Fresh pasta, crispy pizza, zingy salads, creamy burrata and the juiciest, most flavourful meats and seafood – it’s no wonder Italian cuisine is one of the world’s most popular. The same goes for Dubai, where Italian restaurants comprise beachy, Sixties-inspired trattorias, fine dining Amalfi-coast-inspired hideaways and glossy Venetian hangouts. Here are the most stylish Italian restaurants in Dubai.

The best Italian restaurants in Dubai

La Spiaggia

Bulgari Resort Dubai is one of the city’s slickest destination – housed on a seahorse-shaped island and completely transporting guests to another time and place. The time and place? The Italian Riviera in the 60s. And La Spiaggia offers this on a relaxed and casual scale. Housed at the Resort’s beach, guests can enjoy the sea breeze and chic lanterns and candlelight at night. The highlight is a pizza menu Roman chef and entrepreneur Pier Daniele Seu, who brings his modern pizza techniques with toppings like ‘patate e tartufo’ (all the truffles, purple potatoes, smoked provola, fior di latte) and ‘pomodori e burrata’ (yellow tomato, cherry tomato wedges, baked tomato cream, confit tomatoes, fresh burrata and basil).
Bulgari Resort Dubai, bulgarihotels.com

Scalini

Stylish Scalini is one of the best Italian restaurants in Dubai and the region, whisking diners into what feels like the Amalfi Coast. Accessed by a striking Wonka-equal cerulean blue elevator from the forecourt of the chi-chi Four Seasons Restaurant Village, subterranean Scalini offers an indoor dining room with pops of the same blue and a bright and beautiful terrace which emulates the feeling of eternal summer in Italy – complete with faux Amalfi lemon trees. The setting is divine, and the staff is even more – charming, passionate and، Italian, making the restaurant feel like a family-run trattoria. The taglioni with caviar, butter and Amalfi lemon (from AED450) bathed in lemony, buttery deliciousness. Order this to share with some antipasti, pizza, a main and dessert, enjoy a spritz and a bottle of Italian wine, and enjoy the upscale and vibrant atmosphere. Book a table after 9:30pm for the full vibey experience.
Four Seasons Restaurant Village; scalini-dubai.com, @scalinidubai

Franky’s Pizzeria

The latest playful addition from Eatx group (the masterminds behind The Guild, Splendour Fields, Hawkerboi, Common Grounds, The Sum of Us, The Byron Bathers Club, to name a few) comes Franky’s Pizzeria – a colourful and whimsical journey to the south of Italy. Occupying the rooftop of JLT’s The Park, the casual yet elevated hangout serves a simple and sublime menu of antipasti, desserts, cocktails, wine, and of course, those famous Neapolitan pizzas – with the perfect leopard crust loaded with interesting toppings (everything from burrata and cavolo nero to truffle and potato and gorgonzola). Order the Panzanella salad and the arancini and enjoy the cheeky stracciatella service – served tableside – or go off the menu with the tableside Sgroppino – a frozen cocktail of sorbet, prosecco and vodka. The beautiful interiors, indoor-outdoor dining space, greenery and views of JLT make this one of the best casual restaurants in Dubai.

Il Borro Tuscan Bistro

Il Borro Tuscan Bistro is the supermodel of Italian restaurants, located in the glamorous Turtle Lagoon of Jumeirah Al Naseem and delivering an exquisite experience inspired by Tuscany – the home of the original Il Borro estate. As one would expect from a restaurant group with links to the Ferragamo family, the vibe and interiors are impeccable – cream with deep wooden accents and a painting of the manicured Tuscan estate hanging on the walls. In the cooler months, the doors stay open, creating an indoor-outdoor dining room spilling out onto the vibey lagoon area. The food is typical of the region, with some elevated Dubai twists – so purists can get their Vitello tonnato di Fassona (AED120) pappardelle al ragù di vitello, pizzas with blackened crusts, Fiorentina di Angus. There seems to always be a chic dinner crowd, be it Monday or Friday night, so make sure to book ahead.
Jumeirah Al Naseem; ilborrotuscanbistro.ae

Il Ristorante-Niko Romito

Il Ristorante-Niko Romito is one of the best Italian restaurants in Dubai; it’s the only Italian restaurant in the city with two Michelin stars. Part of the Italian chef’s glitzy Bulgari restaurant empire, the space sits within the ultra-luxe Bulgari Resort Dubai and cocoons guests in a chic, Sixties-inspired Italian experience. There are glamorous interiors with sleek wooden floors and panelling, plus a charming Italian team – the star being Chef Giacomo Amicucci, who delivers delectable modern Italian dishes that are both delicious and beautiful. The space is romantic and intimate, and lots of the produce is flown in from Italy. For a real treat there’s the ‘degustazione’ menu.

The Artisan

Hidden on the ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria DIFC, The Artisan is one of the most-loved Italian restaurants in Dubai for in-the-know foodies. The space is filled with colourful artwork, reminiscent of a grand Italian country house, with white table cloths and an illuminated art deco-style bar – for which guests can grab a seat and enjoy a classic Italian aperitivo – the Negronis are perfection. As is the food – fresh pasta made in-house, crudo, antipasti, tangy pizzas made using dough fermented for 72 hours, risottos and juicy grilled meats and fresh seafood. Head chef Leonardo Galati doesn’t discriminate, and there’s something from every Italian region on the menu – tortelli cacio e pepe from Rome, vitello tonnato from Piedmont, risotto stracciatella from Puglia – which is probably why the restaurant is listed in the Dubai Michelin Guide.
Waldorf Astoria, DIFC; theartisan.ae

