UAE’s September calendar has brought a fresh round of openings, but the more interesting story lies in how varied they are. A delivery-only bakehouse is making one Filipino pastry its entire focus. A new wellness studio in Mirdif is treating recovery as part of training. Over at Dubai Mall, a Parisian restaurant has added private shopping to its offering, while an expansive Greek concept is preparing to combine five food and retail brands under one roof.
SHUKR puts the ensaymada centre stage
SHUKR has taken a deliberately focused route for its Dubai debut. The online bakehouse launched on 10 September with one hero bake, the Filipino ensaymada, and a signature coffee developed to accompany it.
The concept was co-founded by Atelier House Hospitality CEO Panchali Mahendra, airline pilot Rashed Yakhlef and a third partner after Yakhlef brought a box of ensaymadas back from the Philippines. What began with the founders searching for a similar version in Dubai eventually led to months of recipe development with Carol Contreras, Group Head Pastry Chef at Atelier House Hospitality.
SHUKR’s version retains the pastry’s defining combination of soft, buttery dough and finely shredded cheese, with its sweet and savoury character intact. Its coffee also incorporates cheese and was created specifically to pair with the bake.
The name draws on shukr, the Arabic word for gratitude, while also nodding to shakkar, the word for sugar used across several South Asian languages. That theme continues through a postal-inspired identity, with packaging designed around stamps, parcels and origin marks. SHUKR is available through major food delivery platforms across Dubai.
SUPA brings Uzbek cooking to Al Barsha
Now open at Millennium Al Barsha, SUPA Uzbek Culinary House draws from the food and hospitality traditions of Uzbek family life. The restaurant takes its name from the raised platform commonly found in Uzbek homes and courtyards, where people gather over meals and tea.
Founders Nodir Mahmud and Nodir Takhirov have brought the concept to Dubai following its success in Saudi Arabia. The menu centres on dishes made for the table, including plov layered with lamb, yellow carrots and barberries, handmade shushvara in lamb broth, steamed manti, samsa and crisp lamb-filled cheburek. Charcoal-grilled meats and speciality kebabs form another major part of the offering, while Snow Dust Napoleon and saffron milk cake cover dessert.
Fresh bread, handmade dough, fire cooking and tea run through the menu, creating a useful introduction to Uzbek cuisine for diners who may be discovering it for the first time. The interiors reference Central Asian homes through aged wood, patterned tiles and natural materials. SUPA is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with valet parking available.
Ergon Agora prepares for its first international opening
Ergon Agora is preparing to bring its large-scale Greek food and retail concept to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard. Spanning approximately 2,000 square metres, the Dubai location will be the first Agora outside Greece and the brand’s flagship in the Middle East.
Rather than operating as a single restaurant, the destination brings five Ergon concepts together. Agora Restaurant will lead the dining offering with contemporary Greek and Mediterranean food. The 72H Bakery will focus on naturally fermented breads and pastries, while Tzeneral offers a modern interpretation of the traditional Greek neighbourhood patisserie.
Balboa introduces a more playful, casual format influenced by 1990s pop culture. Ergon Originals completes the line-up with a retail selection of Greek and Mediterranean pantry products, connecting the new destination to the company’s beginnings as a platform for independent Greek producers.
The result is designed to move from coffee and baked goods in the morning to meals, desserts and food shopping later in the day. An exact opening date has yet to be announced, but its multi-concept format makes Ergon Agora one of the season’s more ambitious upcoming additions.
KORE Theory pairs training with private recovery
KORE Theory opened at The Commons in Mirdif with a programme that places training and recovery within the same membership experience. Its classes span Microformer and mat Pilates in heated and non-heated formats, guided by three principles: resistance, tempo and control.
The approach focuses on how the body moves under load and maintains form as fatigue builds. Members can complement the studio sessions with KORE Reset, a collection of three private contrast-therapy suites equipped with Finnish saunas, cold plunges and showers.
The largest suite, Ember, accommodates up to four guests and includes a private washroom. Frost and Still are designed for individuals or pairs. The private layout offers an alternative to the shared recovery areas found in many gyms and wellness clubs.
Australian architecture firm Studio Plenty designed the interiors, with a central lounge linking the training and recovery spaces. For its opening month, the studio is also hosting a pop-up by The Lazy Guy, serving coffee, matcha and protein shakes. Founding memberships include unlimited heated Pilates and Microformer classes, one KORE Reset session each month and priority access to selected events.
L’Avenue introduces private shopping at Dubai Mall
L’Avenue at Dubai Mall has expanded beyond its restaurant with The Private Suite by Dani, a new service combining personal styling, luxury retail and hospitality within Fashion Avenue.
Created with private shopper Danijela Vukovic, the suite will host one-to-one styling consultations, personal shopping appointments, trunk shows and meetings with luxury-brand representatives. Vukovic brings more than 20 years of industry experience, including a previous role as Private Client Manager at Harrods’ Private Shopping Apartment in London.
Clients can begin with a consultation at L’Avenue before moving into personalised appointments at partner boutiques across Dubai Mall. Private buggy transfers are also part of the service, while a programme of collection previews, presentations and fashion events will bring brands directly into the restaurant.
It is a natural extension of the original L’Avenue on Paris’s Avenue Montaigne, which has long occupied the intersection of fashion and dining. In Dubai, the private suite offers a more contained way to navigate one of the city’s busiest luxury-shopping destinations, with the option to meet, dine and shop through a single appointment.
Miramira makes its UAE debut in Abu Dhabi
Spanish jewellery and accessories brand Miramira has opened its first Middle East store at Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi. Founded in Madrid, the brand has expanded to over 25 countries.
Miramira occupies the space between fine jewellery and fast-fashion accessories, offering stainless steel pieces finished with 14 karat gold at accessible prices. The collections are designed for regular wear, with water-resistant necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings that can be layered or combined across different looks.
The Dalma Mall opening introduces the brand to the UAE as part of a wider regional expansion plan, with further locations already being considered across the country and the Middle East.
