Mimi Kakushi

Should You Book Mimi Kakushi?

Picture a room where a low, rhythmic soundtrack threads through candlelight, the faint warm scent of Japanese whisky and citrus-forward cocktails drifts from a bar that operates as a destination in its own right. That is the setup at Mimi Kakushi; and it is a strong argument for booking. Ranked #37 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants MENA 2024, this contemporary Japanese restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach is one of Dubai's clearest answers to the question: where do serious food and serious atmosphere meet at the same table? The verdict is yes, book it; but read the caveats below before you do.

The Experience

Mimi Kakushi takes its name from a fashionable hairstyle in 1920s Japan, the design commitment to that era is thorough. The room evokes Osaka between the wars: lacquered surfaces, moody lighting, intimate corners alongside louder communal stretches. This is not a quiet dinner venue by default. Come early in the evening if conversation is the point; arrive later if you want to be part of the energy. The crowd skews cosmopolitan and well-dressed, consistent with the Four Seasons address and the $$$$ price tier.

The food is contemporary Japanese built on what the awards record describes as "good quality ingredients" and "classic Japanese dishes with a contemporary twist." That framing is accurate to the category: this is not the stripped-back precision of an omakase counter, nor the casual sharing-plate format of Zuma a few kilometres away. Mimi Kakushi sits in the middle ground, polished and ingredient-led, with service from what reviewers consistently describe as an enthusiastic and well-structured young team.

The Bar Program

The cocktail program here deserves its own assessment, because it is one of the reasons to choose Mimi Kakushi over comparable Japanese dining rooms in Dubai. The 1920s Osaka concept is not just decorative, it is expressed most directly at the bar, where the drinks lean into Japanese spirits, yuzu-forward profiles, the kind of theatrical presentation that fits the room without feeling forced. If you are coming as a couple or a small group and want a pre-dinner drink that sets the tone, arriving 30 to 45 minutes early and spending time at the bar is the right move. The bar seats are also a practical option for solo diners who want the full experience without the weight of a table booking. By comparison, Clap has a strong drinks offering in a similarly energetic room, but Mimi Kakushi's program is more coherently themed and more directly integrated with the food concept. If cocktail quality is a deciding factor, Mimi Kakushi has the edge in this tier.

For those who want to explore the broader Dubai bar scene, Mimi Kakushi's bar is worth treating as a standalone stop, not just a pre-dinner convenience.

Ideal time to visit

Thursday and Friday evenings are the peak, the room fills quickly. If you want the atmosphere at its most alive, those are the nights, but book well in advance. For a more measured experience where you can hear your table clearly and the service team is less stretched, a midweek dinner earlier in the evening works better. Dubai's cooler months (October through April) mean the outdoor terrace adjacent to the Four Seasons resort grounds is usable, which adds a different dimension to the arrival and post-dinner wind-down. Summer evenings are viable indoors given the air conditioning, but the outdoor option disappears.

If You've Been Once

If you visited and stuck to the food menu, the bar program is the obvious next layer. The cocktail list is constructed to complement the kitchen's flavour register, citrus, umami-adjacent, lightly smoky, so ordering off the bar menu alongside the food rather than treating drinks as an afterthought changes the experience meaningfully. Return visitors should also consider the intimate corner seating rather than the main dining floor: the atmosphere reads differently, it makes sense for smaller groups who want a longer, more focused evening. For Japanese contemporary dining across other cities, Pearl also covers Sankai by Nagaya in Istanbul, Eika in Taipei, and 893 Ryotei in Berlin for comparable benchmarks in other markets.

Practical Details

Location: Four Seasons Resort, 23A St, Jumeirah 2, Dubai. Cuisine: Contemporary Japanese. Price: $$$$ (expect a full evening with drinks to sit at the higher end of Dubai's fine dining range). Reservations: Near impossible to secure last-minute, plan at least two to three weeks ahead for weekend slots; midweek is more accessible but still requires advance booking. Dress: Smart; the room and the Four Seasons address both point toward dressed-up rather than casual. Rating:Awards: World's 50 Best Restaurants MENA 2024, ranked #37. Parking: Four Seasons resort parking available. For more on where to stay nearby, see Pearl's Dubai hotels guide.

Pearl Picks: Related Venues

• Akira Back Dubai, Japanese contemporary with a different chef-driven approach
• Armani Hashi, Japanese in a hotel setting, strong for a quieter evening
• 99 Sushi Bar, sushi-focused, easier to book
• 3Fils, Japanese-influenced, lower price tier, worth knowing
• NIRI in Abu Dhabi, Japanese contemporary if you are heading to Abu Dhabi
• Erth in Abu Dhabi, regional comparison for a different occasion
• Murakami in São Paulo and Izakaya in Zagreb, global benchmarks in the Japanese contemporary category
• The Japanese Restaurant in Andermatt, for reference if travelling Europe
• See Pearl's full Dubai restaurants guide and Dubai experiences guide for broader planning