The Nice Guy

in a city so fuelled by social media, it’s odd to find a plaque that reads ‘no photos’, especially in one of the city’s coolest and most seductive hangouts. Because of this, The Nice Guy has blossomed into a seductive late-night haunt – that, and the reservations-only policy, create the feeling of an exclusive member club. The Nice Guy Dubai came to the city by way of Los Angeles- where it attracts an A-list crowd in its West Hollywood restaurant and is inspired by the cronies of the Mafia, with a playful Bugsy Malone-meets-Goodfellas vibe. Guests can dine in two different spaces – out on the terrace, with views of the DIFC skyline and Emirates Towers, or in the moody, dimly lit, loud dining room with its distinct Italian-American vibe. The vintage, American-Italian-inspired vibe is reminiscent of a mobster hangout, with dark mood lighting, black and gold details and intimate booth seating, and the menu is full of comfort food and Italian-American classics. The cocktails and soundtrack is killer, with a back room transforming into a late-night club open until 3am on weekends and 1am on weekdays.
Jumeirah Emirates Towers, DIFC; jumeirah.com, @theniceguydubai

Torno Subito

As one of the world’s best chefs, Massimo Bottura is best known for his three Michelin-star Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. This Italian flair and flavour are given a playful twist in Dubai at Torno Subito, Bottura’s colourful homage to the hedonism of the 1960s Italian Riviera at the W Dubai – The Palm. Social and sophisticated, the restaurant’s interiors include black and white striped tiles floor, pop art, lighting signage and black and white photographers, while outside, a terrace and beach seating offers stunning views of the Palm Jumeirah and ocean back to the Dubai skyline.
W Dubai – The Palm, Palm Jumeirah; tornosubitodubai.com, @tornosubitodubai

Cipriani

Most urban lovers of Italian cuisine will be familiar with Cipriani, the glitzy, world-famous Venetian restaurant group with outlets in London, Monte Carlo, Riyadh, New York City and more. Cipriani showcases the most glamorous side of Italy, and Cipriani Dubai embodies this same ethos. Located in Dubai’s chi-chi Gate Village in the heart of the financial district, Cipriani Dubai is the spot for occasions, seductive late-night dinners and more, with Murano glass chandeliers, terrazzo tiles, high gloss oak tables, royal blue banquettes and signature brown leather seating, sultry black and white photography and a hearty menu of indulgent and decadent Italian dishes. Start with caviar before moving onto the warm Gamberi Rosa and White Tagliolini with Seppie al Nero (squid ink) and finish with Grilled Turbot on the Bone with Long Broccoli or Fillet of Black Angus Gold Beef Tagliata (300gr) with Braised Herbs. Other delights include pizza, comforting soups and more.
Gate Village Building 10, DIFC; cipriani.com

Pier Chic

Jutting out into the Arabian Sea on a long wooden pier, the aptly Pier Chic is surrounded by beauty – the Arabian Gulf, the golden beach and the iconic Burj Al Arab. Located at the Jumeirah Beachfront development, accessed by Jumeirah Al Qasr, the elegant Italian restaurant has an indoor dining space (alongside plenty of outdoor seating) complete with floor-to-ceiling windows capitalising on the beautiful setting. The menu is light, simple, fresh and delicious, inspired by the Italian coastline, and the restaurant is one of the most romantic in Dubai.
Pierchic, Jumeirah Al Qasr, jumeirah.com

Ristorante Loren

Ristorante Loren takes its name from the icon of Italian cinema and, as one would imagine, is oozing with glamour and sophistication. Set on the sands of Palm Jumeirah’s West Palm Beach, the restaurant also pays homage to the Italian Riviera of the Sixties and Seventies and is a heightened, design-led experience with whitewashed decor, plenty of greenery, forest green seating and stone arches leading out onto al fresco beachside seating with views over the ocean and Bluewaters Island – home of the Dubai Eye. They serve pasta, pizza, carne, and a bounty of fresh seafood – from crudo and oysters to slow-cooked grilled octopus.  
The Club, Palm West Beach; lorenristorantedubai.com @ristorante.loren

Bussola

Located at the vibrant The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina – one of the city’s dining hotspots – Bussola is a Dubai institution, offering three Italian concepts in one, each with its own vibe: a casual Pizzeria, chic Lounge and upscale restaurant. Spread across the five-star resort’s seafront terrace, looking onto palm tree gardens and the ocean. The pizza is some of the best in town, and there’s a fantastic energy each evening thanks to a happy hour – and on Fridays, an evening brunch. Bussola offers a host of weekly events, making it one of the most fun Italian restaurants in Dubai, like a Saturday and Sunday pizza, beer, wine and prosecco lunch, a chef’s special Sunday lunch with free-flowing Italian house beverage, and a Friday and Saturday’ Mare di Notte’, ‘night swimming,’ special.
Bussola, The Westin Mina Seyahi; bussoladubai.com

Chic Nonna

Literally translating to chic grandmother – take it how you will – trendy Chic Nonna offers a stylised Dubai twist on a classic Italian experience. Interiors are moody and seductive with lots of dark green and gold, and the ground-floor main restaurant – Chic Nonna Osteria Gourmet – serves innovative Italian fine dining paired with wines from the most extensive cellar in the region. Book a table inside near the windows for twinkling Burj Khalifa views or outside in the charming little urban garden for an even better vantage point. Thanks to its upscale appeal and sultry vibes, this is a excellent spot for get-togethers and dates. Head upstairs before or after dinner for a drink at Salotto, designed to resemble a grand Italian living room and with windows overlooking the structure.
Chic Nonna, Gate Avenue, DIFC; chicnonna.com

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