Dubai International Financial Centre
Establishment
neighborhood
Gaia
Street 4, Trade Centre, Dubai International Financial Centre
In Gate Village, between art galleries, jewelers, and other fine-dining restaurants (Zuma is here, as is La Petite Maison), Gaia is swish and comfortable and serves incredible Grecian food. Start with sea bream carpaccio and baked feta, and take advantage of their very good cocktail menu. (Gaia is one of the only non-hotel restaurants in Dubai that serves alcohol.) Then, go for fish, picked from the “ice market” and prepared how you like it—in thin raw slices, maybe, or grilled with lemon, or baked a la spetsiota.
Galleries at Gate Village
Gate Village, Dubai International Finance Centre
The village surrounding the DIFC's Arc de Triomphe lookalike, the gate, is also home to some of the city's best galleries. You'll find the classic upscale operations here (Christie's, for example, has their office in this area) as well as some local galleries that are more than worth touring, like Ayyam Gallery (they also have a location in Beirut). You can cover all the art spaces an hour or so, but check the calendar for their art nights, which bring live music and performance to the space in the evenings.
Jones the Grocer
Trade Centre, Dubai International Financial Centre
Originated in Sydney in 1996, Jones the Grocer's gourmet cafés are now in over seven countries (four cafes residing in Dubai alone), making it an easy-to-find standby for a solid meal and great host/hostess gifts in the form of gourmet chocolates, cheeses, jams, and other kitchen goodies. The café is a great place to set up with a coffee and sandwich for a few hours of work. There are also locations in Al Manara and Al Safa.
La Petite Maison
Gate Village, Dubai International Finance Centre
A spinoff of the London La Petite Maison—a restaurant by Arjun Waney (the investor behind Zuma) based on the restaurant of the same name in Nice—the food here has a distinctly southern French soul. Plates come small and to share, so you can theoretically sample it all. The salads and carpaccios from the starter menu shouldn't be missed, and for the main course, the fish is always excellent. The real star of the show is the black-leg-roasted chicken, though. Order it right when you sit down; It takes about an hour and twenty minutes, but it justifies the wait.
Zuma
Gate Village, Dubai International Finance Centre
A few years ago, it felt like nobody could stop talking about Zuma. Sometimes too much hype can turn you off a restaurant, but that’s not the case here. More than ten years after the original London opening, with locations in what seems like every major city, it's still one of the best meals anywhere. Tokyo-based interior designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu (who's done several Zumas) differentiates Zuma Dubai, which sits within the Dubai International Financial Centre, with a massive bamboo sculpture suspended from 450 delicate wires.
Pars Iranian Restaurant
Al Dhiyafa Rd., Dubai International Financial Centre
Pars Iranian Restaurant is a great casual eatery to stop in for a meal if you're shopping nearby. Expect excellent Iranian food, served in large portions—think tender meats, lots of rice, tomatoes, pickles, and mint leaves. It's a great spot for groups and littles; there are several outposts throughout the city.