Shanghai Me DIFC Launches a 'Maneki Brunch' on 6 June — Lucky Cats, Dim Sum and a Slower Saturday

May 26
4 min read

There is a very specific Dubai pleasure that involves arriving at a DIFC restaurant for a long Saturday brunch, ordering more dim sum than is strictly sensible, and easing into the rest of the weekend three hours later instead of one. Shanghai Me is leaning all the way into that energy in June with a new, lucky-cat-themed brunch concept it's calling the Maneki Brunch — and the launch falls on Saturday, 6 June 2026.

What 'Maneki Brunch' is, exactly

Rows of white ceramic Maneki Neko lucky cat figurines with red collars and raised paws — The Maneki Neko — Japan's beckoning 'lucky cat' — gives the brunch both its name and its quiet sense of ceremony. (Photo via Unsplash)

Shanghai Me's new Maneki Brunch is a monthly afternoon affair built around the spirit of the Maneki Neko — the beckoning ceramic cat you'll have seen in shop windows from Tokyo to Karama, traditionally a symbol of luck, prosperity and abundance. The team is using that idea quite deliberately as a mood, not as a costume: the cat motif shows up in small, curated details across the restaurant rather than in heavy themed décor.

The first edition lands on Saturday, 6 June 2026, from 12:30pm to 4pm, and from there it becomes a permanent fixture on the last Saturday of every month. Think of it as Shanghai Me's answer to the question "where can I bring six friends, eat brilliantly for three and a half hours, and not feel like I'm being rushed back out the door?".

What you'll actually be eating

Steaming dumplings inside a bamboo steamer, close-up — Pan-Asian sharing menus begin with dim sum and sushi platters before moving into the bigger plates. (Image is representative. Photo via Unsplash)

The menu sticks to what Shanghai Me already does best — its glossy Pan-Asian repertoire — but it's been re-sequenced for the brunch arc. You start light and intricate, with a parade of dim sum and sushi platters: shimmering dumplings, bao, nigiri and rolls designed to be passed around and shared. As the room warms up, the mains arrive in waves.

An overhead view of a sushi platter on a slate board with chopsticks and small dipping bowls — Sushi and sashimi flights come ahead of the mains. (Image is representative. Photo via Unsplash)

From the larger format dishes, expect the restaurant's signatures and a few brunch-specific moves:

Beef Tenderloin in Black Pepper Sauce — Shanghai Me's reliably crowd-pleasing wok number, ideal for sharing across the table.
Shrimps in Chili Sauce — bright, glossy, the kind of dish you fight politely over the last spoonful of sauce for.
Grilled Miso Chicken — leaner, smokier, the dish to keep ordering when the table has clearly committed to a long lunch.
Mapo Tofu in a clay pot — the traditional Sichuan staple served the right way, with proper heat and proper Sichuan peppercorn buzz.

How to pace it: don't rush the dim sum opening, because that's where the most variety lives. By the time the mains land, you want to be sharing slowly, not ordering more bao.

The vibe: slow at the start, livelier as the afternoon turns

Glass towers in DIFC, the financial district where Shanghai Me sits — Shanghai Me sits inside Gate Village in DIFC, the financial-district enclave that quietly turned into one of Dubai's most rewarding restaurant clusters. (Photo via Flickr)

The Maneki Brunch isn't engineered to be a loud, table-on-the-table brunch. The Shanghai Me team has been explicit that it's a slower experience that gradually becomes more lively — so the early part of the afternoon leans into the dim sum, the music, the conversation, and the lighting eases up as you go. Decor stays minimal: no overworked cat statues everywhere, just curated details, small symbolic touches and the restaurant's existing dark-glass-and-red-lantern aesthetic doing most of the work.

For the launch edition specifically, Shanghai Me has partnered with Floraïku — the Japanese-inspired niche fragrance house — to bring fragrance-focused experiences and curated gifting into the room. It's the kind of small, considered detail that distinguishes a DIFC brunch from a generic hotel buffet: a perfumer, not a balloon arch.

How to book

Where: Shanghai Me, Gate Village, DIFC, Dubai. When: Saturday, 6 June 2026, 12:30pm to 4pm, and the last Saturday of every month thereafter. Bookings: via the Shanghai Me Dubai website or call the restaurant directly. DIFC weekend service tends to fill up early — book at least a week ahead, especially for a group of six or more.

Best for: a long, properly considered Saturday lunch with friends; group bookings of 4–8 land best.
Dress code: DIFC smart — Shanghai Me is one of the more dressed-up Gate Village rooms, not a beach-clothes brunch.
Parking: Gate Village has paid parking under the building; valet at the DIFC podium is usually the simplest option for a Saturday afternoon.
Pair it with: a post-brunch walk through the DIFC Art Walk galleries or a coffee at one of the Gate Avenue cafés.

Why Dubai brunch keeps reinventing itself

Dubai's brunch culture is a moving target. We've cycled through the old all-you-can-drink hotel-ballroom era, then the more refined chef-led tasting menus, then themed brunches (Bollywood brunches, jazz brunches, Korean BBQ brunches, you name it). What Shanghai Me is doing here sits on the right side of the shift: a clear cultural premise (the Maneki Neko, used with restraint), a strong existing kitchen, a sensible four-hour window, and a fragrance partner instead of a foam cannon.

If you want a single Saturday in early June that feels like Dubai at its best — a beautifully composed room, a long Pan-Asian table, and the small, quiet superstition that a ceramic cat in the corner is gently wishing you well — this is the one to book.

All food and lucky-cat imagery is representative; the DIFC photo is a real Dubai shot. Photo credits: dim sum, maneki neko and sushi platter (Unsplash, free for editorial use); DIFC towers (Flickr, Creative Commons). Brunch details (date, timings, menu items, Floraïku partnership) sourced from Khaleej Times' published preview on 22 May 2026 — confirm specifics with Shanghai Me directly when booking.