The New Roberto's Is Now Open in DIFC

Roberto’s is set to open its doors in DIFC on January 31, unveiling a fully reimagined dining destination that marks one of the brand’s most significant evolutions since its debut in 2012. The new Roberto’s will introduce a refreshed concept led by a new culinary direction, redesigned interiors, and a redefined guest experience.

This new chapter sharpens Roberto’s focus on what it does best: confident Italian cooking, premium ingredients, and hospitality defined by warmth and ease. At its core is a sense of conviviality and generosity, offering an inclusive dining experience designed for lingering conversations, shared moments, and time well spent around the table.

The venue has been comprehensively reimagined following an extensive refurbishment, introducing a redesigned layout that includes a brighter dining room, an expanded terrace, and Scala Bar Lounge, a dedicated cocktail bar located at the back of the restaurant. The interiors draw on a refined interpretation of Milanese mid-century design, balancing clean architectural lines, sculpted stone, rich wood, and tailored upholstery with moments of more expressive, cinematic character. The overall atmosphere reflects timeless elegance, designed to transition naturally from day into evening.

In the kitchen, the menu is guided by a renewed, ingredient-led approach shaped by time spent in Italy. Ahead of the opening, Roberto’s culinary team trained under Chef Enrico Bartolini, Italy’s most awarded chef, whose restaurants collectively hold 14 Michelin stars, refining their approach to Italian technique and tradition. That experience informs a menu rooted in authenticity and a strong sense of community, bringing fresh clarity to how Roberto’s Italian identity comes to life in Dubai.

The menu balances heritage favourites with contemporary signatures, reflecting the confidence of a kitchen that knows its roots. Highlights include a dedicated crudo selection and a dry-aged fish programme that showcases restraint, precision, and respect for ingredient quality, alongside house-made pastas, ingredient-led dishes, and generous plates designed for sharing. The approach is refined yet instinctive, allowing ingredients to lead without overcomplication.

Portions are designed to be shared, flavours are bold without excess, and meals unfold at an unhurried pace. The meal is completed with a traditional dessert trolley, a nod to classic Italian dining and the sense of ritual that encourages guests to linger, reconnect, and enjoy the time spent around the table.

Complementing the dining room, Scala Bar Lounge offers a more expressive, evening-led setting for aperitivo, curated cocktails, or a relaxed transition after dinner. The cocktail programme features classic Italian structures interpreted through a modern lens, alongside Edizione 0.0%, a zero-alcohol cocktail collection developed in partnership with Drink Dry. Each non-alcoholic cocktail mirrors its alcoholic counterpart in flavour, structure, and presentation, and is available across both Bar Scala and the main dining room.

In addition to the cocktail offering, Bar Scala continues Roberto’s longstanding cigar ritual, with a carefully curated selection designed to be enjoyed as part of the post-dinner experience. The ritual reinforces the brand’s belief in slowing the pace of the evening and taking time well spent around the table.

Reflecting on the opening, Amin Kadrie, Founder of Roberto’s, notes that Roberto’s has “always held a special place in Dubai’s dining landscape,” describing the opening as “a meaningful step forward, not just for the brand, but for how we continue to invest in experiences that are built to last.” For Kadrie, the new Roberto’s represents a belief in “thoughtful growth, enduring quality, and creating spaces where people genuinely want to spend their time.”

That sentiment is echoed by Andrea Sacchi, COO of Roberto’s, who explains that the team “took the time to step back and consider who we are today, how our guests dine, and what we want the experience to feel like moving forward.” The result, he adds, is “not reinvention for its own sake, but clarity – a more confident and considered expression of Roberto’s that reflects our roots, our people, and the city we’ve grown alongside.”

With its reimagined space, refined culinary direction, and renewed focus on gathering, Roberto’s opens as a confident expression of modern Italian dining, which is rooted in experience, shaped by intention, and designed for the way Dubai dines today.