There are brunches in Dubai where you eat well and go home. And then there is TABU.
The Samurai Brunch at TABU – sitting on the mezzanine floor of The St Regis Downtown Dubai – is the kind of Saturday afternoon that gets described with increasing energy each time someone tells someone else about it. Japanese samurais duelling on stage while you’re eating wagyu. A percussionist who appears from nowhere. A Samurai breaking open a sharing dessert with his sword. A DJ playing in a room with panoramic views of the Burj Khalifa and two sumo wrestlers flanking it. An after party upstairs at The Other Side before you’ve even processed what just happened.
And yes, the food is actually excellent. Which makes this not just a great show, but a great Saturday.
What is the TABU Samurai Brunch?
TABU is a modern Japanese restaurant at The St Regis Downtown Dubai, drawing inspiration from Japanese and Middle Eastern ingredients and techniques to build a menu that tells Dubai’s story through food. It’s been running some version of the Samurai Brunch since early 2024 and has evolved it into something genuinely hard to categorise.
The format is simple: you book a table, you get unlimited sharing plates from a Japanese-Peruvian menu, you pick your drinks package, and for three hours the kitchen and entertainment team work together to make sure you leave feeling like you had the best Saturday of the month.
It is decidedly a party brunch. If you’re coming for a quiet meal, you’ve got the wrong restaurant. If you’re coming for a long table of friends, a birthday, a group of people who want to be taken somewhere and surprised – this is exactly right.
“Theatre is TABŪ’s main sell and by quite some distance. The DJ plays popular party songs that get diners on their feet and the fun, live performances keep them entertained.” – Time Out Dubai
The Menu: Japanese Flair That Actually Delivers
The food gets overshadowed by the entertainment in most writeups of TABU brunch. That’s a slight injustice because the kitchen is genuinely doing something interesting – a Japanese-Peruvian crossover that combines clean Japanese technique with the bold flavour profiles of South American influence.
Everything is served sharing-style and portions are unlimited. The menu rotates but here’s what to expect:
Starters and cold plates:
| Dish | Notes |
|---|---|
| Sashimi, nigiri and maki selection | The live crudo element – fresh, cleanly prepared, a strong opening |
| Hamachi tartare | Buttery yellowtail with citrus and heat. Order more than once. |
| O-Toro tartare | Premium fatty tuna, the showpiece of the cold selection |
| Edamame with sea salt | For when the table needs something to snack on between rounds |
Hot plates:
| Dish | Notes |
|---|---|
| Chicken and prawns gyoza | Properly pan-fried, not steamed into submission |
| Crispy squid with green chilli and lime | The crowd favourite – order early, order often |
| Cod croquettes with gochujang mayo | Japanese-Korean crossover that works every time |
| Chicken yakitori | Charcoal-kissed and correctly charred |
Mains from the woodfire:
| Dish | Notes |
|---|---|
| Misoyaki cod | The kitchen’s signature. Rich, lacquered, beautiful. |
| Striploin beef | Properly cooked to temperature, sharing portions |
| Grilled wagyu rib eye | The headline main – full umami impact |
| Salmon teriyaki | The reliable crowd-pleaser |
| Lamb chops with gochujang | The Middle Eastern-Japanese crossover on the plate |
| Japanese rice with shimeji mushroom and black truffle | Order this as a side. Don’t skip it. |
The dessert finale:
The Sake Baba with Chantilly Cream, a Mochi selection and a Matcha Tiramisú Shot close out the meal. But the real closing act is the Samurai breaking open a sharing-style dessert – the Tabu Sake Barrel Pinhata – with his sword at the table. Yes, this is something that happens. Yes, it works.
💡 WOW-Emirates Expert Tip: The cold plates move fast. When the Hamachi tartare and O-Toro land on the table, don’t wait for the whole group to be ready – get stuck in. The woodfire mains come later and are more patient. Pace yourself for the Samurai dessert finale – it’s worth having room for.
The Entertainment: What Actually Happens
This is the part that gets passed around in WhatsApp group chats the morning after. TABU’s entertainment is theatrical in the genuine sense – it’s been choreographed to feel like an experience, not a performance stuck in between courses.
