Mexican food is not new to the UAE. Stalwarts on the country's culinary scene include Maria Bonita's and Maya by Chef Richard Sandoval in Dubai, and Burro Blanco in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
But the cuisine seems to be having something of a resurgence in popularity, with a host of restaurants poised to open in the coming weeks, and plenty more having already opened this year.
Here's our round-up of new Mexican food to try in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Coming soon
Sobremesa, Dubai
Located in Souk Al Bahar, with a view of the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountain, Sobremesa is a collaboration among chef Marco Ferreira and restaurateurs Daniil Chakmin and Hekim Setdarov.
The 60-cover dining room is decorated with minimalist, neutral decor. The charcoal grill smoked menu features a selection of Mexican-Spanish favourites, with highlights that include homemade tortillas; a truffled quesadilla with Oaxaca cheese, mushrooms and avocado salsa; and duck carnitas tacos.
The restaurant’s name doesn’t have a direct English translation, but essentially means conversation over a long, lazy meal.
Originally due to open in October, the opening of the much-anticipated restaurant has been delayed until later this month.
Cocina Tres, Dubai
An exciting new concept from the team behind Honeycomb Hi-Fi and Miss Lily’s, is expected to open this month.
No images of the restaurant at the Pullman Dubai Downtown have been shared yet, but the design promises to be “vibrant” and inspired by the work of Mexican architect Luis Barragan. The menu is focused on coastal Mexican cuisine, with fresh ceviche, wood-fire grilled plates, and hand-ground tortillas.
Canary Beach, Dubai
Canary Club in JLT is well known for its culinary fusion of Japanese and Mexican cuisine, and now the team is poised to open a beach club at Club Vista Mare on Palm Jumeirah.
With a sushi-focused half of the menu, it’s far from an authentic Mexican experience, but the Amjad Barakat, Jamal Wick and Joey Ghazal collaboration promises a menu of fresh crudos, served alongside the popular Canary guacamole in a beachfront location.
The opening date is yet to be announced.
Now open
Eclipse Terrace Lounge, Abu Dhabi
The restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island has reopened with a brand-new Mexican menu.
Kicking off in mid-October, the venue is serving a Colores y Sabores menu, which promises to be a “vibrant twist on Mexican street food”.
The menu includes annatto-marinated tacos, crispy cod bites and flan de elote. It’s also offering Taco Thursdays, from 7pm to 10pm, with unlimited tacos on offer at live cooking stations for Dh195 per person.
Esco-bar, Dubai
Esco-bar has a loyal following at its Palm West Beach location, but the Mexican restaurant and bar has opened a new outpost at 25 Jump Street in Dubai One Central. With a vibrant atmosphere, the food veers more on the Tex-Mex end of the culinary scale – think fajitas and loaded nachos – than authentic flavours, but the atmosphere delivers in true Mexican style.
A new hot spot, 25 Jump Street is also home to fast food joint Junk Burger, Lebanese favourite Em Sherif Deli, an outpost of Joe and the Juice, and bar 19 Sixty-Four by McGettigans.
El Moreno, Dubai
The taqueria opened its doors in Azizi Riviera, Nad Al Sheba, in April. The venue has a small number of dine-in tables, but you can order to take away via Noon, Careem and Talabat.
Menu highlights include duck carnitas tacos, which are a chef’s special, as well as chorizo con papas tacos and quesabirria tacos – slow-cooked beef with cheese, dipped in a beef consume.
Taqueria Freedah
This cosy Jumeirah Street spot, which opened in January and specialises in tacos and ceviche, has just four tables, but promises to serve some of the most “authentic Mexican street food in Dubai”.
At the taqueria, chef and co-owner Jorge Rodriguez honours Mexican heritage through the dishes as well as the decor, which features walls emblazoned with images of artist Frida Kahlo.
The menu is changeable, with specials frequently being added, but favourites include rib-eye and spicy pastor chicken tacos.
Chipotle, Dubai and Abu Dhabi
A North American favourite, casual dining eatery Chipotle opened its first outpost in the UAE in October last year at The Beach, JBR.
In the months since, it has expanded to include a Yas Mall restaurant in Abu Dhabi, which opened in August, and a Citywalk, Dubai eatery, which opened this month.
A build-your-own concept, the menu comprises customisable burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas and salads.
Ordering is designed to be quick and convenient, allowing customers to select a protein and customise their meal with options such as rice, beans, salsa and cheese. Additional sides, such as chips, guacamole or queso, are also available.
Watch live
The National will broadcast live from the IMF on Friday October 13 at 7pm UAE time (3pm GMT) as our Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi moderates a panel on how technology can help growth in MENA.
You can find out more here
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Race%20card
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Afro%20salons
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
