Chef Yannick Alléno is due to open L'Abysse at One&Only The Palm, on Palm Jumeirah, on 19 October 2026. The restaurant pairs French gastronomy with Japanese omakase, working with sushi master Ken Ishihata, and it has 34 seats, including a counter for 10. The menu is a 13-course sequence.
The opening follows a strong result for Alléno at the same resort. His restaurant STAY by Yannick Alléno at One&Only The Palm kept its two MICHELIN stars in the Dubai guide revealed on 6 October. This feature is a preview based on the resort's own booking page and on What's On; the date is the one announced, and it is worth confirming that the restaurant opened as planned.
A concept from Paris
L'Abysse began in Paris and also operates in Monaco and Osaka, according to One&Only. The Paris restaurant is at Pavillon Ledoyen, in the gardens off the Champs-Élysées. Dubai becomes the concept's fourth city.
The resort's description says the restaurant's idea is that dialogue replaces fusion between French and Japanese elements. That is a careful distinction. Fusion usually means blending two cuisines into a third; dialogue suggests each tradition keeps its own voice while the two speak to each other across a menu.
The room and the format
The restaurant seats 34 in total, including a 10-seat counter. With 34 seats, it is an intimate room, and the 10 seats at the counter are where guests can watch the chefs prepare each course. The resort describes the room as a meditative space shaped by the sea.
The experience is built around a 13-course omakase. Omakase means leaving the choice to the chef, so guests do not order dishes from a list; the kitchen decides the sequence, usually moving from lighter courses to richer ones. What's On says the restaurant works with Ken Ishihata, a sushi master. The sources read do not describe the dishes, so none are listed here.
Seating is limited and reserved, at the counter or the table. The resort lists these hours: Wednesday to Monday from 6:30pm, with last seating at 7:30pm. Tuesday is the closed day.
Practical points
- Opening date: 19 October 2026.
- Location: One&Only The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
- Days and times: Wednesday to Monday from 6:30pm, last seating 7:30pm.
- Seating: 34 seats, with a 10-seat counter, by reservation only.
- Dress code: casually elegant, with full-length trousers required for men.
No prices were given in the sources read, so guests will need to ask the resort when they reserve.
Alléno at One&Only
Alléno is already a familiar name at One&Only The Palm. STAY, his restaurant there, keeps two MICHELIN stars in the 2026 Dubai guide, alongside Il Ristorante Niko Romito, Row on 45 and Orfali Bros. On the same date as L'Abysse, he also opens Casea 101 at the resort, which serves Italian coastal and Mediterranean cooking.
Three restaurants in one resort, with three different cuisines, is a significant presence: French cooking at STAY, Italian coastal cooking at Casea 101 and French-Japanese omakase at L'Abysse. This feature covers L'Abysse only; Casea 101 appears in the BYGEARS guide to Dubai's new restaurants.
Why it matters
L'Abysse arrives in a city that has just seen the fifth MICHELIN Guide Dubai list 122 restaurants across 38 cuisines. The guide's Japanese representation is notable: Hōseki holds a star, KIGO has just won one, and YUBI Dubai joined the Bib Gourmands. A French chef's Japanese-inspired tasting counter adds another angle to that list, and a different one, because it brings a European chef's approach to Japanese technique.
The scale is also instructive. Dubai is known for large rooms and big openings, but this is a restaurant of 34 seats.
The restaurant's Monaco branch has also drawn attention. A headline from Journal des Palaces reports that L'Abysse Monte-Carlo won two MICHELIN stars eight months after opening, but the article itself could not be read for this piece, so the claim should be treated as unverified here.
What comes next
The opening date is 19 October, less than two weeks away. After that, the questions are the usual ones for a new counter: how quickly it fills, what the first menus look like and whether inspectors visit. Michelin guides rate restaurants on what inspectors find, not on the pedigree of the chef, and a new restaurant would be assessed on its own merits in a future edition.
For diners, the advice is to watch the resort's booking page, since seating is limited. A 10-seat counter and a 13-course sequence give L'Abysse an intimate scale.
Sources: One&Only Resorts, What's On, What's On MICHELIN report