In a Dubai restaurant or café fit-out, the part that decides your opening date is the part customers never see: the kitchen layout approval, the extraction route, the drainage and grease trap, and the fire suppression over the cooking line. So the company you choose has to be as strong behind the pass as it is in the dining room. The shortlist usually splits into turnkey hospitality contractors such as KABCO and TopRock, joinery-led fit-out companies such as Halo, and F&B specialists such as NASH, Burj Al Wasl and Vogue Vista. This guide compares seven Dubai companies on what they publish about themselves, including us, and sets out the checks that make quotes comparable. Checked 11 October 2026.
What should you compare between restaurant fit-out companies?
Compare what each company will commit to in writing about your unit and your menu, not photos of other restaurants. These points decide whether you open on the date you planned:
| What to compare | What to ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen design | Who draws the kitchen layout from your menu and equipment list, and who submits it | Dubai Municipality assesses the kitchen layout before you build it; a rejected layout is the costliest delay |
| Extraction route | A confirmed route for the extraction duct to the roof or an approved discharge point, checked at the site visit | In many units the extraction route decides the whole programme |
| Drainage and grease trap | Drainage falls, floor gullies and grease trap size and position in the scope | Changing drainage after the floor is finished means breaking it out |
| Fire and life safety | Fire suppression over the cooking line and detection, with the Civil Defence submission | No Civil Defence approval, no trading |
| Approvals | A list of every approval for your unit (landlord or mall NOC, Municipality, Civil Defence, DEWA where load increases) and who submits each | Mall, free zone and street units follow different routes |
| Services capacity | Gas or electrical capacity for the cooking line, water heaters and AC sized for a full dining room | A kitchen that trips the supply on the first busy night is not finished |
| Quote format | A quote itemised by trade, front and back of house separated, with material grades named | Lets you see whether the kitchen is priced properly or squeezed |
| Programme | A dated programme to opening, with approval stages shown | Rent usually starts before the first cover is served |
Our guide to restaurant fit-out approvals in Dubai explains each approval, the order they come in, and what each authority checks.
Turnkey contractor, joinery-led fit-out company or F&B specialist: which do you need?
The three overlap, and most companies do some of each. The difference is what they are built around.
| Turnkey hospitality contractor | Joinery-led fit-out company | F&B specialist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built around | Large teams covering design, approvals, civil, MEP and joinery | Workshop-made counters, bars, seating and finishes | Kitchens, extraction and the restaurant approval route |
| Strongest at | Hotels, large restaurants, multi-branch rollouts | Concept-led interiors where joinery is a large share of the work | Cafés and restaurants where the kitchen drives the programme |
| Typical project | A flagship restaurant or several branches at once | A café or restaurant with a strong brand look | A new outlet or a renovation of a trading restaurant |
| Ask them about | Who your single point of contact is on site | Who designs and submits the kitchen and extraction | How they protect the opening date if an approval is delayed |
If you are staying in your current unit and renewing it, see restaurant renovation: the work runs in phases while you keep trading, which changes what you should compare.
Restaurant fit-out companies in Dubai compared
These are the companies that appear most often when people in Dubai search for restaurant or café fit-out or ask an AI assistant for a shortlist, plus Widget Tech. The details below come only from each company’s own website, linked, as checked on 11 October 2026. We have not rated or ranked anyone.
