Everyone fights over the middle of a Chicago deep-dish pizza, but Kelvin Cheung always went for the burnt cheese stuck to the pan. At Jun’s in Downtown Dubai, he’s turned that crispy edge into a full course, and it’s now part of a seven-course tasting menu that costs AED 295 (USD 80).
That menu is The Short Story: Volume 4, and it’s the easiest way into one of the city’s most decorated independent restaurants. Here’s what Jun’s is, what’s on the new menu and how it stacks up against the full tasting menu and the business lunch.
Jun’s sits on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, a few minutes from Burj Khalifa, and it’s chef Kelvin Cheung’s first restaurant in the UAE. The room is all emerald and brass, the kitchen is open late and the cooking is unlike anything else on the Boulevard.
Jun’s
Chef Kelvin Cheung’s Third Culture Cooking restaurant on the Downtown Boulevard
Area: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai
Cuisine: Third Culture (Cantonese roots with Indian, North American, Mexican and Middle Eastern influences)
Phone: +971 4 457 6035
Reservations: junsdubai.com
Hours: Daily, 12pm to 1am
Price: Short Story tasting menu AED 295 (USD 80), chef’s tasting menu AED 560 (USD 152), business lunch from AED 125 (USD 34)
Map: Open in Google Maps
What is Jun’s Dubai?
Jun’s is a chef-led restaurant in Downtown Dubai run by Chef Kelvin Cheung, serving what he calls Third Culture Cooking: Cantonese family cooking mixed with the Indian, North American and Middle Eastern food he grew up around. It has been listed in the MICHELIN Guide every year since 2023 and ranked No. 8 on MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026.
Add two Gault&Millau toques in 2026 and you’ve got a restaurant that collects awards without feeling stiff. It’s a fun room. You’ll see birthday tables, date nights and finance types in for lunch, often on the same afternoon. For the full picture of who else made the regional ranking, our breakdown of the Dubai restaurants on MENA’s 50 Best list has every name.
What does Third Culture Cooking actually mean?
A “third culture kid” grows up between their parents’ culture and the one around them, and ends up with a bit of both. Kelvin Cheung’s cooking is that idea on a plate. He’s of Chinese heritage, grew up in restaurant kitchens in Canada and Chicago, cooked for years in Mumbai and now sources from producers here in the UAE.
So you get lobster pani puri with Macanese sauce, a wagyu beef potsticker with chilli crunch and an Omani prawn vindaloo served with crispy mantou. It sounds busy on paper. On the plate it’s surprisingly focused, because every dish is tied to a specific memory rather than a mash-up for the sake of it.
The Short Story Volume 4: all seven courses
The Short Story is Jun’s shorter, cheaper tasting menu, and each new volume swaps in a different set of dishes. Volume 4 leans on family. It’s the one with his wife’s Christmas tamales and that Chicago pizza pan, and every course has a full vegetarian version rather than a token swap.
| Course | Standard menu | Vegetarian menu |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pani Puri | Lobster, tamarind, Macanese sauce, agua | Mushroom in place of lobster |
| 2. Sea Bream | Dry-aged sea bream, whipped bone broth butter, pickled grapes, gamtae seaweed | Melon: compressed canary melon, whipped kombu butter, pickled grapes, gamtae |
| 3. Pequod’s Deep Dish Pizza | Sourdough focaccia, mozzarella, cheese foam, lacto-fermented tomatoes, pizza fond | Served on both menus |
| 4. Mama’s Dolma Elotes | Hokkaido scallop, wagyu longanisa and glutinous rice in grape leaf, elote purée | Vegetarian version of the same story |
| 5. Main (choose one) | Wagyu MB7 with handmade rice noodles and roasted garlic sauce, or lobster with handmade noodles and black bean sauce | Dan Dan Spaghettini with mushroom broth, mustard greens, peanuts |
| 6. Keri Chaat | Raw mango sorbet, Jun’s chaat masala, ghee-tossed puffed rice | Served on both menus |
| 7. Palestinian Olive Oil | Olive oil ice cream, olive caramel, dark chocolate, then petit fours | Finished with a churro |
The pizza course you eat with your hands
Pequod’s is a real Chicago pizzeria known for its caramelised crust, and Cheung’s version skips the pizza altogether. You get a concentrated “pizza fond” on the plate with sourdough focaccia, fresh mozzarella and fermented tomatoes, and you’re meant to tear the bread and drag it through everything. It’s the best bit of a deep-dish without the other 90 per cent.
A promise to his wife, in a grape leaf
Mama’s Dolma Elotes exists because Cheung promised his wife he’d make the Christmas tamales she grew up eating in Las Vegas. He took the idea via a Dubai detour: it’s inspired by Chef Salam Daqqaq’s dolmas, filled with Chinese-style sticky rice and house-made wagyu longanisa, then served with scallop and a braising liquid that tastes like tortilla soup. Middle Eastern, Mexican, Chinese and Filipino in one bite, and it somehow works.
