Tips, ideas and recommendations for a better quality of life in Dubai

Talk to anyone in Dubai and what strikes you is the optimism. There’s a buzz and a sense of possibility that is glaringly absent from many more established international hubs. As one creative director told Monocle, everyone in Dubai has made a positive decision to be here. This is a global city full of expats who have chosen to relocate and Emiratis willing to embrace the opportunities of a diverse, affluent society.

Following a period of rapid expansion, the city is refining its offering. Off-plan neighbourhoods are growing organically, restaurants are cultivating sustainable supply chains and retailers are curating for an increasingly sophisticated audience. These 10 stories make a case for Dubai as the perfect place to set up a home, launch a new creative venture or relocate a high-capital business.

The stories featured below are taken from The Monocle 100, a new guidebook edited exclusively for the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

1. Fiker Institute

Listen to local voices
Al Quoz

“There has been a void in how the Middle East is represented,” says Dubai Abulhoul, who founded the Fiker Institute think-tank in 2021.

Following two years as a diplomat for the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she sought to address the imbalance between voices in the East and West. Building a think-tank from scratch was an intellectual exercise for the young Rhodes scholar. Today, Fiker Institute publishes essays, hosts debates and attends world-renowned events. In 2023, Abulhoul opened the institute’s first public base, a library for all at Alserkal Avenue. The library forsakes chronology and geography in favour of arranging more than 15,000 titles around 41 themes, including chaos and corruption. Amusingly, Hillary Clinton’s biography sits in the “propaganda” section. “The medium is the message,” says Abulhoul.
fikerinstitute.org

2. Julius Baer

Bank on support
Citywide

Dubai is now one of the world’s foremost financial hubs. Swiss multinational Julius Baer remains one of the oldest companies in Dubai International Financial Centre ( difc ) and was the first international private bank to receive a licence in the free zone.

Since opening here in 2004, the bank’s team has grown to more than 160 staff. “Several of our clients have taken the plunge,” says Alireza Valizadeh, ceo of Julius Baer Middle East. Whether you’re moving a family or business to Dubai, a conversation with a reputable bank is a shrewd place to begin. Supportive government initiatives and flexible financial infrastructures are incentives but a helping hand can ease the transition. “Our Swiss heritage and history, along with strong local know-how, has played an important role in establishing our foothold in the country,” says Valizadeh.

3. Mazmi

Make yourself at home on the creek
Bur Dubai

The marbled foyers of Dubai’s hotels might beckon many but none could quite match the reception that monocle received at Mazmi. “We may not have a maitre’d or concierge but we can show you the old Dubai, right in the heart of the souk, with the best view on the creek,” says Italian co-founder, Ilaria Paci.

Paci and her Emirati husband, Mohamed Al Mazmi, opened their café in 2017; its three-bedroom boutique B&B, Mazmi Casa, followed a year later. Perched at the waterfront after a winding stroll through the souk, Mazmi offers a place to unwind and watch the abras ferry passengers across the water. The blend of terrazzo coffee culture within a traditional Emirati home is a refreshing place to stop, be it for an espresso, homemade gelato infused with the souk’s spices, or even a good night’s sleep.
mazmi.me

4. Soul Kitchen

Let loose in a crosscultural haven
Business Bay

The atmosphere at Soul Kitchen simmers. Tables are in demand thanks to a Latin-Levantine fusion menu, yet this place is about more than food. At the terracotta-hued cocktail bar, beautiful clientele sip arak bellinis as attentive staff facilitate conversation with a light touch.

The knowledge that the tables will be swept aside when the DJ takes flight adds a further frisson of excitement. The original Soul Kitchen opened in Beirut in 2016 and the concept has clearly been refined. It is part of a growing portfolio of venues and club nights by design-conscious Lebanese creative agency Factory People. Its team now divide their time between Beirut and Dubai, so it is apt that the theme of migration is writ large across the venue, from head chef Margarita Vaamonde’s diasporic menu to artworks featuring migratory birds.
soulkitchendxb.com

5. The Lighthouse

Visit a bastion of good taste
Dubai Design District

Dubai’s rapid urbanisation and growing expat community have resulted in neighbourhoods changing quickly, so the city’s most enduring businesses tend to be those that have been dynamic enough to adapt. Hashem Montasser and Hany Bassiouny launched The Lighthouse as a design concept store in 2017.

