The Review
Fi’lia arrived in Dubai as a transplant of Miami chef Michael Schwartz’s award-winning concept, opened in collaboration with SBE. Four years on, the Dubai version has evolved into something separate: the region’s first female-led Italian restaurant, run by Chef Sara Aqel and a team of women from the pass to the floor. The Michelin Guide has been paying close attention — Bib Gourmand in 2022 and 2023, then graduating to Michelin Guide Selected in 2024 and 2025.
The 70th floor of SLS Dubai is one of the highest dining rooms in Business Bay, with full glass frontage, a wraparound terrace, and an unfussy 360-degree view that includes the Burj Khalifa from a novel angle. Bishop Design’s interior leans on whites, soft greens, living foliage, and two rose-gold wood-fired pizza ovens which anchor the room visually and operationally. The space holds 128 inside and 76 on the terrace without feeling crowded at capacity.
The menu is structured around the three generations of women the name invokes: nonna for grandmother-style traditional Italian, mamma for contemporary twists, figlia for the daughter’s modern interpretation. It reads as a conceit; it works in practice. The carbonara is the grandmother version done with integrity — guanciale, egg yolk, Pecorino, no cream. The linguine alle vongole is a textbook dish executed with confidence. The firewood-oven pizzas — especially the house Margherita with Fior di Latte — belong in the conversation for the best in the UAE.
Business Lunch runs Monday to Friday from AED 105 and is the most-guarded secret in the Business Bay corporate set. The Signature sharing menu is AED 545 per couple and gives four courses of the kitchen’s best work. A la carte dinner averages AED 400–650 per person including beverage. The positioning is refined but genuinely honest — this is fine Italian cooking priced for weekly use, not a monthly indulgence.
Best for Close a Deal
The 70th-floor view, the understated room, the Michelin credential, the business lunch pricing — Fi’lia is the stealth power table of Business Bay. Many of the neighbouring hotel restaurants on the same stretch of the canal chase grandeur; Fi’lia plays it lower-key, which is precisely the tone a seasoned deal-maker wants when the conversation matters more than the decor. The acoustics allow confidential talk, the food is impressive without requiring explanation, and the wine list is deep enough to support a two-bottle negotiation if the meeting demands it. Request a window table at booking and arrive early enough to walk the guest through the view before the menu arrives.
Signature Dishes
The spaghetti carbonara is the benchmark: handmade pasta, guanciale rendered until nearly translucent, Pecorino Romano, egg yolks emulsified tableside. No cream ever. The linguine alle vongole is the kitchen’s most beloved plate — Manila clams, white wine, garlic, chilli, and a last-minute crack of pepper. The sea bass crudo starter is brought to the pass in a marble mortar with olive oil and Mediterranean citrus. Among the pizzas, the firewood-oven Margherita with San Marzano and Fior di Latte is the reference; the Tartufo with truffle cream and wild mushroom is the indulgence. The tiramisu, served in a coffee cup, is the dessert every table orders after watching a neighbouring table do the same.
What to Know Before You Go
SLS Dubai is located on Marasi Drive in Business Bay, a short walk from the Business Bay Metro station and the canal promenade. Valet parking is available at the hotel entrance. The restaurant is on the 70th floor, accessed via the dedicated SLS elevator bank — the lobby is on Level 71, and guests transit down one floor. Reservations via OpenTable are strongly recommended, especially for window tables and terrace seating; the Friday-Saturday pattern books out two weeks in advance. Lunch runs 1:00–3:00pm, Dinner 6:30pm–midnight. The Saturday brunch is a separate sitting from 1:00pm. Dress code is smart; sneakers are accepted but sleeveless shirts on men are discouraged. Phone: +971 4 607 0770.
Also in Dubai, see Armani Ristorante for formal Italian inside the Burj Khalifa, Cipriani Dubai for the DIFC classic on the waterfront, and Torno Subito for Massimo Bottura’s Italian Riviera experience at the W. For sister SLS concepts, explore Smoked Room at DIFC for Dani García’s two-star. For Close a Deal occasions globally, see the dedicated guide. Browse all Dubai restaurants or read our Dubai dining editorial.