Dubai’s royal family does not need a food critic. They just show up. No announcements. No PR. Sheikh Mohammed walks into a restaurant on a Wednesday and the video is everywhere by Thursday morning. Sheikh Hamdan drops into a 32-seater in Alserkal, and the waitlist doubles overnight. These Dubai Royalty-Loved Restaurants post a photo, tag the moment as a privilege, and every reservation for the next two weeks fills.
It has happened multiple times already this year. From a brand-new Emirati cafe that had not even officially opened yet to a DIFC restaurant that has been drawing the same crowd for 18 years, the Dubai royals have quietly built one of the most-followed dining trails in the city.
Here is every verified royal visit in Dubai so far in 2026.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
1. Cherry House – Al Safa (17 May 2026)
The most recent visit and the one with the most social media momentum right now.
Cherry House had not officially opened when Sheikh Mohammed turned up. He came during the soft launch on May 17 — the cafe opened to the public the next day. The venue called it “the beginning of something special.” By the time the doors opened on May 18, the queues had already formed.
Cherry House is an Emirati-owned roastery, bakery, and espresso bar in Al Safa 1, off Sheikh Zayed Road. It was founded by Mohamed Matar Al-Koas Al-Falasi, who also started Saddle and Feels, two of Dubai’s most consistent homegrown cafe brands. This concept has been under development for seven years. The name comes from the coffee cherry, the fruit from which coffee beans come before roasting.
The space is built around craft in full view. An overhead belting system, the first of its kind in the UAE, carries freshly roasted coffee beans through transparent pipes overhead, from the roastery across the venue as you sit. Pastries and bread are baked in-house daily. The espresso bar is open-plan. You watch everything happen.
WOW Emirates Expert Tip: Go on a weekday morning. The belting system is easier to follow when the venue is not packed. Ask what single-origin is on rotation, that changes regularly.
Cherry House
Emirati-owned roastery, bakery and espresso bar — UAE’s first overhead coffee bean belting system
Area: Al Safa 1, near Sheikh Zayed Road
Founded by: Mohamed Matar Al-Koas Al-Falasi (Saddle and Feels)
Opened: 18 May 2026
Best for: Coffee, pastries, casual morning visit
Reservations: Walk-in
Map: Cherry House Al Safa Dubai
Instagram: @cherryhouse
Weekday mornings are the quietest window and give you the best view of the roasting process.
2. SushiSamba – Palm Jumeirah (18 April 2026)
Sheikh Mohammed walked into SushiSamba on 18 April with a small group that included Mohammad Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs. SushiSamba is on the 51st floor of The Palm Tower at St Regis, at 230 meters, the highest restaurant on Palm Jumeirah. The cuisine blends Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian influences. The robata grill and sushi bar anchor the kitchen. The 360-degree views of the Palm, the Arabian Gulf, and the Dubai skyline are part of the experience — not background decoration.
Budget AED 300-500 (approx. USD 82-136) per person on food. The Samba Dubai Roll — lobster, mango, and avocado with Aji Honey Truffle — is the standout dish. Black cod with white miso is the other consistent recommendation. Thursday evenings turn into a higher-energy format with live music. A weekday lunch is the easier and calmer entry point.
SushiSamba Dubai
Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion on the 51st floor of The Palm Tower — 360-degree views of Palm Jumeirah
Area: Palm Jumeirah (St Regis Hotel, The Palm Tower, Level 51)
Cuisine: Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion
Price: AED 300-500 (approx. USD 82-136) per person
Must order: Samba Dubai Roll, black cod with white miso
Phone: +971 4 278 4888
Reservations: sushisamba.com
Map: SushiSamba Palm Tower Dubai
Request a window table when booking. The view of the Palm fronds from 230 metres is worth the effort.
3. Zuma – DIFC (15 April 2026)
This was not his first visit to Zuma. He has been here before. Which is its own kind of endorsement, returning to the same restaurant for years says more than a single drop-in.
Zuma has been in Gate Village, DIFC, since 2008. Contemporary Japanese, izakaya-style, which means shared plates arriving in a steady stream from the robata grill and sushi counter. The black cod miso is the signature dish and has been since the beginning. Spicy beef tenderloin and yellowtail sashimi with truffle ponzu are the two supporting acts worth ordering.