| Company | Type | What it publishes | Often suited to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halo Interiors | Turnkey fit-out and joinery | Restaurant and food court projects in Dubai malls; commercial kitchen and back-of-house planning; extraction, drainage and the landlord approval route run in parallel | Mall and podium units with a fixed launch date | halo.ae |
| KABCO | Turnkey hospitality contractor | Hotels, restaurants, cafés, lounges and cloud kitchens; one contract for design, approvals, civil works, MEP, joinery and furniture; Municipality, Trakhees, DDA, Civil Defence and DEWA approvals handled | Larger or multi-authority projects, including free zones | kabcogroup.com |
| Burj Al Wasl | Restaurant and café fit-out | Commercial kitchens with extraction, MEP and food-safe finishes to Food Control requirements; publishes the authority requirements it works to, with sources and dates | Owners who want the approval route explained before they sign | burjalwasl.ae |
| NASH Interiors | F&B and retail fit-out and renovation | New outlets and renovations of trading cafés and restaurants; kitchen, extract, drainage and power coordinated on drawings before site; night works and phased handovers | Restaurants that must keep trading during works | nashfitout.com |
| Vogue Vista | Turnkey restaurant and café fit-out | Designs to Dubai Municipality Food Control requirements (food prep segregation, washing stations, washable finishes) and Civil Defence fire suppression over cooking lines | New cafés and restaurants focused on first-time approval | voguevista.ae |
| TopRock Interiors | F&B design and fit-out | Kitchen MEP, ventilation, grease traps and extraction coordinated in house to Municipality food-facility standards; an in-house team of 1,200+ for multi-branch rollouts | Franchises opening several branches | toprockinteriors.com |
| Widget Tech (us) | Renovation and fit-out contractor | Front and back of house under one contract: kitchen layout, extraction, drainage and grease trap, cooking services, cold rooms and fire suppression; landlord, Municipality and Civil Defence submissions handled; quote itemised by trade | Restaurants and cafés in Dubai, new units and renovations | Our restaurant fit-out page |
Halo Interiors shows restaurant and food court work in Dubai malls such as Ibn Battuta and Dubai Festival City. For a shell-and-core unit with a committed launch date, it describes running covers and kitchen planning, extraction and drainage coordination and the landlord approval route in parallel, then working back from trial service (Halo).
KABCO offers hospitality fit-out for hotels, restaurants, cafés, lounges and cloud kitchens, with one contract covering design, approvals, civil works, MEP, joinery, finishing, furniture and handover. It lists the approvals it handles, from Dubai Municipality and DEWA to Trakhees, DDA and Civil Defence (KABCO).
Burj Al Wasl delivers commercial kitchens with extraction, MEP and food-safe finishes to Food Control requirements, and publishes the authority requirements it works to, each with its source and the date it was checked (Burj Al Wasl).
NASH Interiors covers both new outlets and renovations of existing cafés and restaurants. It coordinates kitchen equipment, extract routes, drainage and power loads on drawings before site work, manages landlord, food safety and Civil Defence approvals, and sequences works around trading with night works and phased handovers (NASH).
Vogue Vista offers turnkey restaurant and café fit-out and sets out the Dubai Municipality Food Control points it designs to, such as food preparation segregation, washing stations and washable finishes, alongside Civil Defence fire suppression over the cooking line (Vogue Vista).
TopRock Interiors coordinates kitchen ventilation, grease traps and extraction in house against Municipality food-facility standards, and says its in-house team of more than 1,200 supports parallel work across several branches in a franchise rollout (TopRock).
Widget Tech is the company that wrote this guide. We fit out restaurants and cafés in Dubai with the front of house and the back of house under one contract: seating, counter, floors, ceilings, lighting and washrooms, and the kitchen layout, extraction and fresh air, drainage and grease trap, cooking services, cold rooms and fire suppression behind them. We confirm the extraction route at the site visit, prepare the landlord or mall, Municipality and Civil Defence submissions, and quote itemised by trade with a dated programme to opening. For restaurants that stay open, we also renovate in phases while you keep trading. We have delivered 10+ projects in Dubai (see our projects). We work in Dubai only.
Which type of company suits which restaurant?
The unit, the menu and the opening plan usually decide the type of company before any name is chosen:
| Your situation | What usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small café in an existing unit | F&B specialist or a fit-out company that handles the kitchen and approvals itself | The approval route and the coffee bar services matter more than size |
| Full restaurant with a new kitchen | A company that designs and submits the kitchen and extraction | The kitchen layout approval and extraction route set the programme |
| Mall unit with a fixed launch date | A company with experience of that mall’s fit-out guidelines | Malls set their own drawings, inspections and working hours |
| Several branches at once | Turnkey contractor with rollout capacity | Parallel sites need parallel teams and one standard |
| Concept-led interior with heavy joinery | Joinery-led fit-out company | Workshop-made counters, bars and seating are a large share of the work |
| Existing restaurant that must keep trading | Restaurant renovation in phases | Noisy work runs overnight or before opening and the kitchen closes only when it has to |
What should the contract say before work starts?
