romantic and private. Whether for a date night or a special occasion, the mood is generally classy and quiet.
Special Foods: The menu targets sustainable Italian food and dishes that are iconic seasonal tastes or twists. Depending on your choice, one can find king crab tartare, seared scallops with black truffle, or even a delicious lobster risotto, which are all properly scrumptious. The dessert menu includes the reinvented lemon tart, containing a testimony of the art of creation.
What Makes It Unique: Undoubtedly, Pierchic’s most significant asset is its location. While the food is highly tasty, eating on the beach with the sound of waves crashing and the cool sea breeze touching your lips with each and every bite offers an unparalleled gastronomical delight.
3. Trèsind Studio
- Location: St. Regis Gardens, The Palm Jumeirah.
Cuisine: Indian - Contact: +971 4 242 1666
Trèsind Studio offers a new level of cooking and plating of Indian food with a touch of modern methods. Seating only 20 guests at a time, this restaurant serves as a fine dining establishment with a complex wine pairing accompanied by a tasting menu.
The pani puri appetizer accompanied by the lamb shank biryani is proof of the chef’s invention. Priced at approximately AED 1,000 per person, Trèsind Studio is an ideal luxury restaurant for those who would prefer a fine-dining Indian restaurant like no other in Dubai.
Ambiance: Trèsind Studio is a small table-service restaurant, serving up to 20 customers at a time, so it gives a high level of personalization. When it comes to the design, simplicity, and minimalism are used as key decoration elements, to make sure not distract you much from the meal.
Special Foods: Every tasting menu offers a progression of Indian tastes, including a delicious pani puri and lamb sous vide spiced up with Indian techniques.
What Makes It Unique: It is easy to distinguish Trèsind Studio as an innovative introduction to Indian cuisine and a place that tells stories through the dishes.
4. Ossiano
- Location: Atlantis, The Palm
- Cuisine: European, Seafood
- Contact: +971 4 426 0770
Ossiano is a Michelin-starred restaurant that offers its diners an opportunity to eat while surrounded by a floor-to-ceiling aquarium with fish swimming all around the diner. The menu is focused on seafood delights, such as Brittany lobster, and Hokkaido scallops, and the food quality is remarkable as well.
Imagine yourself in a restaurant inspired by the travels of Chef Gregoire Berger and his cutting-edge, unconventional dish design. As for the cost, expect to pay anything between AFD 1200 and AED 2000 per person for this romantic underwater adventure.
Ambiance: Ossiano has a stunning theme and is situated underwater with a view of the Ambassador Lagoon. People feel an ambiance of serenity and marvel as they feed on meals engulfed by marine creatures.
Special Foods: Some of the specialties are Brittany blue lobster and Oscietra caviar where each meal is crafted to allow the essence of the sea to come through fully.
What Makes It Unique: Given that Ossiano is an underwater restaurant and has a Michelin-starred menu by Grégoire Berger, this establishment shines especially for seafood enthusiasts and lovers.
5. Armani Ristorante
- Location: Burj Khalifa, Lobby Level, Armani Hotel Dubai.
- Cuisine: Italian
- Contact: +971 4 888 3666
Renowned for luxury and elegance, Armani Ristorante is located in the prestigious Burj Khalifa. The lavish atmosphere resembles a plain background to a rather creative and indulging choice of dishes. Some of its specialties include risotto with black truffle and roasted sea bass.
Dining at Armani Ristorante brings the essence of Italy to life, offering the finest ingredients, and exquisite flavor combinations in an exclusive environment that excites real food lovers. The cost of dining ranges from AED 800 – AED 1,500 per person, but such luxurious dining is worth all the money.
Ambiance: It reflects the stylish and minimalistic look that characterizes the Italian designer. The design is much in line with Giorgio Armani’s minimalism.
Special Foods: Some of the signature dishes are black truffle risotto, saffron risotto with lobster, and an excellent selection of Italian wines.
What Makes It Unique: With mouth-watering dishes to satisfy Italy’s most celebrated dishes as well as the allure of dining in the tallest building in the world, this restaurant is a must-go especially if you have a taste for the best of both worlds.
6. Billionaire Dubai
- Location: Taj Dubai
- Cuisine: Italian-Mediterranean, Asian.
- Contact: +971 4 510 3100
Taking food and opulent showmanship, Billionaire Mansion Dubai perfects the art of dining as a spectacle. The chairs, table settings, lighting, and performers are aesthetically pleasing, generating a glitzy environment that bridges dining and performance.
At Billionaire, you can discover an array of delectable Italian dishes or explore their extensive sushi menu, which is professionally designed and cooked by Chef Batuhan Patti. The intimacy of the experience combined with excellent service makes it justifiable to spend AED 800 to 1,500 per person.
Ambiance: Billionaire Mansion is a luxurious venue with high entertainment characteristics, which makes it unique. The nightlife includes live music, acrobatics, and theatrical performances that help transform a dinner plate into an exciting evening.
Special Foods: Some favorites are the wagyu sushi made right at the table, truffle cream risotto, and the well-grilled black cod miso. The desserts, such as the yuzu tart give it a touch of sweetness that is refined.
What Makes It Unique: The ability to maintain great food coupled with fabulous entertainment is the strength of Billionaire Mansion. It is a place where you can taste meals of a Michelin level, listen to music, watch acrobatics, and generally experience something unique.