Dinner runs AED 350-700 (approx. USD 95-190) per person. The Saturday brunch from 12:30 PM is consistently one of the better weekend options at this price point in the city. Business lunch on weekdays is the more accessible version. Thursday and Friday evenings require a reservation booked a week in advance. The bar area takes walk-ins and serves the full menu — that is worth knowing if you haven’t planned ahead.
WOW Emirates Expert Tip: The lounge has a separate entrance and accepts walk-ins until it fills up. Same kitchen, same menu, less pressure. Good option if the dining room is fully booked.
Zuma
Contemporary Japanese izakaya — a DIFC fixture since 2008 and one of Dubai’s most consistently booked dinner tables
Area: Gate Village, Building 6, DIFC
Cuisine: Contemporary Japanese
Price: AED 350-700 (approx. USD 95-190) per person at dinner
Must order: Black cod miso, spicy beef tenderloin, yellowtail sashimi with truffle ponzu
Brunch: Every Saturday from 12:30pm
Reservations: zumarestaurant.com
Map: Zuma DIFC Dubai
Bar area takes walk-ins and serves the full menu — the backup plan when the main room is full.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
4. Window – Alserkal Avenue (1 May 2026)
The most talked-about Fazza visit of the year, and not because of the price tag. Window is a 32-seat walk-in restaurant on Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz. It opened earlier in 2026 from Fyte Hospitality, the same team behind Kokoro. The whole setup is built around a long diner-style counter facing an open kitchen with a Josper grill, a pizza oven, and glowing coals. No reservations. Walk in or wait.
The reason this one matters beyond the usual royal visit story: it was a small, independent, walk-in restaurant in an art district. Not a hotel fine dining room. Not a beach club launch. The Fazza effect, as it is now called, works regardless of the venue size — and this visit made that very clear.
Window
32-seater open-fire neighbourhood restaurant inside Alserkal Avenue — walk-in only, no reservations
Area: Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz
By: Fyte Hospitality (team behind Kokoro)
Cuisine: Open-fire cooking — pizza oven, Josper grill
Best for: Casual dinner, independent dining, couples
Reservations: Walk-in only
Map: Window Alserkal Avenue Dubai
Instagram: @windowdxb
Get there early or expect a wait — it was busy before the royal visit and busier after.
5. La Maison Ani – Dubai Mall (30 March 2026)
Sheikh Hamdan visited La Maison Ani on 30 March with a significant group, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and several other senior officials.
This is not his first visit here. He has been to La Maison Ani multiple times since it opened in 2022. During one visit in 2025, he reportedly covered the bill for all diners in the restaurant. La Maison Ani is a French-Mediterranean brasserie by Chef Izu Ani, inside Dubai Mall’s Fashion Avenue extension. The concept is built around a conservatory setting with botanical interiors, wood-fired bread, and a menu that sits between French brasserie and Mediterranean comfort. The artisanal bread program is notably good. The setting manages to feel quiet despite being inside one of the world’s busiest malls.
This is also the restaurant that most connects the two halves of this article. Chef Izu’s other restaurants — Gaia in DIFC and Alaya in DIFC — have also seen visits from Sheikh Mohammed over the years, making the Chef Izu portfolio quietly the most royal-frequented kitchen in Dubai.
WOW Emirates Expert Tip: Book a weekday lunch. The Fashion Avenue entrance keeps it calmer than the main mall flow, and the bread from the wood-fired oven is worth coming for on its own.
La Maison Ani
French-Mediterranean brasserie by Chef Izu Ani inside Dubai Mall’s Fashion Avenue — known for wood-fired bread and botanical interiors
Area: Fashion Avenue, Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai
Cuisine: French-Mediterranean
Best for: Lunch, couples, special occasion dining inside the mall
Reservations: lamaisonani.com
Map: La Maison Ani Dubai Mall
Instagram: @lamaisonanidubai
Enter from the Fashion Avenue side for a noticeably quieter approach than the main Dubai Mall entrance.
This list is updated as new visits happen. Bookmark it, check back before your next dinner booking and you’ll always know where the city’s most watched dining trail has moved to next. Which Dubai Royalty-Loved Restaurants are you booking first? Drop it in the comments — and if you’ve already been to any of these, we want to know if it lived up to the visit.
Images: official websites
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