Condé Nast to Open a Vogue Cafe, GQ Bar in Dubai

Hold on to your stilettos, ladies, because Condé Nast is opening a Vogue Cafe inside the world's largest shoe store before the end of the year. The restaurant/"coffee lounge" will be located in Dubai's Level Shoe District, a 96,000 square foot shoe store in the Dubai Mall, and will serve "a selection of international cuisine" developed by Condé Nast Restaurants' chef, Gary Robinson.

The presumably manlier GQ Bar will open in an unnamed "international five star hotel" in Dubai in 2013 (that one will serve alcohol). These are not the first Condé Nast restaurant properties: there's a GQ Bar in Istanbul, as well as a handful of Condé Nast restaurants in Kiev and Moscow. Below, the press release:

Vogue Café and GQ Bar to open in Dubai

UAE. Condé Nast Restaurants, under the aegis of Condé Nast International, is pleased to announce its first ventures in the Middle East, with Vogue Café and GQ Bar confirmed to launch in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Condé Nast Restaurants has partnered in the UAE with Inspired Group, one of the Middle East's most experienced food and beverage management companies. Ginza Restaurants will be the joint operating partners for Vogue Café, The Dubai Mall. The GQ Bar will be located in an international five star hotel.

"Vogue Café Dubai is our first step into the Middle East market, and together with the GQ Bar, forms an integral part of Condé Nast International's strategy to expand its celebrated media brands into restaurants and bars around the world. We are working with the best local partners in Dubai, and will absolutely respect the laws and values of the land," said Stuart Nielsen, Director of Condé Nast Restaurants.

Situated within level Shoe District at The Dubai Mall, a 96,000 sq ft luxury retail space dedicated to the world's most coveted designer shoe brands, the Vogue Café and coffee lounge will offer a selection of international cuisine, with the menu created by Condé Nast Restaurants' Chef, Gary Robinson.

The Vogue Café will cater to local residents and, in accordance with national law and custom, will not serve alcohol. The hotel-based GQ Bar, attracting clientele from abroad, will offer alcohol as permitted by law and offered by most hotels in the region.

"We are proud to bring such respected brands to the region," remarked Roger John, Co-Founder of Inspired Group. "This development further cements the UAE's footprint as a key market for international luxury brands. Together with Condé Nast, Inspired Group will fulfill the diversity and demands of discerning consumers across the region."

Other Condé Nast Restaurant openings include the GQ Bar Istanbul launching in November 2012, and Vogue Café Kiev opening in early 2013. Sister establishments Vogue Café, GQ Bar and Tatler Club are already in operation in Moscow, where they cater to a high-end clientele.

The programme is not limited to the markets where Condé Nast publishes magazines, but also encompasses new and emerging markets where the Condé Nast brand does not yet possess a presence.

· Vogue Café and GQ Bar to Open in Dubai [Press Release]
· All Conde Nast Coverage on Eater [-E-]