Located at the Waldorf Astoria DIFC, Ekai is billing itself as a ‘dine and unwind’ venue, hoping to entice those who are looking for a lounge setting to sip on mixed drinks and dig into a Mediterranean-inspired menu.Vivid blue walls, modern artwork and a DJ booth set a lively tone for this dinner-only venue.
Licensed. Open daily, 6pm-3am. Burj Damman, DIFC, ekaidubai.com (04 422 4589).

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Enjoying dinner while watching a highly theatrical show is one of the top things to do in Dubai this summer. And there’s another new venue toc check out – 53, the highest dinner show experience in Dubai. 53 serves dishes inspired by the flavours of Mediterranean, Latin American and Asian cuisine accompanied by live entertainment shows, and creative performances that will take place across different elevated stages in the venue. With stunning bird’s eye views of the Dubai skyline through the large glass windows and chic interiors, this is sensory overload at its best.
Licensed. Open daily, 6pm onwards (beverages and bites) and 8pm onwards (dinner à la carte). 53, 53^rd Floor, Sheraton Grand Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, www.53dubai.com (056 2 535353).

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The DIFC area is Dubai’s glitzy restaurant hotspot, so naturally, it’s always exciting when a new restaurant opens. The latest addition is Alaya, a new concept by pioneering Dubai restauranteur Evgeny Kuzin and star chef Izu Ani blending Mediterranean with Middle Eastern cuisine. The restaurant itself is gorgeous, with marble design touches, a coved ceiling, wall tapestries and parquet floors: the work of design firm Richard Saunders & Sagrada. As delightful as the interiors, dishes – largely prime meat and seafood – are flavourful and packed with ingredients like pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, sesame and fresh herbs and spices like cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg and sumac.

Gate Village 6 DIFC, alaya-dubai.com, @alayadubai

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This British pub has found its home in the Sofitel Dubai Downtown, boasting a massive terrace with those all-important Dubai skyline views, pool tables, table football tables, drinks pong and more. The menu is jam-packed with both international dishes and favourites from the UK including burgers, steaks, pizzas and sharing-style platters, plus bar-style snacks like black calamari, spicy prawns, and triple-cooked chips, plus there’s an extensive vegan and veggie menu too. With brunches, roast dinners, ladies’ nights, happy hours and more, this new spot is pulling in the expat crowd.
For Time Out Dubai’s review, click here.
Open Sun-Wed 5pm-2am, Thu 5pm-3am, Fri 1pm-3am, Sat 1pm-2am. Sofitel Dubai Downtown, Downtown Dubai, www.tipsyliondubai.com (058 896 0045).

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A sunshine-filled spot that will brighten your day, Twiggy by La Cantine is a refreshing beach club and restaurant at Park Hyatt Dubai. Dine by the 100m infinity pool, which has its own menu complete with small plates such as poke bowls, lobster rolls, sushi and caviar, or swap the sun beds for a table on the terrace because the a la carte menu is more than worth it, filled with celebratory Mediterranean dishes.

Start with the wagyu beef carpaccio, burrata pizza with truffle, and marinated salmon with zingy yuzu, before delving into the many sushi choices – our favourites include the fusion rolls such as the sublime blow-torched hamachi, shrimp and avocado. Mains feature everything from perfectly-grilled meat and seafood, to housemade pasta and flavourful casseroles. It’s all great and the desserts (especially the Summer in Greece) are a sweet note to end on.

The space is filled with bright, bold artwork that reminds you of the sixties, like the icon the restaurant is named after. Brought to you by the same team behind La Cantine du Faubourg, Ninive and Lana Lusa, Twiggy by La Cantine is the perfect place to eat and chill in style.

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Isola Ristorante celebrates stripped-down, coastal Italian cooking. Combined with Mediterranean-style hospitality and located in the newly renovated Jumeirah Islands Clubhouse, Isola has hints of timeless Italian charm. Complete with jade lounges, calming deck views of a streaming ravine, a marble-white bar and floral aesthetics. The dining menu, available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, features modern classics like ‘La Parmigiana di Melanzane’, eggplant parmigiana, ‘Orata alla griglia’, grilled sea bream with Sicilian dressing, ‘Scaloppine di vitello al limone’, veal sirloin with a zesty lemon sauce and ‘Spaghetti alle vongole e bottarga’, cooked to al dente perfection, accompanied with clams and Sardinian bottarga. And for dessert, the timeless, coffee-flavoured heritage favourite tiramisu.

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Tub of Butter, a home-grown casual all-day eatery, has opened on Sheikh Zayed Road, next to the Metropolitan Hotel, in Dubai. The venue’s counters are filled with pastries, desserts, Italian cold cuts, olives, jams and an array of Mediterranean cheeses. Rotisserie chickens are served up daily and pizzas are baked in a Mediterranean-style oven. Breakfast, served from 7am to 11.30am on weekdays and until 2.30pm on weekends, offers bites such as eggs benedict and crushed avocados with chilli chia seeds and lime on toasted sourdough bread, while the list of pizzas on offer includes a crispy smoked turkey pizza with Kalamata olives, passata, mozzarella, artichokes and ruccola.

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