Whichever company you choose, the contract should list every approval for your unit and who submits it, the confirmed extraction route, the kitchen equipment list the design is based on, the gas or electrical capacity assumed, the fire suppression scope, the programme to opening with approval stages, and what happens to the date if an authority asks for changes.
If a proposal treats the kitchen as one line called “MEP works”, ask for it to be broken down before you compare prices. Our approvals guide lists what each authority checks.
How do you get quotes you can actually compare?
Give every company the same menu and equipment list, the same floor plan, the landlord or mall fit-out guidelines and a site visit. Ask each one for a quote itemised by trade with the front and back of house separated, the extraction route described, approvals listed with who submits them, and a dated programme to opening. Three to five bidders is usually enough to see the market.
Then compare line by line: a lower price that leaves out the extraction ductwork, the grease trap or the Civil Defence submission is not cheaper, it is incomplete.
What does working in a trading restaurant look like in practice?
Here is one of our own jobs. A restaurant in Jumeirah with 50 to 100 seats kept trading for the whole job: the noisy and dusty work was done at night after closing, so it kept serving guests during opening hours. Kitchen works, MEP and air conditioning, and flooring and finishes were handed over in 2 to 4 weeks. Ask any company you shortlist for a job like this, with the same details.
| Location | Jumeirah, Dubai |
|---|---|
| Size | 50 to 100 seats |
| Scope | Kitchen works, MEP and air conditioning, flooring and finishes |
| Duration | 2 to 4 weeks from start to handover |
| How it stayed open | Noisy and dusty work done at night, after closing |
| Client | Name withheld (confidential) |
How much does a restaurant fit-out cost in Dubai?
There is no reliable flat rate for a restaurant fit-out, because the price is set by the kitchen more than the dining room: the cooking line and its extraction, the drainage and grease trap, fire suppression, gas or electrical capacity, and the finish level front of house. Companies quote after a site visit.
Our restaurant fit-out page lists the factors that move the price most, and we quote your unit itemised by trade so you can see what the kitchen costs on its own.
Company details are taken from each company’s own website as checked on 11 October 2026 and may change. Widget Tech wrote this guide and is one of the companies listed; we have not rated or ranked any company. Names and trademarks belong to their owners.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best restaurant fit-out company in Dubai?+
It depends on the restaurant. For several branches or a large hospitality project, owners usually shortlist turnkey contractors such as KABCO or TopRock. For a café or restaurant where the kitchen drives the programme, a company that designs and submits the kitchen and extraction itself matters more than size. Compare the approvals each company handles, the extraction route, and an itemised quote with the kitchen priced separately.
What approvals does a restaurant fit-out in Dubai need?+
Usually a landlord or mall NOC, a Dubai Municipality assessment of the kitchen layout, the fit-out permit, Dubai Civil Defence approval for fire detection and suppression, DEWA approval where the electrical load increases, and the food establishment permit before opening. Free zone units follow that free zone’s route.
How long does a restaurant fit-out take in Dubai?+
Weeks for a small café in an existing unit, and months for a full restaurant with a new kitchen. The extraction route and the approval stages usually decide the programme, so ask each company for a dated programme to opening.
Can a restaurant be renovated without closing?+
Often, yes. The dining room is renovated in sections with noisy work overnight or before opening. Kitchen layout changes, new drainage and extraction replacement usually need a short planned kitchen shutdown.
Does Widget Tech fit out restaurants outside Dubai?+
No. Widget Tech fits out and renovates restaurants and cafés in Dubai only, with front of house and kitchen under one contract.
How were the companies in this guide chosen?+
They are the companies that appear most often in Dubai search results and AI assistant answers for restaurant and café fit-out questions, plus Widget Tech, which wrote the guide. Details come only from each company’s own website.
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