Stellar Chef Dani García Opens New Restaurant in Dubai Joining Paco Morales, Dabiz Muñoz and Martín Berasategui

Dani García has a lot to celebrate this holiday season with some exciting new projects underfoot. The award-winning chef recently opened Leña and Smoked Room in Dubai, new outposts for restaurants he currently runs in Marbella and Madrid.

Both of them are at the St. Regis Gardens rooftop in Palm Jumeirah, and Smoked Room, an omakase restaurant which seats just 14, is actually located inside Leña. At Leña, the food is prepared over a grill using different types of charcoal, and menu highlights include Andalusian Bluefin Tuna tartar, with olive and pickles; whole grilled turbot cooked Basque Country-style; grilled Canary Island seabass; and milk-fed lamb shoulder from Burgos with herb butter.

At Smoked Room, diners can feast on dishes like Amaebi from Hokkaido, brown butter, and yuzu kosho; and smoked eel nitro tomato, roasted red pepper caramel, and ajoblanco from Málaga.

Dubai has become a magnet for Spanish chefs, given the rising popularity of Spanish gastronomy there. Aside from Dani Garcia, Paco Morales also has a restaurant there called Qabú, far from his 3 Michelin-star restaurant Noor in Córdoba.

StreetXO, to conquer Dubai

Dabiz Muñoz, who recently earned the World Best Chef recognition for the third year in a row, has also announced that his celebrated concept StreetXO, that turns 10 years in 2024, will open in 2024 in Dubai.

StreetXO is a mix of fine dining and street food that encloses the Spanish chef’s creativity.  It is going to be one of the 11 restaurants launching at The Link, a new culinary destination at One&Only One Za’abeel. “In many ways, Dubai reminds me of London when I lived there a few years back," Muñoz says.