It’s 2020 and this Dubai restaurant is called ‘The Pangolin’

Dubai is getting a new food and beverage concept; a ‘lifestyle’ complex that will include two restaurants and bars. It’s called The Pangolin.

For those unawares of the global pandemic currently wreaking havoc around the world, earlier this year searches for the word ‘pangolin’ spiked as the animal and its illegal trafficking was attributed to be the source of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China.

While the science is still inconclusive (and a bat was most probably involved somewhere) the pangolin’s role in the spreading of the coronavirus was recently lampooned in a South Park Pandemic Special; which in a seven-year ratings high was watched by millions of people around the world.

It’s probably fair to say then that the humble pangolin isn’t having the best year, press wise.

Fortunately, restauranteur Sergio Lopez is fighting in its corner. Not only has he called his new ‘lifestyle’ complex after the endangered animal, but a percentage of the profits from the business will go to the Tikki Hywood Foundation (which helps protect animals like the pangolin). 

The Pangolin (the complex, not the animal) will have two restaurants and two bars, along with a private dining room and a member’s area. According to a statement announcing the impending opening of the complex, it will be an ‘urban sanctuary’.

The Pangolin (again the complex, and not the animal) is going to champion home-grown produce, sourced from the Middle East. According to cook Troy Payne who is looking after the food at the complex, “The menus in all of The Pangolin’s restaurants feature real, honest and simply put, good food which we believe people need now, more than ever, after a strange and isolating year.”

The Pangolin (the complex) is attached to The Els Club. According to Lopez, it will serve as a “community hangout, that serves real food and great beverages, for those that want to feel at home away from their own.”

A pangolin may have been (wrongly?) blamed for the pandemic, but we reckon The Pangolin is going to make it that little bit easier to manage. 

If you feel strong about helping lesser-known endgangered species like the Pangolin, then check out the Tikki Hywood Foundation. 

In other news, many restaurants in the city claim the status of ‘steakhouse’ but not many can back up that claim. Which begs the question: what qualities does a good steakhouse make? Let’s see if LaVille’s own Graze Gastro Grill & Bar makes the cut.

Esquire now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit ‘Like’ on our Esquire Facebook page and ‘Follow’ on our @esquiremiddleeast Instagram and Twitter account.