The Review
Fernando Trocca founded Sucre in Buenos Aires in 2001 and spent twenty years turning it into one of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants before opening in Soho in 2021 and on DIFC's Gate Village 10 terrace in 2022. The Dubai branch, recently refreshed as Sucre Brasserie, is the most romantically lit restaurant in the financial district: a double-height dining room of curved archways, candle-lit wooden tables, clay tandoor-scale ovens visible through the pass, and a terrace that spills into the Gate Village courtyard beneath a canopy of palms.
Trocca is an open-fire cook in the Argentine tradition, and Sucre's kitchen is organised around it: a custom parrilla grill, a wood-fired oven, a binchotan charcoal robata station. The new brasserie evolution softens the asado edge into something more Mediterranean — think Italian-Argentine-Spanish, with French technique visible in the sauces. But the bone-in Argentinian ribeye is still the reason Buenos Aires regulars keep turning up: 35 days dry-aged, grilled over Paraguayan quebracho, served with chimichurri and a potato gratin.
Start with the king crab tostada — avocado, leche de tigre, crushed tortilla — or Trocca's empanadas with aged cheese and caramelised onions. The squid ink paella is the kitchen's Spanish flourish; the monkfish tail with XO sauce and black beans is the Asian nod. Cocktails are by Tato Giovannoni (the Buenos Aires mixologist behind Floreria Atlantico, ranked the World's Best Bar in 2020) — the Clarified Mate Negroni is already a DIFC classic. Downstairs, the late-night lounge Alma opens Thursday–Saturday until 3am with live Latin music.
Average spend runs AED 400–600 per person for a full dinner with wine. The room is soft-lit, the service is Argentine-unhurried, and Trocca himself is known to appear at table two or three nights a week when he's in town. Reservations through OpenTable or SevenRooms tighten on Friday–Saturday nights; weekday dinners are more flexible. The Gate Village 10 terrace is the seat of choice from November to April.
Best for First Date
Sucre is DIFC's most quietly romantic first-date table. The Gate Village 10 terrace is candle-lit and canopied, the music is low-tempo Buenos Aires house, and the plates are designed for sharing without being overwhelmingly so. The king crab tostada is an ice-breaker; the bone-in ribeye is substantial enough to build a second drink around; and the clarified mate Negroni is the cocktail that turns conversation from polite into warm. The staff read the room well — they'll pace courses, and they won't drop the bill until you ask. Downstairs at Alma, after dinner, there is live Latin music until 3am if the first date runs well.
Signature Dishes
The Argentinian bone-in ribeye — 35 days dry-aged, grilled over quebracho wood — is the restaurant's anchor. King crab tostada with leche de tigre is the opening ritual. Empanadas are served two ways, aged cheese and caramelised onion or slow-braised short rib. The squid ink paella is the Spanish indulgence; the monkfish tail with XO sauce and black beans shows the Asian-fusion half of Trocca's recent evolution. End with the dulce de leche crême brûlée, a Buenos Aires homage that has no business being this good.
What to Know Before You Go
Gate Village Building 10, DIFC — the same complex as La Petite Maison, Zuma and Shanghai Me. Valet parking at Gate 2. Dress code is smart casual during the day, blazer-preferred after 7pm. Reservations via OpenTable, SevenRooms or phone. Ask for a terrace table between November and April — it is one of the best outdoor dining spaces in DIFC. Alma, the downstairs lounge, opens Thursday–Saturday midnight to 3am and is accessible to dinner guests without a separate booking. Trocca himself is often in-house Wednesday through Saturday when in Dubai.
Also in Dubai, see La Petite Maison for French Niçoise on the same street, BOCA for Spanish-influenced sustainability, and Amazonico for Latin American jungle-chic. See all First Date tables in Dubai, and read our Dubai dining editorial.