Astet Studio’s “Smoked Room” in Dubai Named Most Beautiful Restaurant in the World by the Prix Versailles

Selected from a shortlist of 16 exceptional global finalists, Smoked Room was celebrated for its bold and evocative design language and rich metal detailing. The 14-seat omakase-style restaurant, helmed by renowned Spanish chef Dani García, offers guests an intimate and theatrical dining experience centred around a live fire kitchen.

Smoked Room is conceived as a sensory journey, an immersive environment shaped by its dramatic spatial composition and refined material palette. Dark, textured surfaces, gleaming metallic accents, and subtle lighting converge to evoke the elemental presence of fire and smoke. Every design gesture heightens the connection between guest and space, transforming the act of dining into a cinematic experience of shadow, reflection, and warmth.

Astet Studio, founded in Barcelona, is known for crafting immersive environments that fuse architectural precision with emotional storytelling. The studio’s design for Smoked Room reflects this ethos, blending a cinematic aesthetic with material richness to create a setting that is both refined and elemental.

ABOUT ASTET

Astet Studio is a multidisciplinary design practice founded in late 2018 by trained architects Ala Zreigat and Oscar Engroba. Based in Barcelona, the studio blends architectural precision with a deep design sensibility, focusing on hospitality, restaurants and private residences. 

At the heart of Astet’s work is a commitment to authenticity, human value, and a nuanced balance between simplicity and complexity. This approach has earned the studio international recognition across multiple projects and award platforms. 

Astet was named to the prestigious AD 100 list in 2024 and 2025 for both Europe and the Middle East, a testament to its growing global influence. 

The studio has a strong presence in hospitality design, particularly through its long-standing collaboration with Chef Dani García. It won the Overall Restaurant award at the Restaurant Bar & Design Awards for Leña, the restaurant of Hotel Puente Romani in Marbella, and was previously shortlisted for Lobito de Mar, a seafood and tapas concept in Málaga. Subsequent honours include a 2022 win for Smoked Room in Madrid and the 2023 award for Best Interior Design for a European Restaurant for Nota Blu in Marbella. In May 2025, Astet was awarded the Hospitality Design Award for its work on Grand Hotel Mas d’en Bruno in Priorat, Spain. astetstudio.com | @astetstudio