Cost to Open a Restaurant in Dubai (2026)

The cost to open a restaurant in Dubai usually runs from a few hundred thousand dirhams for a small café to well over a million for a full dine-in restaurant. Licences and approvals are the small part, typically quoted at around AED 20,000 to 45,000. Fit-out, kitchen equipment and the rent you pay before opening take most of the money.

Most published figures come from business setup consultants and fit-out contractors, and they vary a lot, so treat every number here as a starting range and get written quotes. This guide breaks the budget into the lines you actually pay, with the ranges those firms quote in 2026 and what pushes each one up or down.

How much does it cost to open a restaurant in Dubai?

Every opening budget has the same seven lines. Their size depends on the concept, the location and how much of the space is already built:

• Licence and permits: the trade licence, the municipality food permit, Civil Defence approval and lease registration
• Rent and deposit: usually several months paid up front, plus rent during the fit-out unless you negotiate a rent-free period
• Fit-out: interiors, extraction, gas, plumbing and electrics, usually the biggest single line
• Kitchen equipment: the cooking line, refrigeration, dishwashing and smallwares
• Pre-opening staff: visas, recruitment, uniforms and wages for the weeks of training before you open
• Opening stock: food, drink and packaging for the first weeks
• Working capital: cash to cover the months before sales settle

One setup consultant's worked example for a 60-seat restaurant comes to about AED 545,000 all in, and guides put the full range at roughly AED 300,000 to well over AED 1 million, depending on size, concept and location. A small café or kiosk sits at the bottom of that range; a large venue in a prime area sits above it.

How much does a restaurant licence cost in Dubai?

There's no single fee. Business setup consultants split the licensing bill into these parts, and their 2026 quotes look like this:

• DET trade licence with a restaurant or café activity: roughly AED 10,000 to 30,000, depending on the activity and legal form
• Dubai Municipality food establishment permit: roughly AED 5,000 to 15,000
• Civil Defence approval: from a few hundred to a few thousand dirhams, rising with kitchen size and seating
• Ejari lease registration: a small fee, needed before the municipality reviews your plans
• Health cards and food safety training for everyone who handles food

Together, consultants put licensing at roughly AED 20,000 to 45,000 for a mainland restaurant. The trade licence renews every year, so budget for it again in year two. Confirm the current fees with the Department of Economy and Tourism when you apply, because they change and depend on your activity.

What does a restaurant fit-out cost in Dubai?

Fit-out is where budgets go wrong. Fit-out contractors in Dubai quote roughly AED 400 to 700 per square foot for a quick-service restaurant or café, AED 700 to 1,100 for casual dining and AED 1,200 or more for fine dining. The kitchen costs more per square foot than the dining room, because of extraction, gas, drainage and heavy electrics.

Quotes can differ ten times over between contractors, mostly because they include different things. Before you compare, check whether each quote covers kitchen equipment, extraction and MEP works, authority approvals, furniture and signage. Taking over a space that was already a restaurant, with extraction and a grease trap in place, is the fastest way to cut this line.

How much is restaurant rent in Dubai?

Rent is quoted per square foot per year. Guides put value areas such as Al Karama, Deira or JVC at roughly AED 60 to 120, mid-tier areas such as JLT, Business Bay or Al Barsha at AED 120 to 250, and prime locations such as Downtown, DIFC or the Palm at AED 250 and well above. Commercial rent also carries 5% VAT.

Landlords usually want several cheques up front plus a security deposit. Ask for a rent-free period to cover the fit-out: months of rent with no sales are one of the most common reasons an opening budget runs out.

How much does it cost to open a café in Dubai?

Less, mainly because the space is smaller and the kitchen lighter. The licence path is the same, with a café activity on the trade licence, so licensing costs are similar. The savings come from a smaller fit-out and lighter equipment, though a good espresso setup is a real line of its own. A café is also the format where taking over a fitted space saves the most.

If you want to test a concept before committing to a dining room, a cloud kitchen in Dubai or a food truck needs far less fit-out, with its own licence and permits.

How long does it take to open a restaurant in Dubai?

Plan in months, not weeks. The trade licence can come through in days, but the municipality's layout approval, Civil Defence and inspections take weeks, and the fit-out usually takes longest. Our UAE restaurant opening checklist shows how those steps fit together and what has to be working on day one.

Every extra month of fit-out is another month of rent with no sales, which is why the timeline belongs in the budget, not just the project plan.

Can a foreigner own a restaurant in Dubai?

Yes, in most cases. The UAE lets investors of any nationality fully own companies in the activities on the lists local authorities publish, except activities with strategic impact, according to the UAE government portal. Restaurants are commonly set up with full foreign ownership on the mainland, but confirm your exact activity with the Department of Economy and Tourism before you sign a lease.

Budget for the systems you'll run on

Your POS, card terminals and accounting are a small line next to the fit-out, but they're the ones you'll use every day. Quickbuy is one subscription for the restaurant POS, QR ordering, inventory and purchasing, and restaurant accounting with VAT, and it works with Network International N-Genius card terminals. Choose the system before the fit-out is finished, so the counter, network points and printers go where they need to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get written quotes before you sign

The cost to open a restaurant in Dubai depends far more on fit-out, rent and timing than on licences. Get written quotes for every line, negotiate a rent-free fit-out period and keep months of working capital in reserve. When you're choosing the systems you'll open with, see Quickbuy's plans and pricing.