For Australians who treat dinner as the evening's main event, the Italian approach to late-night eating feels familiar and distinct. In Italy, the hours between nine and midnight are reserved for standing, sipping, and grazing on small plates called cicchetti — a tradition stretching from Venice to Rome that turns snacking into a social ritual. Heinz Beck, the Michelin-decorated chef behind Taste of Italy in Dubai, has translated that ritual into a new late-night menu of Italian snacks and cocktails built around his signature restraint.
Dubai might not be the first city Australian travellers connect with after-hours Italian dining, yet the appetite for refined casual experiences has grown as flights from Perth and Sydney have become more accessible. The new offering lands at a moment when food-led late nights — much like the precinct culture of Barangaroo or the rooftop scene at South Bank — are reshaping how guests want to spend their evenings. Beck's answer keeps the focus on regional produce, careful technique, and a relaxed room where guests wander between plates and pours.
The menu and bar programme share the philosophy that earned Beck his star in Rome: honouring tradition while allowing small, considered innovations. Snack choices draw from across Italy, cocktails lean into bitter and aromatic profiles, and the venue itself shifts into a softer evening tempo once the Gulf sky darkens outside.
Venetian bacari and Roman wine bars inspired the new chapter, but Taste of Italy is not a copy of either. The kitchen leans on small-batch producers from Emilia-Romagna, Campania, and Sicily, then layers Beck's precision into the assembly of every bite. Crostini are toasted to a precise shade, supplì are fried to order, and boards of cured meats arrive with house-pickled vegetables that change with the season.
In Australia, late-night snacking is often framed around kebab shops and late-night pizza chains, so the Italian model arrives as something fresher. Beck's version treats the late hours as a continuation of dining rather than an afterthought. Diners arriving after ten can expect the same care they would at lunch or dinner, even as the room fills with conversation instead of formality.
The snacks are priced for grazing, encouraging three or four items rather than one large plate. That structure reflects Venice, where locals hop between three or four bars in a single night to taste each one's specialty. Taste of Italy condenses that wandering into a single setting without losing the variety.
The savoury side of the menu leans on Italian staples executed with restraint. House-made focaccia is pulled apart at the table and paired with whipped lardo, sea salt, and a drizzle of Sicilian olive oil. Small wood-fired flatbreads arrive topped with Fior di Latte, anchovies from Cetara, and lemon zest that lifts the salt.
Dishes Australians might already know from Italian dining in Carlton or Haberfield appear here in unexpected form. A reinterpreted caponata balances golden raisins and pine nuts in the classic sweet-sour style, served warm with grilled sourdough. Baccalà mantecato — whipped salt cod — sits beside polenta fritters for dipping, a Venetian classic with a slow-cooked heart.
For guests seeking something heartier, the kitchen offers slow-braised ossobuco sliders on milk bun, and a porchetta panino with crisp skin, fennel seed, and salsa verde. These richer bites suit travellers stepping off a long flight from Brisbane or Adelaide, where a substantial snack feels more practical than another starter.
The drink list is where Beck's approach becomes most playful. Italian bitter liqueurs — Aperol, Cynar, Campari, and a handful of small-producer amari — anchor many of the creations. Cocktails are designed to be ordered in pairs or trios so guests can move between drinks as the evening evolves, much like a Melbourne bar shifting from aperitivo into late-night service.
Signature serves include a clarified Negroni with Sardinian mirto in place of gin, a Cynar Spritz built around grapefruit and rosemary, and a vodka martini infused with basil and tomato water for savouriness. Each drink is finished with a regional garnish — a curl of Amalfi lemon peel, a coffee-dusted olive, or a single green olive from Puglia — echoing the food menu.
A short list of low and zero-proof options keeps the night going for those with early flights. Italian-inspired soft drinks include chinotto, a sparkling blood-orange and basil cooler, and a tamarind and ginger soda that nods to amaro traditions without the alcohol.
Taste of Italy's setting borrows from a Roman alimentari combined with the polish of a contemporary dining room. By day, the venue functions as a retail space, with shelves of panettone, jars of pesto, and gelato displayed like a market stall. Once late service begins, the lighting dips, the retail counter becomes a cocktail bar, and seating stretches from counter stools around the deli to small share tables.
The soundtrack shifts accordingly — Italian lounge and contemporary jazz replace the daytime playlist, mirroring how bars in Surry Hills or Fortitude Valley change tone as the clock moves past nine. Soft lighting draws the eye to boards as they leave the pass, and the open kitchen lets guests watch the cicchetti being assembled and fried in real time. The retail shelves remain partially stocked after service begins, so diners can browse biscotti, sauces, and small-batch chocolate on the way out — a brief Italian holiday compressed into a few hours, well suited to travellers seeking something memorable without a long meal.
For first-timers, a balanced order would include one seafood-led cicchetto, one vegetable bite, one richer meat plate, and a small dessert such as tiramisu served in a glass. A flight of two cocktails — typically a bitter aperitivo followed by a smoother sipper — keeps the night flowing. Standing bookings around the deli bar mirror the bacaro experience in Venice, and reservations are recommended after nine, particularly on weekends.
Pairings and planning at a glance
Whipped baccalà mantecato with the clarified Negroni
Warm caponata with the Cynar Spritz
Porchetta panino with the basil and tomato martini
Tiramisu paired with an espresso martini variation
Late-night service runs Wednesday through Sunday from nine
Standing bar seats and small share tables both available
Gift vouchers through the website cover the new menu
The late-night service at Taste of Italy runs Wednesday through Sunday from nine until late, with the full snack and cocktail selection available throughout. Gift vouchers, available through the restaurant website, cover both the sit-down menus and the new snack-cocktail experience — a useful option for Australians planning a special evening during an upcoming Gulf trip. Reserve a table online or browse the retail selection before flying out.