Gastronomes get ready - new fine dining choices on the menu at Dubai International Financial Centre

• Pedestrian-friendly casual dining promenade and Gate Avenue also set to open with tempting flavours
• New additions complement DIFC’s 50-plus outlets already keeping 8.5 million visitors a year fed and watered

Dubai: A host of new fine-dining restaurants, as well as casual cafes and coffee shops, are opening their doors at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading international financial hub, further widening the incredible selection of cuisine at one of the region’s most popular destinations for dining, lifestyle and culture.

DIFC is already home to 50-plus culinary outlets, spanning a diverse range of fine and casual dining, including world-famous eateries such as modern Japanese icon Zuma, Le Petit Maison, which specialises in Cuisine Nicoise and the simple luxury of Cipriani.

Now, new outlets on the menu include:

• Greek restaurant Gaia which is already serving up a taste of the Mediterranean and attracting a loyal following
• Avli by Tasha’s, a new concept from the team behind beloved casual dining institutions Tasha’s and The Flamingo Room by Tasha’s, due to take its first diners in the coming weeks
• Marea, a New York dining icon with two Michelin stars for its Italian food, which will open in the Spring
• one of Paris’ newest sensations, Yeeels, that serves French gastronomy and will also have a Spring opening
• Baoli, hailing from Cannes is due to open in April, providing an environment for international classic and Mediterranean recipes

Those looking for something lighter with an urban twist will soon also be able to head down to a pedestrianly-friendly promenade between Gate Village and Gate District. This area will be filled with six street cafés which have all been leased as well as a signature dining pavilion. Opening in early 2019, this area will attract DIFC workers, residents as well as visitors from across the city.

Local favourite, Common Grounds will open in the Gate District shortly and new concepts will be joining the much anticipated Gate Avenue, the Centre’s fashion and lifestyle avenue, building on DIFC’s reputation for iconic architecture while enhancing its retail component.

Nabil Al Kindi, Chief Real Estate Officer of DIFC Investments, said: “DIFC is home to a vibrant ecosystem of culture, lifestyle and dining brands that complement our world-class business environment. This rich combination has transformed the Centre into one of the region’s most prestigious destinations . These new brands range from casual cafes concepts to flagship fine dining and each offer an exciting addition to DIFC’s fresh and modern food scene.

“With our integrated and connected retail destination Gate Avenue coming on stream in 2019, we will continue to enhance our thriving lifestyle infrastructure, bringing more celebrated dining concepts closer to the community of Dubai.”

DIFC currently accommodates up to 8.5 million visits a year, offering a premier urban retail, leisure and F&B ecosystem that serves its growing community of businesses, residents and tourists. Complementing the presence of the most prestigious financial services brands, the Centre is home to Dubai’s most sought after collection of fine dining outlets. Within the DIFC’s managed premises are Zuma, Le Petit Maison, Cipriani, Roberto’s, Royal China, BB Social Dining, Michael Mina Brasserie, Gaucho, INDIE, Intersect by Lexus and Caramel.

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About Dubai International Financial Centre
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is one of the world’s top financial centres and the leading financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.  The Centre provides a world-class platform connecting the region’s markets with the economies of Europe, Asia and the Americas and facilitates growth in South-South trade and investment. An onshore, international financial centre, DIFC offers a stable, mature and secure base for financial institutions to develop their wholesale businesses.

The Centre offers all the elements found in the world’s most successful financial industry ecosystems, including an independent regulator and judicial system with a common-law framework, a global financial exchange, inspiring architecture, powerful, enabling support services and a vibrant business community. The infrastructure within the district features ultra-modern office space, retail outlets, cafes and restaurants, art galleries, residential apartments, public green areas and hotels.

Located midway between the global financial centres of New York, London in the West and Singapore, Hong Kong in the East, DIFC (GMT +4) fills a vital time-zone gap with a workday that bridges the market and business hours of financial centres in both Asia and North America.

In 2015, DIFC launched its 2024 growth strategy, a blueprint for the next decade of growth of the financial hub. This strategy aims to stimulate trade and investment flows along the South-South economic corridor encompassing the Middle East, Africa, Southern Asia and Latin America. 

Currently, 2,003 active registered companies operate from the Centre, with a combined workforce of 22,768 professionals.

DIFC continues to pursue expansion into new services and sectors within the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, an area comprising over 72 countries with an approximate population of 3 billion and nominal GDP of US$7.7 trillion.

For further information, please visit our website: 
difc.ae, or follow us on Twitter @DIFC.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Manal Shaikh
Dubai International Financial Centre Authority
Senior Manager, Communications
Tel: +971 4 362 2453
Email: manal.shaikh@difc.ae 

Joudi Issa
Brunswick Group
Tel: +971 4 560 9600
Email: DIFC@brunswickgroup.com 

© Press Release 2018