Mango chaat meets the Chicago fruit cart
Keri Chaat links two memories of sour fruit: raw mango chaat on Mumbai streets and summer fruit carts in Chicago selling mango with chilli, lime and Tajín. The result is raw mango sorbet rolled in Jun’s own chaat masala with puffed rice for crunch. It’s the palate cleanser you’ll still be thinking about on the drive home.
Wow-Emirates Expert Tip: Menu prices at Jun’s already include VAT and service, but a 7% municipality fee goes on top. Budget a little over AED 310 (USD 85) per person for the Short Story before drinks.
How much is the tasting menu at Jun’s?
Jun’s has three set ways to eat, and the Short Story sits neatly in the middle. Here’s how they compare.
| Menu | What you get | Price per person |
|---|---|---|
| The Short Story Vol 4 | Seven courses plus petit fours, daily, vegetarian version available | AED 295 (USD 80) |
| Chef’s Tasting Menu | The full-length tasting of Cheung’s best-known dishes, lunch and dinner | AED 560 (USD 152) |
| Vegetarian Chef’s Tasting | Full-length vegetarian tasting | AED 490 (USD 133) |
| Weekday Business Lunch | Starter and main, or starter, main and dessert | AED 125 (USD 34) or AED 145 (USD 39) |
The Short Story is the sweet spot if you want the storytelling without a three-hour commitment. It’s also very competitive for Downtown. Compare it with the new tasting menus at Orfali Bros and you’ll see why Dubai’s homegrown chefs are racing to offer a shorter format.
The business lunch is the real bargain, though. Wagyu steak frites, miso sea bass claypot rice and the Dan Dan spaghettini all appear on it, and it’s one of the stronger entries among the best business lunches in Dubai if you work anywhere near the Boulevard.
Ordering à la carte at Jun’s
Not in a tasting mood? The à la carte menu is where regulars live. Our picks: the lobster pani puri at AED 130 (USD 35), sesame prawn cheese toast with mom’s Singapore-style coconut curry at AED 120 (USD 33), the jalapeño onion wagyu smashburger at AED 95 (USD 26) and the Omani prawn vindaloo at AED 220 (USD 60). Leave room for the boba crème brûlée at AED 55 (USD 15).
One night only: Mostafa x Kelvin on 25 October
If you can only go once this month, look at Sunday 25 October. Chef Mostafa of Khufu’s in Cairo, ranked No. 1 on MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, is joining Cheung in the Jun’s kitchen for a single collaboration tasting menu that mixes Khufu’s modern Egyptian cooking with Third Culture dishes. Seats for one-night chef collabs like this go fast, so book early.
Booking, hours and getting there
Jun’s is open daily from 12pm to 1am on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, with complimentary valet parking. Book through the restaurant website, by email at reservations@junsdubai.com or by calling +971 4 457 6035.
Wow-Emirates Expert Tip: You don’t need to pre-order the Short Story, so you can decide at the table. The full chef’s tasting menu is different and needs around 24 hours’ notice, so mention it when you book if that’s your plan.
Making a day of it? Our guide to spending 24 hours in Downtown Dubai pairs well with a late lunch here. And if you’re working through the city’s guide-listed tables, the MICHELIN Guide Dubai roundup shows where Jun’s sits among them.
Jun’s Dubai FAQ
Where is Jun’s in Dubai?
Jun’s is on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai, a few minutes from Burj Khalifa. Valet parking is complimentary.
How much is the Jun’s tasting menu?
The Short Story: Volume 4 seven-course menu costs AED 295 (USD 80) per person. The full chef’s tasting menu is AED 560 (USD 152), or AED 490 (USD 133) for the vegetarian version. A 7% municipality fee is added on top.
Does Jun’s have a MICHELIN star?
Jun’s has been listed in the MICHELIN Guide Dubai every year from 2023 to 2026. It’s also ranked No. 8 on MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 and holds two Gault&Millau toques.
Who is the chef at Jun’s Dubai?
Jun’s is run by Chef Kelvin Cheung, who grew up in restaurants in Canada and Chicago and spent years cooking in Mumbai before moving to Dubai. His Third Culture Cooking draws on his Chinese heritage and the places he has lived.
Is there a vegetarian tasting menu at Jun’s?
Yes. Both the Short Story and the full chef’s tasting menu come in a complete vegetarian version, with every course reworked rather than simply removed.
Does Jun’s do a business lunch?
Yes, on weekdays. It’s AED 125 (USD 34) for two courses or AED 145 (USD 39) for three, with mains like wagyu steak frites and miso sea bass claypot rice.
