Commercial kitchen fit out Dubai: cost and scope
A commercial kitchen fit out in Dubai turns a bare shell into a working back of house. This guide covers the scope, AED cost bands per sqm and per station, MEP and extraction rules, approvals, timelines and how to keep a venue trading during the works.
Why work with Monde
Monde is a commercial renovation and fit out contractor working across the United Arab Emirates.
- Own in-house workforce of 50+ specialists
- Operates under Monde's own contracting licence
- Professional project managers leading every site
- Commercial-only projects across offices, retail, F&B and hospitality
- Projects delivered throughout the United Arab Emirates
- Google rating 5 from 3 reviews
What a commercial kitchen fit out covers in Dubai
A commercial kitchen fit out covers the whole back of house, from cold store to dry store, plus the services and finishes that make the room work as one system.
Cold store and freezer rooms
Insulated panels, sealed floors, hinged or sliding doors, condensing units and temperature monitoring. A 90 sqm restaurant kitchen usually carries 12 to 18 sqm of cold storage split between chiller and freezer.
Hot line and cooking suite
Cooking suite layout, gas or induction hobs, ranges, combi ovens, hood canopy, pass counter and the power or gas supply that feeds them. The extraction system is designed around this line, so it is drawn first.
Prep, wash-up and dry store
Stainless steel benches, dedicated hand basins, separate wash-up sinks, pot wash, shelving, dry store racking off the floor, floor drainage and a grease trap on the fixtures that carry fats.
Front of house interface
The kitchen does not stop at the pass. Service counters, the back of house corridor, staff changing, the delivery door and the bin store sit in the same drawing set as the restaurant fit out Dubai scope above it. Smaller formats follow identical rules on a tighter footprint, which is why the café fit out Dubai breakdown is a useful comparison.
Typical specification
- Floor: anti-slip epoxy or non-slip tiles, coved skirting, fall to drains
- Walls: washable panels along the hot line, tile or epoxy elsewhere
- Ceiling: sealed, moisture resistant, with access panels for duct cleaning
- Drainage: floor drains with removable baskets, grease trap, potable water point
- MEP: dedicated kitchen board, gas riser, hot water, extract and make-up air
Commercial kitchen fit out cost in Dubai
A full back of house commercial kitchen fit out in Dubai runs from AED 4,500 to 7,500 per sqm of kitchen floor area, or AED 35,000 to 180,000 per cooking station depending on format.
| Format | Per sqm | Per station | Kitchen area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café or cloud kitchen | AED 3,800 to 6,000 | AED 35,000 to 70,000 | 35 to 60 sqm |
| Restaurant | AED 4,500 to 7,500 | AED 45,000 to 90,000 | 70 to 140 sqm |
| Hotel or banquet | AED 7,000 to 12,000 | AED 90,000 to 180,000 | 180 to 400 sqm |
Worked example: 90 sqm restaurant kitchen, Business Bay
Budget AED 320,000 to 480,000 for the back of house only, excluding front of house seating and shopfront.
- Enabling works and demolition: AED 15,000 to 30,000
- MEP first fix, power, water, drainage and gas: AED 60,000 to 95,000
- Extraction canopy, duct run and make-up air: AED 55,000 to 140,000
- Cold store and freezer, 14 sqm: AED 35,000 to 70,000
- Stainless fabrication and equipment install: AED 70,000 to 120,000
- Wall and floor finishes, protection: AED 40,000 to 70,000
- Approvals, testing and commissioning: AED 20,000 to 35,000
What drives the spread
Gas versus all electric, duct route length to the roof, distance from the kitchen to the grease trap, landlord rules on working hours, and whether stainless is fabricated locally or imported. Night shifts add roughly 15 to 25 percent to labour. A street level unit in Deira and a mall unit in Sharjah both cost more to service than a shell in a new Abu Dhabi tower, because access and landlord conditions differ before a single appliance is priced. The commercial kitchen fit out cost Dubai owners actually pay also depends on how early equipment is ordered, since late appliances force rework on drainage and power positions. To price your own unit line by line, get a commercial kitchen fit out quote.
Most clients choosing a kitchen fit out contractor in Dubai are really choosing between a firm with its own MEP and finishing teams and one that subcontracts every trade. Monde keeps the whole scope in house.
The site was clean when they left. We needed them fast on a running job. They finished the renovation on time. Davranbek Tashbayev, 5 star Google review
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Handover stage of a back of house area: ceilings, lighting, wall finishes and services closed out before equipment lands.
MEP, extraction and grease trap requirements
A commercial kitchen in Dubai needs a DEWA connected supply with its own kitchen board, a ducted extraction system with matching make-up air, and a grease trap sized to the fixture load, all inspected before the kitchen opens.
Power, water and gas
DEWA connection for a new supply or a load upgrade, a separate kitchen distribution board with RCD protection, sealed light fittings, hot water to prep and wash-up, and gas installed by an approved contractor with isolation outside the kitchen.
