It makes perfect sense for this globally renowned franchise to find itself in one of Doha’s trendiest areas, Al Maha Island. Set opposite Lusail Winter Wonderland theme park, this contemporary Japanese eatery is a great place to enjoy an extensive range of sushi, robata grill favourites and cool vibes with your closest friends. Grab a table on the large terrace to take in the urban skylines and its shimmering gulf.

And there’s still more on the way: Outposts like Beef Bar, La Petite Maison, Zuma, Nammos Beach Club, and Billionaire are all set to open across the city in the coming months. While the FIFA World Cup may be a short-lived excitement for the city, Doha’s dining scene seems to be setting itself up for years to come.

The new brands will be spread over three primary destinations: Lusail Boulevard, Al Maha Island, and Hamad International Airport, highlighting a blend of Aura’s most successful homegrown concepts and world-famous brands, such as Nammos beach club, the Mykonos beachside restaurant; Zuma for contemporary Japanese food; Em Sherif, fine dining Oriental cuisine; Billionaire Doha, the luxury dining and extravagant show concept paired with nightlife; LPM French Mediterranean and Niçoise Restaurant; Carbone, an Italian-American eatery; Beefbar Steakhouse; and Tatel for Spanish-Mediterranean cuisine.

Following its 2022 debut as a pop-up for the Qatar World Cup, Zuma Doha opened as a permanent restaurant last year, taking the group’s number to 25 globally, including London. The menu focuses on contemporary Japanese cuisine, which comes out of three kitchens, including a robata grill and sushi counter. Popular dishes include soft-shell crab katsu, wagyu beef tataki, grilled Chilean sea bass and spicy beef tenderloin — all enjoyed with a backdrop of relaxed beats from the in-house DJ.

A world-famous name, Zuma is one of the most popular Japanese restaurants on the planet – and you can now see why by checking out its new restaurant in Doha. The menu is packed full of favourites, with top plates including sushi, gyoza, tempura and of course that famed buttery-sweet black cod. Coming from chef Rainer Becker, Zuma prides itself on being consistently excellent, so if you’re looking for a new restaurant in Doha for your next special occasion, put this on your list.

One of Dubai’s best restaurants, Zuma, is launching a pop-up in Doha’s Al Maha Island to cater to the masses as they descend on the city for the FIFA World Cup 2022. The seafront dining experience will feature a sushi counter, robata grill, lounge and bar as well as a terrace and private dining room. Zuma Doha will be opened from November 2022 until March 2023.

Everyone’s favourite Japanese restaurant has opened up a pop-up restaurant, as part of the Al Maha experience for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. So, you’ll be able to devour all the maki rolls while you cheer for your team. The activation will run from November 2022 to March 2023, so keep an eye out on their Instagram to get more updates.

You can book one of two spaces for brunch – the outside terrace or the main dining room. The terrace is lovely and works in theory, but the Doha end of winter winds highlights it’s quite exposed and some seats can suffer as the sun dips. But, I’m there for the food.

Zuma, the brainchild of award-winning co-founder and creator, Rainer Becker, brings its internationally acclaimed style of authentic and modern Japanese food to Doha for a limited time only.

Open for both lunch and dinner, Zuma offers an elegant setting with a main dining area, lounge and bar, a stunning terrace, and a private dining room, all overlooking the Qatari Sea.