Dragonfly

Should You Book Dragonfly?

If you are choosing between Dragonfly and Zuma for a high-end Japanese Contemporary dinner in Dubai, Dragonfly is the stronger pick for guests who want a more refined, hotel-anchored setting with serious wine credentials. Zuma has the energy and the name recognition, but Dragonfly, sitting inside the Dorchester Collection's The Lana on Marasi Drive in Business Bay, has earned a Michelin Plate (2025) and a Star Wine List White Star, which is a meaningful signal about how seriously they take the beverage program. For a celebration dinner or a client meal where the room and the bottle list need to pull equal weight, this is the right address.

The Room and the Experience

The Lana opened as Dorchester Collection's first Middle East property, Dragonfly occupies the promenade-level position that gives it the most considered sense of arrival of any Japanese restaurant currently operating in Business Bay. The ambient register here is measured: not the wall-of-noise energy you get at Mimi Kakushi on a Friday night, not the hushed formality that can make some hotel restaurants feel clinical. The promenade setting along Marasi Drive means the room carries a steady, low hum that suits conversation without demanding you lean across the table. If noise level is a deciding factor for you, Dragonfly sits comfortably in the middle register: lively enough to feel like a live restaurant, controlled enough for a two-hour business dinner.

That atmosphere is consistent with what the Dorchester Collection delivers across its portfolio. Service at Dorchester properties is generally polished at the technical level, attentive on pacing, trained to read the table rather than perform for it. That score, for a hotel restaurant in this bracket, is above the average for comparable addresses in Dubai's Business Bay corridor, where scores in the 4.3 to 4.5 range are more common for new openings. The Star Wine List White Star, awarded in November 2025, adds another data point: the front-of-house team knows the list well enough to have passed scrutiny from a programme that evaluates both depth and service delivery around wine.

Value and Price Positioning

Dragonfly sits at $$$$, which in Dubai's current Japanese Contemporary tier puts it alongside Armani Hashi and above 3Fils and 99 Sushi Bar. Whether that price is justified depends on what you are actually buying. The Michelin Plate recognition is not a star, but it is the guide's formal signal that cooking quality is worth the visit. Combined with the White Star wine credential and the Dorchester backdrop, you are paying for a complete package: kitchen, cellar, service, room. If you want only one of those things done well, there are cheaper options. Akira Back at a comparable tier delivers more chef-name recognition for the money. But if you need all four components to perform on the same evening, Dragonfly's price-to-delivery ratio is defensible.

The wine list is a genuine differentiator. A Star Wine List White Star is not handed out for a standard hotel wine program. It signals that the list has depth, that it is curated with intention, that the staff know how to navigate it. For a Japanese Contemporary kitchen, where the pairing options run from sake and shochu through to aged Burgundy and serious white Burgundy, that matters. Guests who want to work through a serious bottle alongside the food have more support here than at most Dubai alternatives in the genre. For context on how other Japanese Contemporary venues approach this globally, see The Japanese Restaurant in Andermatt and Eika in Taipei.

Booking and Logistics

Booking difficulty at Dragonfly is classified as hard. The Lana is a relatively recent addition to Dubai's Dorchester portfolio, the combination of Michelin recognition and a strong opening-year profile means tables at desirable times, Thursday and Friday evenings in particular, require advance planning. Aim to book at minimum two to three weeks out for weekend evenings; weeknight tables in the earlier sittings may be available on shorter notice. The address on the Lana Promenade, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, is accessible by taxi or rideshare, the Business Bay metro station is within reasonable distance for those avoiding road traffic. Valet is available at The Lana. No phone or direct booking URL is currently listed in Pearl's database, so approach the reservation through The Lana's main hotel booking channel or the Dorchester Collection's central reservations.

Who Should Book Dragonfly

Book Dragonfly if you are looking for a Japanese Contemporary dinner that handles the full stack: credible kitchen, serious wine service, a room that feels appropriate for a significant occasion or a client dinner where the setting needs to do some of the work. It is a stronger choice than most Business Bay alternatives when the guest list includes people who will notice the wine list or the service pacing. For more casual Japanese dining in Dubai at a lower price point, 3Fils and 99 Sushi Bar are the more practical options. For a broader view of where Dragonfly sits within Dubai's dining scene, see our full Dubai restaurants guide. For international comparisons within the Japanese Contemporary genre, Murakami in São Paulo, Sankai by Nagaya in Istanbul, Izakaya in Zagreb, NIRI in Abu Dhabi, and 893 Ryotei in Berlin offer useful points of reference. If you are planning a wider Dubai trip, our Dubai hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide are worth a look alongside Erth in Abu Dhabi if you are extending the trip.

Dragonfly at a Glance

• Cuisine: Japanese Contemporary
• Location: The Lana Promenade, Dorchester Collection, Business Bay, Dubai
• Price: $$$$
• Awards: Michelin Plate (2025), Star Wine List White Star (2025), Star Wine List #1 (2025)
• Booking Difficulty: Hard; plan 2 to 3 weeks ahead for weekend evenings