The Dubai icon is pushing the boundaries of what a good cocktail really means
The World’s 50 Best Bars for 2025 were announced this past week, and this legendary Dubai venue has made the cut – but was that really a surprise?
Mimi Kakushi is officially one of the best bars in the world, and the best in the Middle East and North African region, claiming the 36th spot on the list of 50 of the world’s top concepts for unmissable pours and sips. The venue climbed four spots from its position in 2023 and 2024, cementing itself as the place to be to sample some master mixology.
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Styled with the art, elegance and the ethereal glamour of 1920s Osaka, Mimi Kakushi is inspired by and pays a sparkling homage to the golden age of jazz, a time of great cultural exchange.
This era holds a very niche corner of time, when the charms of Western fashion and society crossed the Pacific Ocean and brought with them a dazzling culture of mixology and the seductive strains of blues, ragtime and European harmony – a new, neon-lit way of nightlife, and the Japanese city loved it, lived it and made it its own.
What does 'Mimi Kakushi' mean?
What does 'Mimi Kakushi' mean?
The name 'Mimi Kakushi' comes from the popular Western hairstyle that became a hit in 1920s Osaka. The do was first introduced in 1922, and directly translates to 'covering ears'.
The award-winning food is something to look out for, but the cocktails take centre stage here, under the masterful patronage of Manja Stankovic, Group Beverage Manager of the brand. Having joined the brand in 2021, he is the man, the myth, the legend behind the bar’s acclaimed beverage program which took the name to a different level.
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Earlier cocktail menus include the Kikushi menu, which can still be ordered on request – inspired by Kikuchi Shigeya, also called ‘the father of jazz’ in the country, the singer and musician who is widely credited for bringing American jazz to Japan. Each of the 13 cocktails come paired with a vinyl jazz record and a short description of the feeling it is meant to evoke, fusing music and mood with the flavours.
The newest menu is called Kintarō, launched in September, and takes its notes from the life and work of Sessue Hayakawa, or Kintarō Hayakawa, a hugely popular icon of the silent film era in the early 1900s and one of the first and only Japanese actors to achieve the status of a leading man in Hollywood.
The cocktails are directly inspired by Hayakawa’s silent films, with each drink dedicated to one of his roles. Nara Nara is a martini encased in ice, inspired by his wartime espionage character caught between secrets and love. In another example, Sessue played a gardener in San Francisco who sacrificed his happiness for honour, and from this came Tamura, a cocktail infused with fresh greens, cucumber soda and matcha to evoke the flavours and atmosphere of a Japanese garden.
The collection also includes an innovative non-alcoholic range, a great step towards popularising thoughtful, inventive non-alcoholic mixology.
Image credit: @mimikakushi on Instagram
Deeply passionate about food, culture and community, Manaal loves telling extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Besides sniffing out a tale to tell, her favourite things to do include binging true crime documentaries, chasing cats on the streets and curating a good outfit.