During the brunch you can expect:
- Duelling samurais on stage at the DJ booth centrepiece
- A live percussionist set that appears mid-brunch
- A live singer working the room
- The DJ playing a mix that shifts from background energy to full room participation as the afternoon progresses
- The sword-breaking dessert finale tableside
The room itself is part of the theatre – panoramic windows on two sides give you the Burj Al Arab in the distance on one side and the Burj Khalifa with (yes) two sumo wrestlers on the other. The lighting and DJ booth setup means the room builds energy naturally from lunch mode into party mode without anyone having to announce the transition.
Drinks Packages
| Package | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Soft drinks | AED 329 per person | 2 mocktails + unlimited soft beverages |
| House beverages | AED 399 per person | 3 classic cocktails + unlimited house spirits, grape and sparkling |
| Premium beverages | AED 499 per person | Premium spirits and extended cocktail selection |
| Sparkling / Champagne | AED 699 per person | Unlimited bubbly throughout |
An ice sculpture serves ice-cold spirits directly from its core at the bar. Which is either brilliant or excessive depending on your disposition. In Dubai, both are acceptable.
The After Party: The Other Side
The brunch runs until 4pm. For those who are not ready to leave (and there are always those people), TABU’s after party continues at The Other Side – a secret bar upstairs – from 4pm to 6:30pm.
Three selected drinks for AED 120 per person. The energy stays up. The group stays together. This is how a Saturday should end.
Birthday Deal Worth Knowing
If you’re celebrating a birthday, TABU’s offer is straightforward – when your group purchases four or more house beverage packages, the birthday person brunches for free. The birthday needs to fall within five days of the booking date. Worth planning around if you’ve got a group coming up.
TABU Samurai Brunch: The Details
| Location | Mezzanine Floor, The St Regis Downtown Dubai, Marasi Drive, Business Bay |
| When | Every Saturday from 12:30pm to 4pm |
| After party | 4pm to 6:30pm at The Other Side |
| Reservations | +971 54 793 0931 |
| Parking | Valet available, validated parking |
| Dress code | Smart casual – this is a St Regis venue |
| Best for | Groups, birthdays, bachelorettes, anyone who wants to be surprised |
WOW-Emirates Verdict
TABU’s Samurai Brunch has earned its reputation honestly. The food is better than a party brunch needs to be, the entertainment is genuinely fun rather than a novelty that wears off after twenty minutes, and the progression from lunch to after party means a Saturday here has a complete arc rather than an abrupt ending.
It’s not cheap – you’re looking at AED 399-499 per person for the packages most people enjoy. But in a city where brunches at this energy level often sacrifice food quality for spectacle, TABU manages both. That’s rarer than it sounds.
Book ahead. Go with a group. Order the misoyaki cod. And yes – stay for the dessert finale.
Reserve here: +971 54 793 0931
FAQs About TABU Dubai Brunch
A weekly Saturday brunch at TABU restaurant in The St Regis Downtown Dubai, combining an unlimited sharing Japanese-Peruvian menu with live entertainment including duelling samurais, a percussionist, live DJ and a sword-breaking dessert finale.
Packages range from AED 329 (soft drinks) to AED 699 (champagne). The house beverages package at AED 399 is the most popular. All packages include unlimited sharing food.
Mezzanine Floor, The St Regis Downtown Dubai, Marasi Drive, Business Bay. Valet parking is available and it’s a short taxi from Downtown Dubai or the Dubai Mall area.
Yes – The Other Side, a secret bar upstairs, hosts an after party from 4pm to 6:30pm with three selected drinks for AED 120 per person.
Very much so. When your group books four or more house beverage packages, the birthday person gets their brunch complimentary. The birthday needs to fall within five days of the booking.
Yes – book ahead, especially for groups and Saturdays during the peak October to April season. Call +971 54 793 0931 or contact through tabu-dubai.com.
Looking for more of Dubai’s best brunches? Browse our full Brunch and Dining Guide Dubai or read our review of Scalini Dubai for a very different but equally memorable Saturday.
