Gymkhana Lands in DIFC, and Hikiniku To Come Heads for Al Quoz
London’s two-Michelin-star Indian restaurant opened at Gate Village in September. A halal wagyu hamburg counter is next, though there is no report yet that it has opened.
Gymkhana, the London restaurant that holds two Michelin stars, opened its first UAE branch at Gate Village in DIFC at the start of September. The room spreads over two levels, seats 137 and, a month after opening, was still hard to book, according to a Gulf News interview published on 2 October.
Founded in Mayfair in 2013 by JKS Restaurants, Gymkhana won its first Michelin star within nine months and its second in 2024. Dubai follows branches in Riyadh and Las Vegas. The restaurant is in Gate Village 7 and opened for dinner only, with lunch due to start in October, The National reported in its review of 14 September.
What Dubai gets
The design keeps the Mayfair signatures of brass, marble, stained glass, reeded timber and Murano lighting, but Gulf News describes a lighter, warmer palette for Dubai, with a peacock mural and a jewellery-box ceiling on the lower level. Karam Sethi of JKS Restaurants put the menu at roughly 80 per cent Gymkhana classics and 20 per cent written for the city. Rooms, drinks and ingredients can change from one city to the next, he said, but not the approach: “The core philosophy around our flavour, technique and hospitality will never change,” he told Gulf News.
Familiar dishes include the tandoori lamb chops, chicken butter masala, Goan prawn curry, aloo chaat and a biryani opened at the table. The National’s reviewer praised two dishes created for Dubai, a wagyu beef sukka with bone marrow and a makhmali king crab, and finished with the saffron pistachio kulfi falooda.
Hikiniku To Come, still to land
Further west, the Tokyo restaurant Hikiniku To Come is preparing its first GCC branch at CMPLX in Al Quoz. The concept is built on freshly ground Wagyu hamburg patties, grilled to order on custom-built equipment and served in a fixed, choreographed sequence. For the Gulf, the beef will be 100 per cent halal-certified Wagyu. FYTE Hospitality, the group behind the Kokoro handroll bar, holds the master franchise rights for the GCC.
CMPLX is a warehouse-style development that converts seven industrial buildings into space for food, coffee, wellness and retail, a few minutes from Alserkal Avenue. Its own opening is described as Q4 2026.
The timing is the open question. Pre-opening coverage in June pointed to a September soft launch, and What’s On’s 7 October round-up still lists the counter as opening in September. No report that it has actually opened turned up, so readers should check the brand’s own channels before planning a visit. FYTE has said two more UAE locations are planned for 2027.
Taken together, the two openings show different routes into the market: a London flagship arriving with its two stars intact, and a Japanese format adapted for halal diners. For the other big Dubai arrival of the month, see our report on Yannick Alléno’s new concepts at One&Only The Palm.
Sources & fact-check7
- Gymkhana review: Michelin-starred Indian restaurant from London dazzles in Dubai debutThe National, 14 September 2026
- ‘At its heart, it’s home food’: Karam Sethi on bringing Gymkhana to DubaiGulf News, 2 October 2026
- Gymkhana Confirms Dubai Opening: Two Michelin Stars Land at DIFC on September 1tbreak, 3 August 2026
- Hikiniku To Come is coming to Dubai: Everything you need to knowGood Food Middle East, 8 June 2026
- Hikiniku To Come will make its GCC debut in Dubai this SeptemberFact Magazines, 8 June 2026
- CMPLX Dubai: a new creative hub coming to Al QuozThe Dubai Atlas, 31 July 2026
- 11 of the biggest new restaurants opening in DubaiWhat’s On, 7 October 2026
Every name, number and date in this story was checked against the sources above before publication. Spotted something wrong? Tell us — we correct errors openly. See our editorial standards.
