Chef Reif Othman’s Original Neighbourhood Restaurant Where Unconventional Japanese Cuisine Was Born
REIF Japanese Kushiyaki at Dar Wasl is the original and most intimate location of one of Dubai’s most celebrated homegrown restaurant concepts, the brainchild of dynamic Singaporean chef-owner Reif Othman, one of the UAE’s few entirely self-funded chef restaurateurs and a culinary force who has built a restaurant empire across Dubai and beyond without a hospitality group behind him.
Recipient of the MENA 50 Best Chefs’ Choice Award 2022, recognised in the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand 2023, 2024, and 2025, and awarded by Gault and Millau in both 2023 and 2024, REIF has expanded to three Dubai locations including Dubai Hills Business Park and Time Out Market, with further openings in Egypt, but the Dar Wasl Mall original on Al Wasl Road in the residential Al Wasl neighbourhood remains the heartbeat of the brand, a cosy, neighbourhood gem that operates on a walk-in basis only and has done so since the beginning, a deliberate choice that keeps the experience spontaneous and democratically accessible.
Restaurant Features and Dining Experience at REIF Japanese Kushiyaki
The Dar Wasl branch is the most intimate of REIF’s three Dubai locations, a compact, warmly lit space with an open kitchen sitting at its centre where Chef Reif and his team cook and chat with diners as if hosting guests in a private home. Playful Astro Boy decor is scattered throughout the restaurant, reflecting the irreverent, personality-driven identity that has made the brand one of the most talked-about in the city. The space leans into a street-style Japanese concept, with minimalist interiors, counter seating positions that open directly onto the kitchen action, and a terrace for al fresco dining during the cooler months between October and April.
The atmosphere is buzzy, social, and unpretentious, drawing a loyal mix of regulars, food enthusiasts, Japanese cuisine lovers, and first-time visitors from across the city who make the drive out to Al Wasl specifically for the experience. The sharing-plate format is central to how the menu is best enjoyed, with groups encouraged to order broadly and share across the table to cover as much of the kitchen’s range as possible. The restaurant is fully wheelchair accessible, accepts credit, debit, and contactless payments, and offers free Wi-Fi throughout. It does not accept reservations at the Dar Wasl branch, operating strictly on a walk-in basis, which means arriving slightly before peak hours on weekday evenings is advisable.
Chef Reif’s philosophy, which he calls Unconventional Japanese, is built around a genuine understanding of Japanese culinary tradition combined with the freedom to break its rules in ways that create surprise, wit, and flavour rather than gimmick. The menu is categorised loosely across kushiyaki skewers, ramen, sushi and raw preparations, snacks and small plates, and desserts, with a special daily menu using seasonal ingredients sourced from Japan rotating alongside the regular offering. The kushiyaki skewers are the anchor of the concept, with chicken, beef, and various proteins grilled over charcoal in the Japanese robata tradition, with the chicken robata, particularly the breast skewer, singled out by numerous guests as among the best in Dubai for the depth of its flavour, seasoning, and char. The Wagyu Katsu Sando, a thick-cut Wagyu beef cutlet in a pillowy milk bread sandwich with house tonkatsu sauce, is the restaurant’s most iconic and Instagram-famous dish, and is widely credited with sparking a sando trend across Dubai’s restaurant scene.
The 18-hour ramen is another standout, a slow-simmered broth of considerable depth, offered in classic and seasonal variants including the matcha duck ramen with handmade noodles and a chicken-duck broth blended with Japanese matcha. Tantamen ramen, raw salmon with crispy black rice, Wagyu steamed bun, miso burrata, beef and chicken gyozas, shrimp tempura, claypot mushroom rice with Wagyu, avocado dishes, and melon kimchi are all dishes that come up repeatedly across guest reviews as highlights. The dessert menu is equally creative, with the banana ice cream cake and matcha fondue drawing specific praise from guests, and the truffle ramen noted by several diners as a silky, indulgent highlight of the savoury menu. Vegetarian options including the claypot mushroom rice are available and clearly marked.
The drinks programme covers creative mocktails that are a genuine feature of the experience rather than an afterthought, alongside a bar offering at the Dubai Hills branch, while the Dar Wasl branch is unlicensed. A two-course Dubai Restaurant Week menu at AED 125 and a three-course version at AED 250 are available on selected occasions, making REIF accessible even for guests on a tighter budget.
The restaurant is open Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 12 noon to 11pm, and Friday and Saturday from 12 noon to midnight. The best time to visit for the quietest experience is a weekday lunch, while weekend evenings bring a livelier, full-house atmosphere. Getting there by car, navigate to Dar Wasl Mall on Al Wasl Road in Al Wasl, where ample free parking is available on site. By metro, take the Red Line to Mall of the Emirates station and connect by taxi for a short drive. Nearby, the Jumeirah Beach Road strip, La Mer, and Jumeirah Mosque are all within a 10-minute drive.
Address: REIF Japanese Kushiyaki, Dar Wasl Mall, Al Wasl Road, Al Wasl, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +971 4 255 5142
Website: reifkushiyaki.com
Opening Hours: Mon–Thu and Sun 12pm–11pm | Fri–Sat 12pm–12am | Walk-in only, no reservations
Average Cost for Two: AED 300 to AED 500
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