ROKA Dubai has spent five years as one of Business Bay’s safest dinner bets, the kind of place you book when you want the night to go well and cannot afford a gamble. Now it is getting a second Dubai address, leaving the downtown towers behind for a rooftop on the Palm. The new restaurant will open at Six Senses The Palm, Dubai, on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah. It sits on the roof of the resort, which means an open-air terrace, water on the horizon and a sunset most nights of the year. ROKA’s second Dubai location is another step in a busy stretch for the brand. This has recently opened in Kuwait, Bahrain and Riyadh, and added ROKA Mykonos to its European side this summer.
It also lands in a year stacked with Japanese arrivals in the city, including Tokyo’s cult Wagyu Hamburg spot HIKINIKU TO COME.
Key Takeaways
- ROKA Dubai is opening its second Dubai restaurant at Six Senses The Palm, on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah.
- The venue sits on the resort rooftop, with an open-air terrace facing the Arabian Gulf, the Palm and the Dubai skyline.
- It keeps ROKA’s robatayaki format, contemporary Japanese cooking built around an open charcoal grill.
- It is dinner-only, from 6 PM onwards, designed to run from early-evening drinks to late-night dining.
- Six Senses The Palm is the brand’s first property in the UAE, with 61 suites and 172 branded residences.
- The opening date and reservations have not been announced yet. The venue says both are coming soon.
A second ROKA Dubai home, this time on the Palm
The original ROKA in Business Bay built a loyal crowd by being consistent rather than loud. Contemporary Japanese food, a charcoal grill doing the heavy lifting and a room that stays lively without tipping into chaos. That formula travels, which is why the second site is less a reinvention than a change of view.
What changes here is the setting. Business Bay is all glass and skyline. The Palm version trades that for sea air and a rooftop, and the brief makes clear the terrace is meant to be the headline. For a city that will happily eat outdoors for eight months of the year, a rooftop on the West Crescent is a strong hand to play.
What robatayaki actually means
If you have not been to a ROKA Dubai, the robata is the whole point. Robatayaki is a Japanese style of slow grilling over charcoal, traditionally binchotan, on an open hearth in full view of the room. Food comes out in waves rather than in courses, so the table keeps getting topped up while you talk. It is social by design, which suits a sunset-to-late-night rhythm better than a stiff three-course sit-down.
The Palm menu has not been published yet, but you can expect the signature robata-grilled dishes the brand is known for, plus the drinks list that usually keeps the room going long after the food slows down.
A rooftop built for the evening
This one is dinner-only, opening at 6 PM. That is a deliberate choice. ROKA’s energy has always lived in the evening, and the Palm location leans all the way in, built around sunset drinks that roll into a long dinner and then into the late night. The interiors will carry the same warm, contemporary look as the rest of the group, but the terrace is where most people will want to be.
About Six Senses The Palm, Dubai
The host matters here. Six Senses The Palm is the brand’s first address in the UAE, and Six Senses is known for wellness, sustainability and a quieter kind of luxury than the Palm is usually associated with. The all-suite beachfront resort brings together 61 suites and 172 privately owned branded residences on the West Crescent, overlooking the Gulf, the Palm, and the skyline. It joins a run of new beachfront names on the peninsula, including Serpenti Beach Club at Bvlgari Resort Dubai over on Jumeira Bay. ROKA Dubai effectively becomes the resort’s rooftop dining draw, open to residents, in-house guests and outside visitors alike.
ROKA Dubai at Six Senses The Palm: Details at a Glance
- What: ROKA’s second Dubai restaurant, contemporary Japanese with a robata grill
- Where: Rooftop of Six Senses The Palm, West Crescent, Palm Jumeirah
- Setting: Indoor dining plus an open-air rooftop terrace with sea and skyline views
- Hours: Dinner only, from 6 PM onwards
- Opening date: Not yet announced, said to be coming soon
- Reservations: Not yet open, details to follow
- Location link: Six Senses The Palm, Dubai on Google Maps
Wow-Emirates Expert Tip: Rooftop tables on the Palm with a clear sunset view are the first to go at every new opening like this. Once ROKA Dubai announces a date, get on the booking list early and ask specifically for the terrace at golden hour rather than the indoor section.
Frequently Asked Questions
An exact opening date has not been announced. The restaurant has said that opening dates and reservation details are coming soon, so it is worth following @rokarestaurant and Six Senses The Palm for the confirmation.
On the rooftop of Six Senses The Palm, Dubai, on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah.
No. This is the second. The first ROKA Dubai has been open in Business Bay for five years. The brand also has locations in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Riyadh, as well as its European sites.
Contemporary Japanese cooking is centred on robatayaki, a charcoal grilling style cooked over an open hearth. Dishes arrive in waves rather than set courses.
Yes. The Palm location opens from 6 PM and is built around evening and late-night dining.
Final Word
There is no opening date yet, which is the only frustrating part of this one. A ROKA Dubai on a Palm rooftop is a strong idea on paper, and the brand rarely fumbles the execution. While you wait, the original ROKA in Business Bay is still serving its robata and new Teishoku set menus, and you can find more of the city’s best Japanese tables in our night brunches in Dubai roundup, which features the likes of Zuma and Sexy Fish.
Also Read: Steak Meets Pints: The Fox’s Arms Is DIFC’s New British Pub, Opening Today
Details, including the opening date, menu, and reservations, are subject to change and are based on the venue’s announcement. Confirm directly once bookings open.
Images: Supplied
