A joint venture with Keybourne Group, the new restaurant marks the culmination of three years of planning between the partners.
Café François Dubai is described as combining a modern approach to all-day dining with a nod to the past and will open from breakfast through to dinner.
French classics and global influences will sit at the heart of the menu, while trolley service, inspired by Maison François, will take a prominent role, bringing a sense of theatre and occasion to the dining room.
The Dubai restaurant will draw on the design inspiration from its flagship restaurant in London’s Borough Market and will feature bespoke lighting, oak-panelled banquettes, mosaic tiling, neon signage and the brand’s signature internal and external time pieces.
“Café François is a love letter to the café culture we have enjoyed on our travels, and we couldn’t think of a better home for its next chapter than DIFC, with its mix of people who live, work and visit Dubai," says founder François O’Neill
“We want it to be everything a grand café should be: welcoming, fun and hospitable, somewhere to drop in for breakfast or settle in for a long dinner, with a little theatre from the trolleys.
“We have spent three years shaping this with our partners at Keybourne and cannot wait to welcome our first guests.”
Group François began in 2020 with the opening of Maison François in St James’s. In 2024, the team opened Café François in Borough Yards, an all-day restaurant inspired by Parisian cafés and the stylish bistros of Montreal.
Café François Dubai is expected to open in early 2027.