The Review
SUSHISAMBA arrived in Dubai in late 2023, twenty-four years after the original in New York turned the phrase "Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian" from oxymoron into a restaurant category. The concept — three cuisines stitched together by the cultural migration from Tokyo and Osaka to São Paulo and Lima in the early twentieth century — could have landed as a gimmick. On the 51st floor of The St Regis Dubai The Palm, with floor-to-ceiling glass wrapping a 270-degree view across the West Crescent and the Arabian Gulf, it lands as a full-sensory argument that none of Dubai's other sky-high dining rooms can quite match.
The space is theatre. A scarlet-lit sushi counter anchors one side of the room; a robata grill fires red against the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other. A live band plays bossa nova and samba five nights a week. The sound level is fully engaged — if you came for whispered conversation, you came to the wrong restaurant. If you came to be seen while looking out at the single most photographed stretch of coastline in the Middle East, every table delivers.
The menu is long and best approached as a tasting progression. The tiraditos of yellowtail with yuzu and aji amarillo show the Peruvian hand. The wagyu gyoza and the toro tartare with oscietra caviar show the Japanese. The churrasco skewers and the Brazilian moqueca — a coconut-and-palm-oil fish stew that arrives in a claypot with a small crowd watching — show the Brazilian. The signature Samba Roll, wrapped in salmon and torched tableside, is the dish most photographed on Dubai food Instagram, which tells you something about both the dish and the clientele.
Dinner averages AED 500–900 per person with a cocktail, rising to AED 1,200+ if you commit to the omakase or order by the bottle. The pacing is not rushed but the room turns — the second sitting begins around 9.30pm, and from that point the volume rises another notch until closing at 2am on weekends. SUSHISAMBA is not trying to be the most refined dining room in the city. It is trying to be the most fully engaged, and by that measure it is the benchmark above the waterline.
Best for Birthday
SUSHISAMBA was engineered for milestone celebrations. The 51st-floor view is a gift-wrapped backdrop — you can time the reservation for sunset and the sky will do more work than any bakery. The live percussion breaks into an escalated samba sequence twice an evening, the lighting dims incrementally, and the chef will bring out a sparkler-topped dessert plate with the guest's name piped in chocolate on request (ask when booking). Group bookings of eight or more are seated along the window line if requested early; the largest private area accommodates twenty and is the most-booked birthday space at altitude in Dubai. It is theatrical, generous, and photographed from every angle — a modern birthday dinner in its fullest expression.
Signature Dishes
The tiradito of yellowtail with yuzu truffle is the opener to order without hesitation. The Samba Roll — salmon, spicy tuna, avocado, crispy onion, torched at table — is the emblem of the brand and the most photographed plate in the dining room. The Wagyu Gyoza, served in a sweet soy reduction, is the crowd-pleaser that converts the skeptics. From the robata, the Chilean sea bass with den miso remains one of the most flavour-forward preparations of the dish anywhere in the city. The moqueca Baiana, a claypot fish stew finished with coconut milk and palm oil, is the Brazilian statement dish and the recommended order for a table that wants to share. Close with the Bed of Nails — the signature dessert of pineapple carpaccio with coconut sorbet — or the Brazilian Carnival, a multi-element plate that requires both photography and appetite.
What to Know Before You Go
The restaurant is on the 51st floor of The St Regis Dubai The Palm, accessed via a dedicated express elevator from the lobby. Valet parking at the St Regis entrance is free for restaurant guests. Dress code is smart casual — Dubai smart casual, meaning closed shoes, no shorts, no flip-flops, and most men will be in a jacket at dinner. Reservations are essential; the restaurant opened with a three-month waitlist and still requires five to seven days notice for prime evening slots. Ask for a "terrace side" or "west window" table for the sunset orientation over the Palm fronds. A cover charge of AED 100 per person applies for live entertainment on Thursday through Saturday nights.
Also in Dubai, see Nobu Dubai for the other canonical Japanese-Peruvian, Zuma Dubai for izakaya energy in DIFC, and Coya Dubai for dedicated Peruvian. For all Birthday occasions globally, see our dedicated guide. See our full Dubai dining index and the RFK editorial for more.