Pierchic at Jumeirah Al Qasr reopens with a new Italian seafood menu

Pierchic, the MICHELIN Guide-selected restaurant that stands over the water at Jumeirah Al Qasr in Dubai, reopened on 26 October 2026 after a renovation that gives it a new Italian identity. It is now billed as ‘A Salotto by the Sea’, and Head Chef Emanuele De Leo leads its contemporary Italian seafood menu. Dinner is served every evening.

The new name comes from the traditional Italian living room, the salotto, where friends and family gather. The idea runs through both the room and the food. Guests are meant to share plates around one table over a long evening, with the Arabian Gulf as the backdrop. The restaurant’s appeal has always been its setting, and the renovation adds a clear culinary point of view to go with it.

The interiors draw on 1970s Milanese design and cinematic Italian décor. Warm wooden boiserie lines the room, Mediterranean accents run through the furnishings, and sea-inspired chisel details sit above the columns as a nod to the water outside. As daylight fades into evening, music and cocktails make the room livelier and more sociable. The mood is closer to a convivial supper than to a hushed tasting room.

Chef Emanuele De Leo has Sicilian roots and more than a decade of international experience. He worked with Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse in Paris, then at L’Olivo at Al Mahara in Jumeirah Burj Al Arab. That background shows on the menu, which combines classical French discipline with the instincts of southern Italian home cooking. His appointment also keeps a chef who already knows the group’s Dubai kitchens at the head of one of its best-known dining rooms.

The menu follows Italy’s coastal traditions. Crudi, tartare, fresh shellfish and Mediterranean fish make up most of it, alongside handmade pasta, seasonal vegetables and a selection of meats for guests who want them. Every meal begins with La Norma, a welcome dish based on the Sicilian classic and named, like the original, after Bellini’s opera. It sets a Sicilian tone for the evening. Dishes that follow include the Branzino Bloody Mary and a Red Prawns Ceviche, both modern takes on familiar seafood preparations.

Sharing is central to the format. There are 14 antipasti-style dishes designed for the middle of the table, so a group can order widely and work through them at its own pace. Next to them sits Le Specialità, a curated set of signature dishes from across Italy. It includes Tonno Tonnato, a seafood version of the Piedmontese vitello tonnato; Tagliolino al Limone; and Sogliola alla Mugnaia, sole cooked in the classic meunière style. Le Specialità is the part of the menu that ties the restaurant to Italian regional cooking beyond Sicily.

The kitchen pairs fine Italian imports with seasonal produce from the UAE. The clearest example is the Orto Italiano, which brings together forgotten Italian legumes and edible flowers from Mary Anne’s farm in Dubai. It is a small dish, but it shows how the kitchen works: Italian technique and ingredients, plus local growers where the season allows.

Some practical notes. Pierchic serves dinner only, daily from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM. A table at the start of service catches the change from daylight to evening, which the restaurant treats as part of the experience. The sharing format suits a party of three or four best, since it lets the table try a good range of the antipasti before moving on to Le Specialità. A couple can still eat very well by choosing a few crudi and one pasta. Book by telephone on +971 800 323 232, by email at restaurants@jumeirah.com, or through www.jumeirah.com.

For guests staying at Jumeirah Al Qasr, the reopening adds a strong dinner option within the resort. For visitors to Dubai, it is a new reason to book an evening there. Pierchic now has a defined character, a chef with a clear lineage and a menu built for long, shared meals over the water.

Source: Jumeirah