The Review
Masti translates roughly as fun, and the restaurant delivers on the translation. Executive chef Prashant Chipkar leads a kitchen that treats the entire Indian subcontinent — street stalls, home kitchens, royal banquets, colonial-club bars — as a single, riffable canvas. The result is the most playful modern-Indian menu in the city, and the reason the restaurant sits on the Michelin Guide's Dubai list and on the World's 50 Best Bars discovery list concurrently.
The room is a study in Mumbai-meets-Manhattan. Deep emerald velvet, brass, tropical prints, a commanding central bar, and low lighting that tips the space more cocktail-lounge than classical-Indian-fine-dining. Masti moved in 2023 from its original Jumeirah location to The Dubai EDITION's first floor on Emaar Boulevard — the relocation added a terrace, a larger bar and a layout that works as comfortably for a business dinner for twelve as for a couple at the bar.
The menu is designed to be shared and works hardest in the small-plates section. Kheema popsicles (minced-lamb skewers glazed with a tamarind reduction) are the house's most-ordered opener. Butter chicken pizza — malai kulcha base, butter chicken, mozzarella, pickled chilli — is the dish that went viral and still delivers. The saag paneer lasagne is Chipkar's most technically accomplished crossover and is far better than it has any business being. Crispy tandoori-chicken momos, chilli-coriander beef short rib, and the Goan pork vindaloo with poi buns give the menu its depth. The tasting menu runs to twelve courses and lands at AED 495 per person.
Cocktails are the room's second engine. The programme is gin-heavy — Masti Gin & Tonic arrives in a tall copita with Indian botanicals, the Dhan Pan Paan mixes paan leaf with vodka and cucumber — and the bar list reliably appears on MENA's 50 Best Bars. Desserts lean sharable: the Lotus Tiramisu (mascarpone, biscoff crumble, espresso gel) is the Instagram shot; the gulab jamun cheesecake is the underdog order.
Best for Birthday
Masti's design and menu both scale hardest toward birthdays and team dinners of six to fourteen. The music is up, the plates are designed to be passed, the cocktails do the heavy social lifting, and the servers will arrive with a sparkler-topped mithai platter if you flag the occasion in advance. The private dining room on the terrace accommodates up to sixteen. For a first date, request an alcove booth at the bar end — you'll get the mood lighting without the full club energy. For a client close, the business-lunch menu at AED 145 covers three courses and is Downtown's most confident modern-Indian option.
Signature Dishes
The kheema popsicles — minced lamb skewers with tamarind glaze — are the mandatory opener. Butter chicken pizza is the most-recognised plate in the house. The crispy tandoori-chicken momos with a black-pepper chutney are the sleeper favourite. Saag paneer lasagne is Chipkar's most ambitious cross-genre dish and the one that justifies the Michelin listing. From the mains: the chilli-coriander beef short rib and the Goan pork vindaloo with poi buns. For dessert: the Lotus Tiramisu, every time.
What to Know Before You Go
Masti is on the first floor of The Dubai EDITION hotel on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard — three minutes' walk from the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. Valet parking via the EDITION. Reservations are essential for weekend dinner and should be made one week ahead; the terrace tables release earliest. Dress code is smart casual / stylish — Dubai-appropriate rather than strict. Kitchen runs 12:30 to midnight weekdays, 13:00 to midnight weekends. The bar stays open later on weekends. Book via the Masti website (Servmeco widget) or info@mastidubai.com.
Also in Dubai, explore Avatara, Jamavar Dubai, and Carnival by Trèsind. See the full Dubai city guide and all cities worldwide. For occasion-led recommendations, visit Birthday or read our editorial guides.