These celebrated restaurants return to AlUla for the Winter at Tantora Festival
Look out for the biggest comebacks: Ducasse in AlUla and SASS’ AlUla…
The year-end is often one of the busiest times of the year for festivals and new openings in Saudi Arabia, and this year is no exception.
Case in point: The Winter at Tantora Festival, which is set to return to AlUla from Thursday December 19, 2024 to Saturday January 11, 2025.
Named after the traditional sundial in AlUla Old Town, this flagship festival of the AlUla Moments calendar marks the start of the winter planting season and brings together a host of heritage-inspired events, captivating concerts, thrilling cultural activities, and gourmet experiences unique to this historic city.
On the foodie front, the renowned Ducasse in AlUla and SASS’ AlUla are back, having deserved another run at the festival – which we gladly welcome with open arms (and mouths).
So, yes, these are the places in AlUla where we’ll be booking a table as soon as they’re open, and we suggest you do, too.
Ducasse in AlUla
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If you haven’t heard of Chef Alain Ducasse, then presumably, you’ve been living under a rock. He’s one of the biggest names in gastronomy, and his pop-up restaurant, Ducasse in AlUla, will be back in business on Wednesday December 4. Expectations were always going to be high for a restaurant from Chef Ducasse, and thankfully, our expectations were met when we visited the oasis-to-table dining concept when it first opened in January. Expect a carefully curated menu integrating local ingredients sourced from nearby farms and traditional flavours with the finest French culinary traditions set against the picturesque backdrop of AlUla’s iconic oasis palm trees.
Ducasse in AlUla, opens Dec 4. @ducasse_in_alula
SASS’ AlUla
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Another heavyweight set to reopen is SASS’ AlUla, located next to Shaden Resort. The famed Monaco dining hotspot brings SASS brilliance and energetic vibes to the magical oasis of AlUla, in the shape of a fine dining menu of Mediterranean and South American cuisine, cooked nomad-style above an open flame, a glitzy décor juxtaposed with the stark desert landscape, and a side of rhythmic DJ sets. We can’t speak highly enough of the aesthetics on display here – bold but still full of character, bathed in a red glow. Think bright chandeliers in every corner, flamboyant golden animal sculptures, and a colour palette ranging from burgundy and black to leopard print on velvet and leather textures. Whilst the reopening date has yet to be announced, a quick look on the SevenRooms reservation platform shows that the earliest reservation available is on Wednesday November 20.
Images: Supplied / Social / What’s On Archives