Saadiyat Grove will open in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District in Q4 2026.
Dining highlights include Momofuku, Alain Ducasse Café, Monsieur Paul and Kokoro Handroll Bar.
Louvre Residences will feature Barrafina, Gymkhana, Le Palais, Alica Deli, Magma and Zephyr.
The Saadiyat Cultural District destination will feature an enviable line-up of restaurants, cafés and luxury retailers.
Abu Dhabi’s dining scene is about to gain some serious culinary firepower. Aldar has revealed the retail and restaurant line-up for Saadiyat Grove, the new lifestyle destination opening in the fourth quarter of 2026 in the heart of Saadiyat Cultural District.
Positioned between Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum, with Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi nearby, the development will feature more than 100 brands, including 20 concepts making their regional debut. Dining forms a major part of the plans, with celebrated names from Paris, London, New York, Taipei and the UAE joining the neighbourhood.
Here are the restaurants to have on your radar.
Alain Ducasse Café
Few chefs have shaped contemporary French gastronomy quite like Alain Ducasse. At Saadiyat Grove, the chef will introduce Alain Ducasse Café, a concept centred on some of life’s sweeter pleasures. The offering will span coffee, chocolate, ice cream, pastries and desserts, following Ducasse’s wider approach of treating everyday products with the same attention given to fine dining. The chef’s coffee operation roasts its beans in Paris and includes signatures such as an Espresso blend combining Brazilian and Indian beans, alongside single-origin coffees and chocolate pairings. Located inside Saadiyat Grove, Aldar confirms that coffee and chocolate will sit alongside pastries, ice cream and desserts.
Contact: www.ducasse-paris.com
Barrafina
Another restaurant opening previously revealed by FACT, Londoners will immediately recognise Barrafina. A FACT award winner in London, the Spanish restaurant opened its original Dean Street location in Soho and developed a cult following around a simple formula of marble counters, open kitchens and tapas prepared directly in front of diners. Today, Barrafina operates five London restaurants and has already expanded to Dubai. Its menus champion regional Spanish cooking, with dishes including ham croquetas, tortillas, pimientos de Padrón, chipirones, gambas rojas and arroz negro. Daily specials are dictated by the best produce arriving in the kitchen that morning, a practice that has always been central to Barrafina’s appeal. The restaurant will be located next to Saadiyat Grove inside the Louvre Residences Abu Dhabi.
Contact: www.barrafina.com
Gymkhana
Another major London name heading to Saadiyat is Gymkhana. Inspired by the private clubs of India, the Mayfair restaurant opened in 2013 and currently holds two MICHELIN Stars. Its menu has become famous for rich spicing, charcoal grilling and dishes rooted in Indian culinary traditions. Gymkhana made its UAE debut in Dubai in September 2026, with signatures including Kid Goat Methi Keema & Salli, Tandoori Masala Lamb Chops with Walnut Chutney and Chicken Butter Masala. The London restaurant is also renowned for its Wild Muntjac Biryani. Details of how the Abu Dhabi menu will differ have not yet been revealed. A FACT award winner in both London and Riyadh, Gymkhana has found its home in the capital at Louvre Residences Abu Dhabi.
Contact: https://gymkhanarestaurants.com
Kokoro Handroll Bar
Kokoro has already become one of the UAE’s most recognisable names for handrolls. Founded by chefs Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham, the concept originated in Houston before making its Dubai debut at Alserkal Avenue in 2024. Its counter-led format puts chefs directly in front of diners, with rolls assembled to order using warm rice, crisp seaweed and premium seafood. Kokoro has since expanded across Dubai and developed a following for dishes featuring Bluefin Tuna, Madai, Shima Aji, Uni and Salmon with white ponzu, alongside Negi Toro and Spicy Tuna handrolls.
