Ras Al Khaimah’s coastline is shifting from a place to stay to a place to eat, drink and be seen. Four dining announcements show how developers and operators are using restaurants to anchor a fast-growing luxury market.
Ras Al Khaimah welcomed a record 1.35 million overnight visitors in 2025, up 6% year on year. Tourism revenue rose 12%. Hotels benefited too: room revenues rose 16.8% to Dh1.06 billion, and the emirate ranked third in the UAE and fifth in the Gulf for RevPAR.
More capacity is coming. More than 9,500 additional rooms are expected between 2026 and 2030, 92% of them five-star. The tourism authority is aiming for more than 3.5 million visitors a year by 2030. A wave of new rooms and residences needs destination dining to fill them.
ELEVATE’s Fi’lia by the Beach
ELEVATE is adding Fi’lia, an Italian concept built on recipes passed down through three generations of women, to the Mondrian Al Marjan Island Beach Residences. It sits on the beachfront next to the planned Wynn resort. It is part of an amenities package of more than 60,000 sq ft curated with Ennismore.
Almal brings in Sumosan
Almal Real Estate Development has signed Sumosan Restaurant Group for The Unexpected Al Marjan Island Hotel & Residences. The ceremony took place on 3 November 2026 at the project site. It was led by Almal founder Dmitriy Starovoitov and Sumosan founder Janina Wolkow. Sumosan is known for contemporary Japanese cuisine, with more than two decades of experience and a presence across Europe and the Middle East.
The timing matters. Almal’s roughly 422-key project is sold out. It has topped out and is moving into façade, MEP and interior works, with progress well beyond 50%. The project is valued at $400 million and is on track for a 2027 handover.
Karma by Buddha-Bar
Karma is the proof of concept. It is an award-winning concept on the shores of Ras Al Khaimah, at Hampton by Hilton Marjan Island. The venue has expanded into pan-Asian and contemporary Indian fine dining, showing that Marjan can sustain nightlife-led dining, not just resort restaurants.
Alain Ducasse at Wynn
The headline name is Alain Ducasse’s French-American steakhouse at Wynn Al Marjan Island. It spans two floors and 1,820 square metres. The menu includes a “Beef Club” selection of high-end cuts, duck foie gras brioche and tableside carvings. Wynn Resorts’ CEO says the resort is now expected to open in 2027.
The takeaway
Each of the four brings its own audience: Japanese fine dining, Italian heritage, nightlife-led Asian dining and Michelin-level steakhouse theatre. Together they show Marjan is being built as a dining and entertainment district as well as a hotel strip.
Source: Khaleej Times