At the end of September, Dubai will welcome MamaBella, a restaurant where age-old recipes, Italian soul, and real grandmothers from across Italy come together under one roof. It is the real-world embodiment and a living tribute to Italy’s grandmothers – their food, their stories, and their cultural heritage.
Located in the heart of Dubai at Kempinski The Boulevard Hotel, and designed like a rustic southern Italian village tucked between glass towers, MamaBella is a celebration of the simplicity and heart of Italian home cooking.
At its core is the “Cucina Mamma” experience: every month, a new grandmother will be flown in from Italy to cook the dishes she has spent a lifetime perfecting – from handmade pastas to beloved regional specialities like lasagna, culurgiones, seadas, grilled lamb, and more.
In a world obsessed with reinvention, MamaBella goes in the opposite direction – embracing memory, family, and food made with hands and heart.
“MamaBella is about giving a voice – and a kitchen – back to the original guardians of flavour,” says Chef Alessandro Miceli, the chef behind the concept. “These women are walking cookbooks, and we’re giving them a platform to share their stories through food.”
The venue, created by Gastronaut Hospitality – the team behind BohoX, Trove, and the upcoming WOOHOO and Ram&Roll – celebrates the richness of Italian ingredients: wild herbs, artisanal cheeses, fresh seafood, premium meats, and the unmistakable flavour of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. The menu is deeply regional, seasonal and emotional.
At the heart of the restaurant will be the Mamma Studio, a 12-seat communal table where guests can watch, taste, and learn. The goal is to create a living archive of Italy’s culinary heritage.
MamaBella opens at the end of September 2025, with the first visiting nonna and full menu details to be announced soon.