As D3 became a creative hub, food took centre stage. The pair soon rolled out a Mediterranean-tinged menu across three other locations, adding a catering and events-management service and an entrepreneurial-themed podcast. The Lighthouse is named after the 1927 novel by Virginia Woolf, on whom Montasser has had an “intellectual crush” since she became the subject of his mother’s PhD. But for many Dubai residents, it is the name of a brand that remains a beacon of good taste.
thelighthouse.ae

6. The Ripe Market

Shop farm fresh
Academy Park

Dubai is home to the world’s largest vertical farm. Yet away from the “Food Tech Valley”, smaller agriculture initiatives are booming as a concerted effort is made to cut carbon footprints and grow produce closer to consumers. Ripe has been helping to bridge that gap since 2011. Founder Becky Balderstone launched the first market in Dubai Garden Centre with the aim of giving locals access to affordable organic produce.

Ripe has expanded to encompass an events business, organic brand and farm shop, with much of the focus on helping local producers to find an audience. The market in Dubai Police’s Academy Park runs every weekend between October and May, as street-food trucks, live music and artisanal crafts add to the delights. Children’s entertainment comes in the form of mascot Mansour, Dubai Police’s answer to Monocle’s Monochan.

7. Skooni Arts Foundation and Residence

Celebrate local culture
Umm Suqeim

When Nat and Michael Morcos came across a forlorn 1970s villa in Umm Suqeim, they saw its potential as a new cultural crossroads in Dubai. The couple meticulously restored the space and reimagined it as Skooni Arts Foundation and Residence, a creative centre that resembles a mid-century Mexican casa with stout cacti in the garden.

“Dubai was the inspiration, nowhere else,” says Nat, who works as a consultant for fashion brands. “The colour palette is a deconstruction of the desert, the sand and the sunsets here.” Skooni has hosted exclusive exhibitions and events for major fashion houses and jewellery brands, while planning an ambitious programme of events that support artists and bring international talent to Dubai. “The intention is to create a community around this space,” adds Nat. 
skooni.me

8. Courtyard

Capture the city’s creative spirit
Al Quoz

When Dubai Municipality architect Dariush Zandi was looking for a studio where he could pursue his sideline photography practice, he was granted a vast derelict plot in Al Quoz. In the 1990s the city’s warehouse district largely consisted of desert and the collection of buildings that would become the Courtyard stood out against the blue skyline.

Realising that they were too large for his own needs, Zandi created 10 distinct façades centring on a street-like internal courtyard. Each combined elements of the local Khaliji style through a clever use of repurposed materials – wood from old dhow hulls, bricks from a Sharjah bakery – while also giving free rein to the Iranian architect’s expressive approach. Today the courtyard is filled with galleries, shops and cafés, and Zandi’s vision for a creative hub lives on.
courtyard-uae.com

9. The Sustainable City

Go green at home
The Sustainable City

Since the 2010 launch of the Green Building Regulations and Specifications in Dubai, sustainability has become the watchword for residential developments. Yet nowhere has so prioritised these concerns to the extent of The Sustainable City. This net-zero energy community contains 500 townhouses and 89 apartments, arranged across a 46-hectare site surrounded by a tree-filled buffer zone that purifies and cools the air at ground level.

Like the 15-minute cities of urban planners’ fantasies, all the necessary amenities are just a short walk. The Sustainable City not only has a school, gym and mosque but also a retail plaza and 11 bio-domes that grow fresh produce for residents and further reduce the need for transport and its associated emissions. Little wonder then that there is a waiting list for homes and demand is growing.
thesustainablecity.com

10. Al Barari

Immerse yourself in nature’s bounty
Al Barari

Al Barari’s best angle could be from above: a passing bird might direct its flock to detour to this green islet in the desert. For monocle, a ground-level exploration was enough to see that this plot of high-end villas and apartments had the means of a thriving neighbourhood. “The only real stress is ensuring that the grass gets enough water,” says Iranian model agent Ahoo Girst, who has lived here with her family since 2012.

When Girst moved in, only 90 of the 300 villas were occupied. Today, with private gyms, spas, tennis courts, markets and restaurants, Al Barari is bustling. “It’s designed for those who want to live among nature,” says Nadia Zaal, ceo of Al Barari. With its promise of low-rise accommodation with green space and birdsong, this neighbourhood is a welcome oasis in a desert metropolis on the up.

Monocle in Dubai

November’s annual Dubai Design Week turns the avenues of D3 – the city’s design district – into a playful parade of installations, pavilions and activations. Far from just a spectacle, the six-day event provides local studios and practitioners a chance to engage with an international audience, while the outdoor marketplace is dotted with future design classics waiting to be purchased. To celebrate one of the largest events in the Middle East design calendar, Monocle’s new retail pop-up will be open throughout November at Selectshop Frame in D3’s Building 7. Our Dubai pop-up will stock a curated selection of everything we love, including our latest print pieces, stationery and seasonal style essentials. And look out for local pieces from across the region, chosen by our editors. To find out more, please visit XXX.

Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism X Monocle