Group François, the team behind Maison François and Café François in London, will open Café François in Dubai’s DIFC in early 2027. The restaurant is a joint venture with Keybourne Group and the result of three years of planning between the partners.
Open seven days a week from morning through to evening, it will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, combining a modern approach to all-day dining with a nod to the past. French classics and global influences will lead the menu, and trolley service, inspired by Maison François, will take a prominent role in the dining room.
Designed by Studio Shayne Brady, the Dubai restaurant takes its cue from the group’s flagship Café François in London and the traditional French brasserie, with bespoke lighting, oak-panelled banquettes, mosaic tiling, neon signage and the brand’s signature clocks inside and out.
Group François began in 2020 with the opening of Maison François in St James’s, bringing together French cooking and convivial hospitality. In 2024 it opened Café François at Borough Yards, an all-day restaurant inspired by Parisian cafés and the bistros of Montreal.
“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. 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.”
François O’Neill, Founder, Group François
Café François Dubai is expected to open in DIFC in early 2027, bringing the brasserie’s all-day format to the city’s financial district.
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