7. Hakkasan
- Location: Atlantis, The Palm
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Contact: +971 4 426 0752
One of Hakkasan restaurant’s many highlights is Chinese food with Michelin stars, so it can be classified as prestigious. Everything that one would dare to eat here is exquisite, from the world-known Peking duck to the exquisite dim sum. The fashionable interior design as well as the soft illumination of the restaurant contributes to the gourmet meals experience.
Hakkasan introduced Diǎnxīn, which is a generous Dim Sum menu, offering flavorful bite-sized treasures at lunch every weekend. Prices for dinner range from AED 800 to AED 1,500 per person, combining contemporary with traditional elements.
Ambiance: The interiors are shiny black with an undertone of classy woodwork and soft lighting. Several private dining spaces offer an additional degree of privacy.
Special Foods: This fine dining restaurant gained recognition for its Peking duck with caviar, dim sum platters, and Wagyu beef, offering a modern twist on traditional Chinese flavors.
What Makes It Unique: As a Michelin-starred restaurant with an elegant atmosphere and a creative menu, it is one of the most popular places in Dubai to eat.
8. At.mosphere Dubai
- Location: Burj Khalifa
- Cuisine: French, European
- Contact: +971 4 888 3828
At.mosphere restaurant offers an opportunity to dine with some of the best views by being situated on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa. Lavishly accented by state-of-the-art light fixtures, the general tone of the place’s décor is both calming and monumental, particularly in the evenings with the view of the city’s skyline. Together with exquisite chefs’ creations, the interior design is observed to be stylish and contemporary.
This restaurant offers specialties such as foie gras terrine, black truffle risotto, and Wagyu tenderloin. Prices start from AED 800 to AED 2,000 per person, making At.mosphere an excellent representation of the luxury in the sky.
Ambiance: Located on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, At.mosphere is among the leading restaurants offering unique views and dining experiences. The elegant decoration of the interiors and the traditional wooden architecture give primacy to the stunning views.
Special Foods: As a recommended restaurant in the 2024 edition of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai, At.mosphere is a food paradise with its list of mouthwatering gourmet meals. For dessert, don’t forget to try their Valrhona chocolate soufflé, accompanied by wines of the restaurant’s choice.
What Makes It Unique: Eating at At.mosphere is a bit like having dinner at the royal palace, and in a quite literal sense, soaring to new heights. It is one of the ultimate dining places because of the quality service, exquisite food, and of course the beautiful scenery to complement the meals.
9. Nobu
- Location: Atlantis, The Palm
- Cuisine: Japanese, Peruvian
- Contact: +971 4 426 0760
Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, an internationally renowned master chef, introduces a completely new concept of Nobu restaurants – a fusion of world-renowned Japanese cuisine with a Peruvian twist in Dubai. Cited creations such as the black cod miso and yellowtail jalapeño are some of the reasons Nobu is popular among food lovers.
With 50 restaurants and 13 hotels around the world, one could expect to spend anything between AED 800 to AED 1,500 per person in Dubai for your meal and yet have the best of foods, drinks, and luxuries.
Ambiance: Nobu in Atlantis, has a contemporary look and feel, coupled with low lighting, ideal for enjoying a refreshing beverage at an exquisite bar before giving all your senses an unparalleled culinary adventure.
Special Foods: Signature dishes of black cod miso, yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, and wagyu tacos are among the best offerings served at Nobu’s restaurants.
What Makes It Unique: The reputation of Nobu’s brand as an international restaurant, along with the fusion of strong flavors, puts it in a category of its own.
10. Social by Heinz Beck
- Location: Crescent Rd Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah
- Cuisine: Contemporary Italian
- Contact: +971 4 818 2155
Managed by three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck Social is a true masterpiece of Italian food. The menu boasts homemade cream carbonara fagottelli and risotto with saffron which is very close to traditional Italian recipes.
Customers can enjoy the calming view of Arabian Gulf waters and the beautiful skyline of Dubai City. This culinary journey through the finest Italian flavors will cost AED 800-1,200 per person while representing an excellent combination of luxury and creativity.
Ambiance: Situated inside the prime location of the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Social by Heinz Beck adorns a modern elegance. The interiors are quite corporate and stylish, meaning that the raw beauty of the food does not get obscured by flashy furniture and colors. The quiet private ambiance makes the venue suitable for special occasions and people who appreciate quality in cuisine.
Special Foods: The menu at Social by Heinz Beck offers a stunning selection of modern European gourmet dishes with Italian roots developed under the guidance of the three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck. The taste of Fagottelli carbonara, carbonara with a twist, and Mediterranean seabass is unforgettable. The desserts like the mango sphere or the chocolates added another dimension to the entire meal and every dish not only entices the tongue but the eyes as well.
What Makes It Unique: Social by Heinz Beck is one of the best restaurants in terms of culinary tuning, creativity, and originality by combining the traditions of Italian fine dining and innovative elements of presentation and seasoning.
Conclusion
The culinary experience in Dubai is as rich and magnificent as the city, offering a variety of exciting surprises. These expensive restaurants are examples of all the luxurious, innovative, and high-quality features of Dubai. From seafood or Italian food to Japanese delights, there is a fantastic journey that awaits you every time.
Eating at such places is a lot more than just food, it is about enjoying the pleasures of life. From the remarkable underwater Ossiano to Sublimotion, which is a five-sensory dining experience, these restaurants will ensure diners do not leave without memories to cherish.
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