Momofuku confirms Saadiyat Grove opening in Abu Dhabi
David Chang's group has locked in its first United Arab Emirates address on Saadiyat Island, next to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The opening date is still moving between quarters.
Momofuku will open its first United Arab Emirates restaurant at Saadiyat Grove in Abu Dhabi, the group has confirmed, though a firm date still isn't set.
The restaurant comes to the capital through a partnership between China Palace Group and Anthem Hospitality Group, which holds the local rights to bring David Chang's brand to the Gulf. Saadiyat Grove, the dining and culture district rising on Saadiyat Island next to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the future Guggenheim, is where it will land.
A first for the Gulf
A headline tenant with no fixed date is usually the clearest sign nobody else has one either.
Momofuku has never operated in the United Arab Emirates. The group built its name in New York, where Momofuku Noodle Bar opened in 2004, before expanding to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Toronto with a style built on ramen and Korean and Japanese technique applied to American ingredients.
Abu Dhabi has been building its own chef-led roster this year. Grégoire Berger opened Solenn, his first restaurant in the city, and the emirate has pulled in brands from Paris to Tokyo as Saadiyat Grove fills out its restaurant row, a short drive from Dubai's own fast-moving dining scene.
Dishes on Momofuku's menus elsewhere include garlic chicken ramen, ginger scallion noodles, crispy lamb ribs and five-spice roasted duck. None of that has been confirmed as the Abu Dhabi menu, and the group has said only that details will follow closer to opening.
No date, not yet
Dining guides tracking the project have put the opening in the third quarter of 2026. Aldar, the developer behind Saadiyat Grove, has pointed to the fourth quarter for the wider development instead, and one report on the project states plainly that the final restaurant lineup and opening date remain to be confirmed.
La Brasserie by Paul Bocuse, also billed for Saadiyat Grove, is waiting on the same kind of confirmation. Large developments tend to open in phases, and a headline tenant with no fixed date is often the clearest sign that a date hasn't been fixed for anyone yet.
For now, Momofuku's Abu Dhabi debut exists on paper: a site, a partner and a neighbourhood. The booking page will follow when the group is ready to commit to one.
