The Artisan is a powerhouse of elegant yet accessible Italian cuisine with a passion for heartfelt service. Its well-chosen dishes and carefully sourced ingredients aim to transport you right back to the trattorias of Italy.
Located on the fringes of Dubai’s International Financial Centre, The Artisan is a blend of elegance and modernity, with hints of neoclassicism. Inside the location on the ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria building, you’ll find an intimate space with marble floors, blond wood features and cream upholstered chairs. Art deco furnishings are punctuated with plush red and green sofa and brass ‘Golden Age’ details, and the space is anchored by the stylish, sultry-lit bar.
Italophiles will be pleased with The Artisan’s elegant menu which denounces superficial trends and instead focuses on traditional dishes with a contemporary reimagining. Inspiration is drawn from the tastes, textures and cooking styles of the entire Italian peninsula and ingredients are sourced from the finest Italian suppliers.
The Artisan’s menu is spearheaded by a plethora of traditional Italian antipasti; burrata with basil pesto, fennel with Taggiasca olives and Parmigiano Reggiano, and Fassona beef carpaccio. The standout feature of the main menu is the pizza, each fermented for 72 hours and available with toppings such as truffle flavoured chicken liver paté, Calabrian spicy beef salame, and Black Truffe paste with fontina and mozzarella. Pasta dishes, including ossobuco ravioli, gorgonzola gnocci and thyme flavoured beef ragu paccheri, are all made with pasta freshly homemade in the kitchen. Fish, seafood, beef and chicken main dishes for sharing are also available, as well as singular main courses such as stuffed Patagonian calamari, pan-fried Milanese veal, and slow-cooked Wagyu beef cheek.
The menu also includes a range of classic Italian desserts, digestivos, and an expansive wine list mostly championing Italian grapes.