Contact: @kokoro.dxb
Le Palais
Perhaps the biggest fine-dining coup is Le Palais. The Taipei restaurant at Palais de Chine Hotel has retained three MICHELIN Stars for nine consecutive editions of the Taiwan guide, from 2018 to 2026. The Abu Dhabi restaurant was previously announced as its first overseas location, giving Saadiyat one of Asia’s most decorated Cantonese names. Le Palais is known for elaborate dim sum and Chinese banquet cooking, with signatures including its Oracle Duck, Cantonese crispy-skin roast duck and carefully prepared dumplings. Its existing menus also feature dishes such as braised abalone, wok-fried rice noodles with crab and Wagyu beef with black beans.
Contact: www.palaisdechinehotel.com
Magma
Magma is currently the mystery card in Saadiyat Island’s recently revealed restaurant line-up. Aldar has confirmed that the restaurant will join the dining collection beside Louvre Residences Abu Dhabi, but has not yet released details about its chef, cuisine, provenance or signature dishes. With the opening of Saadiyat Grove drawing closer, further information should reveal more about Magma.
Contact: https://louvreresidences.ae
Momofuku
FACT broke the news of Momofuku’s Abu Dhabi arrival in an exclusive story earlier this year. David Chang changed New York dining when he opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2004. What started as an East Village restaurant grew into an influential restaurant group known for challenging the boundaries between casual dining and chef-driven cuisine. Momofuku’s approach combines Asian and American influences with ramen, noodles, roasted meats and intensely flavoured sharing dishes. The Abu Dhabi restaurant was previously confirmed for Saadiyat Grove and will mark an important regional chapter for the brand. Although its local menu has not been released, existing Momofuku restaurants serve dishes such as Garlic Chicken Ramen, Ginger Scallion Noodles, Crispy Lamb Ribs and Five-spice Roasted Duck.
Contact: www.anthemhospitalitygroup.com
Monsieur Paul
French culinary history will also have a presence through Monsieur Paul, the Bocuse concept named after the late Paul Bocuse. One of the most influential figures in French cooking, Bocuse became synonymous with Lyonnaise gastronomy, and his celebrated restaurant near Lyon maintained three MICHELIN Stars for more than five decades. The Saadiyat Grove concept will combine a restaurant, café and boutique, introducing a broader interpretation of the Bocuse name to Abu Dhabi. Current Monsieur Paul menus elsewhere include French classics such as escargots, lobster and sea bass baked in puff pastry with Choron sauce.
Contact: https://bocuse.fr
Zēphyr
Zēphyr is another name confirmed for Louvre Residences. Pachamama Group’s popular concept opened on London’s Portobello Road in 2022 and has since expanded to Monaco. The London venue specialises in Greek-inspired sharing plates, with chargrilled seafood and meats, dips and modern mezze forming the backbone of the menu. Pachamama Group already has a connection to Abu Dhabi through Soraya at Yas Mall, so further expansion across the region was expected.
Contact: www.zephyr.london
What Else Is Opening at Saadiyat Grove?
Shopping will be just as significant as the restaurants at Saadiyat Grove. Audemars Piguet, Brunello Cucinelli, BVLGARI, Cartier, Chaumet, Dior, FENDI, James Perse, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Valentino and Van Cleef & Arpels are among the luxury names confirmed.
Several stores will introduce experiences created specifically for the development. Chaumet will unveil a world-first immersive Tiara experience, FENDI will incorporate a cinema and multipurpose space, and Loewe will launch its first Personalisation Bar in the region. Cartier’s boutique will reference Abu Dhabi through regional materials and collaborations with local artists, while Tiffany & Co. will debut a store inspired by its Fifth Avenue flagship. Japanese retailer BEAMS, founded in Harajuku in 1976, will also open its first UAE location.
Beyond eating and shopping, Saadiyat Grove will include luxury residences, hotels, wellness facilities, a longevity clinic, the Saadiyat Forum and the Middle East flagship of London fitness brand BXR.
Where: Saadiyat Grove, Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: https://saadiyat-grove.com