Restaurant interior design in Dubai has no fixed price. Costs vary widely depending on size, location, and the level of material specification. As a broad structure, owners commonly budget the design fee separately from the fit-out, and the fit-out is usually the larger number by a wide margin. What matters is understanding what drives both figures, so the budget you approve is deliberate rather than accidental.
How much should you budget overall?
Owners commonly budget a restaurant fit-out in Dubai at roughly AED 4,000 to AED 12,000 per square metre for the construction works, with design fees on top. The wide range reflects the spread between a casual café and a fine-dining room with bespoke joinery.
These are indicative market ranges, not quotations. Two 200-square-metre restaurants can differ by millions of dirhams depending on what is being built. Your budget should be set by your concept, your site, and your specification — then pressure-tested against comparable projects.
The market context justifies taking the question seriously. Dubai welcomed 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. The Michelin Guide Dubai 2025 now covers 119 restaurants across 35 cuisines, including the city’s first-ever three-star venues.
What actually drives the cost of a restaurant fit-out?
Six factors account for most of the variation: size, kitchen ratio, material specification, bespoke joinery versus loose furniture, MEP complexity, and the type of site.
Size. Cost scales with area, but not linearly. Kitchens and bathrooms cost far more per square metre than dining space.
Kitchen ratio. A dining-led concept with a small finishing kitchen is fundamentally cheaper than a menu built around a large production kitchen with extraction, gas, and specialist equipment. Fixing the kitchen size early is one of the most consequential budget decisions.
Material specification. Honed stone, terrazzo, and stitched leather — materials the 2026 forecasts from Wimberly Interiors and Gensler identify as the direction of the market — cost more than printed laminate. Specification is where the per-square-metre figure swings most.
Joinery versus loose furniture. Bespoke joinery — banquettes, bar counters, waiter stations — is a capital cost, but it is also what makes a room feel designed rather than furnished.
MEP complexity. Ventilation, drainage, fire suppression, and power loads for a licensed kitchen are significant and largely invisible. Sites without existing F&B services cost substantially more to convert.
Site type. Mall units come with landlord criteria and restricted working hours. Standalone venues offer freedom but carry more services work. Hotel F&B adds operator brand standards. Each model prices differently.
What fee models do interior designers in Dubai use?
Designers typically charge per square metre, as a fixed fee, or as a percentage of the fit-out cost. Per-sqm fees suit standard scope; fixed fees suit a well-defined brief; percentage fees align the designer with the project’s true scale.
Owners commonly budget design fees for a full restaurant interior — concept through to tender documentation — at roughly AED 250 to AED 600 per square metre, or as a fixed fee in the range of AED 150,000 to AED 500,000 for a mid-sized venue. Percentage arrangements typically sit in the region of 8–15% of the fit-out cost. These are indicative market ranges, and the scope behind the number matters more than the number itself.
When comparing proposals, compare scope line by line. A cheap fee with a thin scope is usually the expensive option by the end of construction.
Where do owners overspend — and where should you never cut?
Owners overspend on decorative surfaces applied too early, furniture bought before the final floor plan, and late design changes during construction. They should never cut lighting, acoustics, or chairs — these three decide whether a room feels good and whether guests return.
Overspend typically happens in three places. Decorative treatments specified before the layout and lighting are resolved. Furniture ordered ahead of the final plan. Variations during construction, each costing several times what the same decision would have cost at design stage.
Never cut lighting. Lighting is the largest contributor to atmosphere per dirham spent.
Never cut acoustics. A loud room reads as busy for one visit and uncomfortable forever after. Treatment integrated into joinery and ceilings costs little compared to retrofitting.
Never cut chairs. Guests touch nothing else for as long. Uncomfortable seating shortens dwell time and damages the experience.
How long does a restaurant fit-out take in Dubai?
A realistic programme runs six to ten months from design kickoff to opening: two to three months of design, one to two for approvals and tendering, and three to five for construction.
Mall venues run longer because of landlord design review cycles; sites requiring new services infrastructure add time. The most common cause of delay is not construction but decisions: late briefs, late approvals, late sign-offs. A frozen brief is the cheapest programme accelerator available.
Do you need approvals for restaurant interior design in Dubai?
Yes. Restaurant interiors in Dubai require approvals before construction, and the exact set depends on the site. Expect landlord approval in malls, plus authority submissions covering layout, fire and life safety, and kitchen ventilation.
The specifics vary by jurisdiction and site type. What matters is that the approval path is mapped before the construction programme is fixed.
How should you brief a restaurant interior designer?
A good brief covers five things: the concept and target guest, the menu and service model, the budget range, the programme, and the non-negotiables. The clearer the brief, the more accurate the fee proposal.
Define the guest before the look — who the venue is for, at what price point, at what time of day. Describe the operational model: covers, turnover, open or closed kitchen, bar-led or table-led. State the budget honestly; designers calibrate specification to it. Set the target opening date and work backwards. List what cannot change, so the design builds on constraints rather than colliding with them.
Studio By Three is a boutique interior design firm based in Al Quoz, Dubai, specialising in hospitality and F&B interiors across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Our restaurant work includes Mamafri Mamsha, Brunch Morsel, Osk Croissanterie, and Let’s Café — each with budget, approvals, and programme treated as design inputs from day one. If you are planning a restaurant in the UAE and want a clear-eyed view of what it should cost before you commit, contact our Al Quoz studio at info@studiobythree.com. Planning a café rather than a restaurant? Our café interior design page covers that discipline specifically.