From Barcelona and Madrid, AKIRO promises to fuse the best of Japanese and Peruvian flavours into a cool hand roll concept
From Kokoro and Yubi to Tezukuri, Dubai’s recently fallen hard for the hand roll concept. And our love affair with these brilliant three-bite delights shows no sign of slowing down, with the city set to get its very first Nikkei hand roll concept, AKIRO.
Hailing from Barcelona – and now with venues in Madrid, Milan and Chicago, AKIRO promises a bold fusion of Japanese precision and Peruvian soul, and will open before the end of the year, with the exact location still to be confirmed.
Born in Barcelona in 2021, AKIRO has earned a solid reputation for its refined take on Nikkei cuisine and is the brainchild of chef Luis Arevalo-Navarro. At its heart, the concept is deceptively simple: premium hand rolls, crafted to order, designed to be eaten immediately. Think silky cuts of fish, bright citrus-laced sauces and rolls wrapped to order in crisp nori, with fillings that draw on ceviche-sharp acidity, umami depth and the clean heat of ají amarillo.
If Dubai’s appetite for hand rolls has felt insatiable of late, AKIRO’s arrival, with its European cool and Latin-Japanese soul, looks set to be a standout addition to the city’s dining scene.
New culinary concepts coming soon
AKIRO isn’t the only new hand roll restaurant set to open in Dubai. From the creators of Kraken comes Shinobi, self-described as a restaurant ‘where Tokyo attitude meets New York energy’. The industrial-chic restaurant will open in Al Wasl, and promises an array of signature hand rolls in a setting that’s as much about good vibes as it is great food.
Beyond hand rolls, Dubai’s restaurant scene is set to heat up in the coming months, with a new ROKA restaurant coming to Palm Jumeirah (pictured above), the Dubai debut of London’s beloved Gymkhana, plus a new teppanyaki concept on Bluewaters, brought to you from the team behind TakaHisa.
What: AKIRO Dubai
When: 2026
Visit: @akiro.uae
Images: Instagram
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