After 18 Years In London, Spanish Restaurant, Barrafina To Make Its First International Debut In Dubai

It took nearly two decades, but Barrafina is finally ready to cross borders. The celebrated Spanish tapas spot, born in London’s buzzing Soho back in 2007, is heading for its first international outpost. And where else but Dubai for Barrafina? Truth be told, if you’re going to leave London, you might as well land in a city that loves food almost as much as it loves skyscrapers.

Spanish Tapas, Barrafina Makes Its First International Debut In Dubai

 

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Barrafina isn’t just another “small plates” concept with a Spanish accent. In practice, it set the standard for modern tapas dining in the UK. Crowds queued outside its Dean Street site, elbowing their way to a bar stool for a taste of chef Nieves Barragán’s cooking. For years, that site even held a Michelin star, until 2025, when it slipped away. A loss, yes, but the reputation stuck.

Now, 18 years after its Soho beginnings, the brand is spreading its wings with a debut in Dubai. The restaurant is slated to open by the end of the year in DIFC Gate Village 01, right in the heart of the city’s financial district. After all, where better to drop a high-profile Spanish brand than the neighbourhood already buzzing with international heavyweights?

The Dubai Line-up

If you know DIFC, you know the roll call. Hutong, fresh from London’s Shard, has a place there. Shanghai Me has ties to London too, having taken over the Galvin at Windows site back in the UK. Then there’s Zuma, Sucre, Gaia… come on, we all know DIFC is basically where Dubai’s dining scene flexes its global connections. Barrafina joining that line-up feels like a natural next move, not an odd detour.

The restaurant will open in partnership with Anthem Hospitality, a UAE-based group that seems determined to keep stacking the city’s portfolio with international names. To be fair, it’s a smart marriage: Dubai gets another globally recognised brand, and Barrafina secures a launchpad into a region that eats, drinks, and socialises on a bigger scale than most.

What’s Cooking Behind The Bar

Barrafina isn’t just about a name on the door; it’s about chefs who can carry the weight. In London, executive chefs Antonio González Milla and Francisco (Paco) José Torrico Sanchez currently lead the kitchens. Their style? Unfussy but deeply Spanish. Think tortilla, croquetas, and seafood that sings of the Mediterranean, all served at the kind of counter where you actually want to linger.

Dubai’s edition will likely lean on that same DNA, though with tweaks to suit the crowd. After all, this is a city where one table orders octopus while the next asks for something plant-based and Instagram-friendly. Barrafina knows how to adapt; the brand’s survival in London’s cut-throat scene is proof enough.

Also Read: LEÑA, A Spanish Steakhouse & Aretha A Chic Restaurant Are Coming Soon To St Regis Gardens In Dubai

A Bigger Game Plan

Here’s the kicker: Dubai isn’t the finish line. It’s the start of a broader Middle East expansion. More Barrafina restaurants are expected to pop up across the region in the coming years. If all goes to plan, this debut will be remembered as the first step in the brand’s international play.

Barrafina, part of the wider Harts Group (which also runs Parrillan, El Pastor, Quo Vadis and more), has never been shy about ambition. And Dubai, with its appetite for global names, is a stage that rewards ambition.

So, the question isn’t whether Dubai is ready for Barrafina. The question is whether diners are ready to queue for tapas in the desert the way Londoners queued in Soho. Truth be told, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing the city has ever seen.

Cover Image Courtesy: Barrafina/Website