The Review
Martín Berasategui is, by one objective measure, the greatest chef alive. Across his eponymous three-star flagship in Lasarte and a constellation of other kitchens, he holds twelve Michelin stars — the highest tally of any Spanish chef and the third-highest of any living chef on earth. In January 2024 he opened his first restaurant in the Middle East. It sits on the 18th floor of The Lana, the Dorchester Collection’s inaugural UAE property. He named it Jara, after his eldest granddaughter.
The setting reads like a brief: moody and atmospheric, a palette of deep browns, forest greens, and burnished gold, warm lighting that flatters a suit, and a 360-degree terrace view that delivers the Burj Khalifa unobstructed. The adjacent Jara Bar encircles a central 360 counter topped with a chandelier of burnt-orange glass spheres — the kind of room where an opening drink becomes its own argument for staying another hour. The Dorchester brief was clear: opulence, but never gaudy. Dubai, but Dorchester-Dubai.
The menu translates the larder of the Basque country to the dining rooms of Business Bay. It is organised around sharing — hot and cold starters (oysters with Berasategui’s signature gazpacho; the Lana salad; Gillardeau oyster with hibiscus) lead into large-format mains pulled from a clay pit oven and a charcoal grill: Spanish lamb shoulder, wagyu T-bone, whole blue lobster. The techniques are Basque; the ingredients are flown in or sourced to that standard. What is unusual, for Dubai, is the restraint. Jara refuses the pressure to over-decorate a plate. The confidence to leave something alone is the confidence of twelve stars.
Desserts are a dedicated course rather than an afterthought. The Basque cheesecake — burnt on top, custard-soft within — is the dish most diners order without thinking. The warm chocolate cake with caramel ice cream and the caramelised brioche with milk ice cream are the sleeper picks. Reservations are difficult; the bar, walk-in on quiet nights, is a diplomatic back door. Expect to spend AED 800–1,400 per person with wine at dinner — a price that buys you the best view in Business Bay, the larder of a three-star kitchen, and the knowledge that you have eaten in the Middle East outpost of the most-starred chef alive.
Best for Close a Deal
Jara is engineered for the deal. The 18th-floor view does half the work of any pitch; the 360 bar does the other half. The format — grilled mains designed to be shared — creates the natural pauses that let a conversation move. The service, trained by the Dorchester Collection playbook, is European-formal but never fussy. Clients register three things in order: the name of the chef, the floor number, and the hotel. All three signal an exact message — a host who knows which room matters in Dubai, and got a table in it. For a proposal, the terrace at sunset is among the finest settings in the city.
Signature Dishes
The Gillardeau oyster with Berasategui’s signature gazpacho is the canonical opening — the chef’s Lasarte signature, translated. The grilled blue lobster, finished in the clay-pit oven, is the menu’s most theatrical dish and the most photographed. Spanish lamb shoulder, slow-grilled over charcoal, is Jara’s argument for what Basque cooking can do with a single ingredient. The wagyu T-bone is the table centrepiece for larger groups. Desserts close on the Basque cheesecake, a dish that has travelled further than any other Basque export — this is the version the chef will stake his reputation on.
What to Know Before You Go
Jara is on the 18th floor of The Lana, Marasi Drive, Business Bay — a five-minute drive from Downtown Dubai and Dubai Design District. Dress code is smart elegant; jackets are welcome though not required. Reservations are essential and open online via the Dorchester Collection site or OpenTable; peak October-to-April bookings should be made three to four weeks ahead. Valet is complimentary for diners. Jara Bar takes walk-ins on weeknights; on Fridays and Saturdays it fills fast.
Also in Dubai, explore Smoked Room for Dani García’s two-star Spanish flame cooking; Il Ristorante — Niko Romito for two-star Italian inside Bulgari; and STAY by Yannick Alléno for two-star modern French. For all Close a Deal occasions globally, see our dedicated guide. Read more in our editorial on Dubai’s power-dining scene.