Kraken, Dubai restaurant review: "There is Real Skill Beneath the Theatre".

Pull back the maximalism to discover Kraken’s familiar tricks, but it does not want for ambition. Dive deeper and, perhaps, the best is yet to come.

Kraken opened towards the end of 2025 to a very specific kind of anticipation. Not hype, but curiosity, sharpened by association.

This was Grégoire Berger’s first major move since Ossiano. It looks like a deliberate swerve: an unlicensed seafood restaurant on Al Wasl Road.

It is both departure and déjà vu.

Al Wasl Road, like Alserkal Avenue or Dubai Hills, is one of Dubai’s most interesting dining corridors, pan-frying some of its most confident cooking, with a gravitational pull that lures diners out of DIFC and the “Marinagrad”.

Think Orfali Bros, Reif Kushiyaki, Goldfish Sushi, RSVP, Three by Eva, Khadak and more.

These restaurants reward repeat visits and, together, they have turned this part of Jumeirah into a destination dining room for residents and visitors alike. Kraken joins this clan.

Kraken is but one head in the Hydra.

Like its mythical namesake, Kraken is not just one thing. It is a purpose-built, three-storey development with more to come.

On the ground floor sits Kraken. Perched at the top is The Nest, an alfresco café and patisserie overlooking Al Wasl Road, which becomes a gathering point for the neighbourhood from mid-afternoon. Think macarons and burrata cheesecakes.

Wedged between hints at a different beast altogether: a secretive fine-dining restaurant in waiting, set to open later this year. It is hard not to speculate about what form that will take.

Kraken’s decor cannot be ignored.

This is a committed fit-out. Mirrored ceilings ripple like water. Craggy, concrete forms frame floor-to-ceiling windows. A subterranean cylinder in the centre of the dining room traps schools of digital fish in an endless Sisyphus loop.

A silver, semi-jewelled octopus anchors the back wall. Even the bathroom entrance imbues mystery and a sense of mild peril. Persevere, and you are rewarded with soft lighting and Salt & Mud toiletries.

The fit-out is assertive and theatrical, maximalist and unapologetic. And divisive. Kraken has to work. One cannot easily hand this over to a successor.

Menu-wise, Kraken conjures déjà vu for some.

We are shown a four-course lunch menu for AED 175, a tidy à la carte menu with around 30 dishes and a ten-course tasting menu priced at AED 625.

Those familiar with Ossiano will recognise some of Berger’s and executive chef Robin Höfler’s dishes: an octopus taco with seaweed mole, the “olives”, the wafer-thin shrimp chicharrón with black lemon labneh, the blue crab tom kha, the barside tequila shot (IYKYK) and a puck of truffle croque monsieur.

These feel either directly transplanted or evolved from earlier drafts. Some will find the familiarity comforting, maybe nostalgic. Some may be less forgiving.

Regardless, real skill and pride underpin what comes next.

Chef Ozgur Gurkan explains the dishes with warmth and clarity. The General Manager, Mohammed—wheeling a trolley of pickles and mustard that stirs our smiles—speaks about how the team fishes on the restaurant’s boat early each morning and dry-ages their catch on display.

Here, Kraken is not simply a restaurant, but a statement of provenance and tide-to-table process, writing what may be the next chapter of Emirati seafood.

Kraken’s food

Weeks on, the highs outstretch quibbles about old tricks and the occasional note.

The plump tuna sausage and mash with mustard sauce sinks me into a quiet stupor, the culinary equivalent of being tucked in at night with a ten tog duvet.

The tartare of locally-sourced ostrich with caviar could be shared, but you won’t. The dry-cured kingfish, judiciously cooked, teases with smoke, a hint of charred kale and a vibrant herb sauce that some may consider a smidge sweet.

An Sultan Ibrahim catch of the day is butterflied, deboned and laid prostrate over beurre blanc. Pair it with the geranium or kaffir lime kombucha. The paella-adjacent squid koshihikari rice with hot sauce begs to be warred over with spoons. Of a trio of desserts, the wild strawberry, yoghurt and basil resembles an Eton Mess that actually attended Eton.

Some dishes paled comparatively.

The yellowtail tuna ‘pizza’ swaps meringue for dough and strikes out. The grouper karaage and the nori potato mille-feuille, wedged between slabs of seared tuna au poivre, should crunch but fall short.

Oversized chicharron vases and steel skeleton karaage stands came across to me as kitsch and impractical, but others will be tickled just right.

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Kraken, Would I Return?

Verdict: Yes, but local competition is fierce; however, Kraken is arguably the most refined seafood restaurant in Jumeirah. Those seeking a sea view may gravitate towards Bordo Mavi or the ever-rustic Bu Qtair.

Kraken, Who Should Go?

Seafood lovers. Casual dates, long-lunch seekers and those seeking sub-1000 dirham tasting menus and unfussed alcohol. Any Berger’s fans also curious about the forthcoming fine-dining middle floor.

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Kraken review information

Number of visits: One.

Dishes ordered (in AED): 16; shrimp chicharron (44); olives (36); caviar bump (73); wood grilled bread with za’atar dip (22); yellowtail tuna ‘pizza’ (45); ostrich tartare (115); blue crab soup tom kha (45); grouper karaage (62); squid koshihikare (96); tuna sausage (79); daily catch (125); octopus tacos (120); dry-aged kingfish (112); tuna steak au poivre (130); wild yoghurt, strawberry and basil (58); chocolate texture (62); Hatta honey and jasmine jelly (58).

Drinks (in AED): Kombuchas: Kaffir Lime (39); geranium milk ooling (39); date and cardamom (41). Kraken is unlicensed.

Total spend (incl. VAT, ex tips): We booked with the absolute intention of paying, but the team comped the meal when we asked for the bill, making us their guests. Therefore, this review is not marked as an Uninvited Opinion.

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Kraken Seafood Restaurant, Al Wasl Road, Al Wasl, Jumeirah 2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For the latest information, check out Kraken’s website, Instagram or call +971 54 224 0069.

Liam is a restaurant critic, food and travel writer based in the Middle East. He co-authored The Rise of Indian Food: Recipes Reimagined by Trésind Studio, out 6 May from Phaidon Press. He owns EatGoSee and contributes to other publications. You can find Liam on Substack, Threads, Instagram, BlueSky or Facebook.