Okimasu Dubai is one of those spots you hear about and immediately want to visit. Located inside the Artist Hub in Al Barari, this homegrown Japanese dessert café opened in 2025 and already has people making the drive from throughout the UAE — then coming back to do it again.
The space seats barely a dozen people. The walls are hand-painted by a professional artist. And the soufflé pancakes — soft, wobbly, and dusted with icing sugar — are made completely fresh to order every single time.
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What Is Okimasu, Exactly
Okimasu Dubai is a homegrown café built around one thing: Japanese desserts done properly. It specialises in fresh-to-order Japanese sweets alongside specialty coffee and a focused selection of matcha drinks. The concept pulls from a very specific corner of Japanese café culture — the kind of place you'd find tucked down a side street in Tokyo, where desserts are treated with the same care as a full meal and the presentation is part of the whole experience.
The interior was designed with that same intention. The brief was a small, cozy, and simple space where the food is the main character, featuring fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes, specialty coffee, and a wide variety of matcha creations. A professional artist was brought in to hand-paint the walls, giving Okimasu Dubai a look that's genuinely its own.
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3 Desserts Worth Ordering at Okimasu Dubai
The menu is focused, and that's the point. Here are the three things you need to try:
1. Soufflé Pancakes — Soft, wobbly, dusted lightly with icing sugar, and made fresh to order. These are the signature for a reason. The texture is lighter than anything you'd get from a standard café menu, and the freshness shows.
2. Three-Layer Pudding Cakes — These jiggle at the slightest touch. They're equal parts dessert and spectacle, and they're one of the better things you'll eat in Al Barari.
3. Egg-Shaped Cakes — Hand-drawn faces on ceramic trays. They look almost too good to eat, and then you eat one. These are the kind of detail that makes Okimasu Dubai feel genuinely thought through, not just aesthetically styled.
The drinks side covers specialty coffee and several matcha options. Nothing about the menu is overloaded. Everything on it is made with care.
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The Space and What to Expect at Okimasu Dubai
Okimasu Dubai seats barely a dozen people, which is part of the appeal and part of why there's sometimes a wait. The interior is Japanese-inspired, intimate, and decorated with hand-painted walls that give the whole café a personality most places simply don't have.
Guests visit from throughout the UAE and return consistently — notable for a café that's only been open since 2025. Al Barari as a neighbourhood sets the tone perfectly. It's green, it's low-key, and it's one of those parts of Dubai that rewards a proper visit rather than a rushed one. Okimasu Dubai fits that café culture in Dubai completely.
If you're exploring the area, Al Barari has a handful of dining spots worth building a full afternoon around. Okimasu Dubai works best when you give it time.
Why Okimasu Dubai Is Already a Crowd Favourite
Small cafés with a specific menu either get a brief moment or quietly develop a loyal following. Okimasu Dubai is doing the latter. The regulars are there. The word of mouth is working. And the soufflé pancakes are exactly as good as people say.
A second location has since opened at Majan Midtown Central Mall, so you now have two ways to get your fix — but the original Al Barari setting is worth seeking out for the full experience.
For a visit, arrive with a flexible schedule. Tables fill up fast given the size, the desserts take a few minutes since they're made to order, and the wait is genuinely worth it.
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Visit Details
Okimasu, Artist Hub, Al Barari, Dubai
Also at: Majan Midtown Central Mall, Dubai
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Okimasu Dubai is a strong addition to the city's café scene and a very good reason to spend an afternoon in Al Barari. If Japanese soufflé pancakes, specialty matcha, and a café that's small enough to feel like a proper discovery are what you're after, this one is hard to skip.
