PI Dubai: Could this be one of Dubai’s best Italian restaurants? We think so…

The creators of The Pizza Guys are back and oh my god are we happy about it. Meet PI Dubai – a new Italian restaurant, which just opened its doors* at the Dubai Mall and a place you have to go visit stat. We are half tempted to say don’t even bother continuing to read this and make haste, on your chariot, to PI Dubai. But you’re intrigued aren’t you? You want the juicy deets… First up, this homegrown concept is one of the most aesthetically pleasing restaurants we’ve seen pop up in the Middle East in a long while, and perhaps the best since Abu Dhabi’s Cafe No 57. It’s like stepping into the best interiors Pinterest board ever. The type you’d follow, and re-pin real bad. The exposed over-head lighting, as with many other elements, were inspired by the New York Subway. The vibe is unpretentious and the service – when we visited at least – is impeccable. Here the produce is fresh, organic, and clearly extremely high quality. The pizza dough gnocchi is the stuff cheat-day dreams are made of, and the peekytoe crab + wild shrimp sformato is divine. We really enjoyed the healthy but tasty spin on the classic Caesar salad with kale, and of course the ‘PI’ in ‘PI Dubai’ stands for pizza pie and you definitely shouldn’t leave without trying one of the eatery’s various pizza concoctions. The signature Merguez PI comes with house-made merguez sausages, picked peppers, cracked Palestianian olives, fior di latte and tart goats cheese with fresh mint. And to finish up? Well you have to try the hot caramel cake with mint and flaky sea salt and wash it down with a very reasonable, and very palatable AED 15 coffee. And the story behind this new gem? Well, the Pizza Guy founders, Amber Haque and Rami Badawi tapped chef Joe Truex to lead the new Dubai Mall restaurant and it is a lovely tale, as Truex told an Atlanta food blog: [When asked who he was going to work for, and who tempted him away from the Watershed on Peachtree] “It was somebody who used to wait tables at my restaurant,” adding: “He graduated from Georgia Tech, moved to Dubai and got married, and he and his wife started a little pizza restaurant in the business district. “It did well enough that they decided to move it to the Mall of Dubai [Dubai Mall – come on Truex, get it tight] and take it to the next level. We’re going to rebrand it and focus on the pizza, with a little antipasti, maybe a few pasta dishes, and some desserts.” So yalla. Go visit PI.Dubai and say hello to your favourite new casual eatery. Yummers. Insider tip: PI Dubai at The Dubai Mall has a beautiful 1000 sq. ft. outdoor terrace facing the Dubai Fountains, making it the perfect place to enjoy a spot of lunch or dinner during the winter/cooler months. *August 2015 in case you are reading in the future.

United Arab Emirates · 31 Jul 2015

Linked: Dubai Mall