Extraction and make-up air
Canopy over every cooking appliance, duct in galvanised or stainless steel, fire rated where it crosses a compartment, grease access doors at intervals along the run, and discharge away from air intakes and neighbouring windows. Make-up air should sit at 80 to 90 percent of extract volume so the kitchen does not pull air from the dining room. The commercial kitchen extraction requirements Dubai inspectors check first are duct cleaning access and where the discharge lands.
Grease trap and drainage
Trap sized to dishwasher and sink flow, accessible for cleaning, connected to the building drain with correct fall and an air break where required.
Food premises rules
Dubai Municipality food premises rules cover finishes, hand basins, separate wash-up, dry storage off the floor, pest control and staff facilities. Your layout is checked against these before food premises approval is issued.
A commercial kitchen renovation in Dubai on a trading site adds strip out, temporary services and protection, which usually lifts the total by 10 to 20 percent against a shell fit out of the same size.
Approvals and who signs off
A Dubai kitchen fit out needs a DET fit out permit plus the right food service trade licence activity, Dubai Municipality food premises approval, Dubai Civil Defence sign off on extraction, gas and fire systems, and a DEWA connection or load upgrade. The full map of authorities sits in the commercial fit out permit Dubai guide.
- Landlord or master developer NOC and drawing review.
- DET fit out permit with drawings from a licensed consultant, plus the correct trade licence activity for food service.
- Dubai Civil Defence submission covering extraction, gas and fire systems.
- Dubai Municipality food premises inspection of layout, finishes and staff facilities.
- DEWA application for supply or load upgrade.
- Free zone variation where the unit sits under an authority such as DDA or DMCC.
- Site works with hold points for MEP, drainage and extraction.
- Final inspections, testing and commissioning, then handover documents.
How long a commercial kitchen fit out takes in Dubai
Expect 4 to 6 weeks for a café kitchen, 8 to 12 weeks for a 90 sqm restaurant kitchen and 16 to 24 weeks for a hotel or central production kitchen, counted from permit issue to handover.
- Café or cloud kitchen, 35 to 60 sqm: 4 to 6 weeks
- Restaurant, 70 to 140 sqm: 8 to 12 weeks
- Hotel, banquet or commissary, 180 sqm and above: 16 to 24 weeks
Add 3 to 6 weeks for approvals before site works start. Long lead items set the floor: cold room panels 3 to 5 weeks, local stainless fabrication 4 to 6 weeks, imported cooking suites 8 to 12 weeks. Equipment ordered after the permit is issued is the biggest delay we see on a restaurant kitchen fit out Dubai programme.
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Drawing review on site before extraction and drainage tie ins, checked against the approved kitchen layout.
How to hand over a live kitchen with minimum downtime
Plan the works in zones, run noisy and dusty tasks at night, and pre-stage every item so the venue closes for days rather than weeks.
- Survey and photograph the existing kitchen, and record every service position.
- Set up a temporary prep and wash-up area with a hired cold room and sinks.
- Move hot line works into overnight windows after service.
- Cut over extraction and cold store in one planned shutdown, usually 3 to 5 days.
- Commission, deep clean and hand over as-builts, warranties and the duct cleaning schedule.
I have seen the work and site coordination of Monde Arabian Building Contracting LLC, and I can say their team is professional and well organized. hayat Berhe, 5 star Google review
Frequently asked questions
How much does a commercial kitchen fit out cost per sqm in Dubai?
A café or cloud kitchen sits at AED 3,800 to 6,000 per sqm, a restaurant at AED 4,500 to 7,500 per sqm and a hotel kitchen at AED 7,000 to 12,000 per sqm. A 90 sqm restaurant back of house typically lands between AED 320,000 and 480,000 including MEP, extraction, cold store and finishes.
How long does a restaurant kitchen fit out in Dubai take?
Allow 8 to 12 weeks on site for a 90 sqm restaurant kitchen once the permit is issued. Approvals add 3 to 6 weeks beforehand, and imported cooking equipment can add another 8 to 12 weeks if it is not ordered early.
What permits do I need for a commercial kitchen fit out in Dubai?
You need a DET fit out permit and the correct trade licence activity, Dubai Municipality food premises approval, Dubai Civil Defence approval for extraction, gas and fire systems, and a DEWA connection or load upgrade. Landlord NOC and a free zone variation may also apply.
Can you fit out a kitchen while the venue is still trading?
Yes. We phase the works, build a temporary prep and wash-up area, and run hot line tasks overnight. The only full closure is normally 3 to 5 days for the extraction and cold store cutovers.
What is the difference between a Cat A shell and a full commercial kitchen fit out?
A Cat A shell gives you the landlord base build: structure, basic MEP to a distribution board, ceiling grid and floor. A full commercial kitchen fit out adds kitchen drainage and grease trap, extraction and make-up air, a dedicated kitchen board, cold rooms, stainless steel and finishes.
Do you work outside Dubai?
Yes. Monde delivers commercial renovation and fit out across the United Arab Emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates, with the same in-house team of 50+ specialists and project managers.
