Dubai: Long before Dubai became a global dining destination, getting a table at Golden Dragon could take up to two weeks. For generations of residents, the Chinese restaurant was more than a place to eat. It was where families celebrated milestones, business guests were entertained and newcomers discovered a cuisine they would grow to love.
The restaurant opened in Bur Dubai on October 14, 1976, under the late KM Bhatia of KM Brothers, who was also a partner in the UAE’s first ice cream manufacturing plant.
Fifty years later, on October 14, 2026, its current management, led by K Muraleedharan, chairman and managing director of SFC Group, brought together members of the founder’s family, former employees and long-time patrons to revisit the memories that have kept the restaurant part of Dubai’s story.
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Inspired by restaurant in Delhi
Among those recalling the restaurant’s early years was Kamlesh Bhatia, the founder’s son, who was a teenager when it opened and later took charge of the business. He told Gulf News that his father’s idea to establish Golden Dragon came after a visit to Delhi in 1975, when he dined at a Chinese restaurant.
“He had to wait for almost an hour to dine there and the food was delicious. Then, he wanted to open a restaurant with the same name in Dubai,” Kamlesh recalled.
In the years that followed, Golden Dragon attracted families, businesspeople, prominent guests and members of royal families from across the UAE, he said.
Same furniture, lanterns
Sunder Mans, KM Brothers’ general manager at the time, played a key role in bringing the founder’s vision to life. Mans recalled his employer telling him that he dreamed of creating a restaurant “which nobody has ever seen”.
He recalled the company taking a Dh2 million loan from the British Bank to start the restaurant.
Now 84, Mans then travelled to China and other Asian destinations to research restaurant interiors and gather ideas and materials.
He roped in Shakthi Parmar, a prominent Bombay (now Mumbai)-based architect and interior designer, whose work helped shape the look of the original restaurant. Decorative elements and wooden carvings were made by craftsmen from Rajasthan, India, who were brought to Dubai for the job.
Some of that history remains visible today. Kamlesh said the restaurant still has dining chairs, Chinese lanterns, decorative lights with wooden carvings dating back to its opening. These surviving pieces provide a tangible link to the people who designed, built and furnished the original premises.
Kamlesh named carpenter Lalu Ram and the restaurant’s first cashier, Kishore Khemani, among those involved in its early days. He said he spoke to them and Shakti Parmar on the morning of the anniversary and that they were emotional about the occasion. Their recollections form part of a story shaped not only by the restaurant’s owners but also by the people who helped establish it.
For some long-time patrons, the connection now spans generations, with families who first visited the restaurant returning with their children and grandchildren, Kamlesh said.
First taste of Chinese food
For Andaleeb Mannan, Golden Dragon’s significance is personal. She married in Jaipur, India, and moved to Dubai with her husband in 1989. The couple held their wedding reception at the restaurant’s original premises because there were few suitable venues that could accommodate a large gathering while offering good food.
The newlywed was about to discover an entirely new cuisine. “Apart from noodles, I was not aware of any Chinese food,” she recalled.
That first experience changed her tastes. Chinese food became her favourite, and the restaurant remained part of her life.
Although she lives in Abu Dhabi, she makes a point of visiting Golden Dragon whenever she comes to Dubai. The restaurant has since evolved into a Pan-Asian dining destination. Her current favourites include Hakka noodles, wontons and Thai curry.
Feeding 250 naval personnel
Golden Dragon’s memories extend beyond family celebrations. Kamlesh recalled that during the 1990–91 Gulf War, when Dubai was an important stop for international coalition personnel taking breaks from their duties, the restaurant was among a small number recommended by embassies and consulates.
One late evening, he said, a battalion of naval personnel arrived without warning. The staff still managed to serve about 250 of them by 9pm, he recalled with pride.
The restaurant also became known for its busy reservation book. Kamlesh said people would approach his father for help securing tables, while bookings could be difficult to obtain during peak periods.
Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of Dubai’s Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara, was among those who regularly dined there.
“I was among the first diners at this restaurant. I would bring all my guests from different countries here. Our business group also met here almost every alternate week. But it was difficult to get reservation. Sometimes I had to ring up Kamlesh’s dad to get the tables. It was good food and it tastes the same today and they have kept the standard,” he said.
Kamlesh described Golden Dragon as the UAE’s first fine-dining Chinese restaurant. In its early years, the restaurant served alcohol for nearly three years, making it another attraction for foreign diners, he recalled.
“Those days, some independent restaurants were given liquor licence. The rule changed later,” he said.
Golden Dragon’s reputation grew at a time when Dubai’s dining scene was far smaller than it is today. Mans said the budget had exceeded Dh3.2 million, but the restaurant became so popular that they managed to recover the investment in just 10 months.
Kamlesh believes the restaurant helped encourage other businessmen to open Chinese restaurants as the emirate gradually developed into a destination offering cuisines from around the world.
Memories endure
The anniversary was also a reunion for people whose working lives and personal relationships were tied to the restaurant, including Muraleedharan himself. He began his career as an accountant with KM Brothers before moving into sales and marketing. He rose through the ranks to become a managing partner and eventually established his own business.
Muraleedharan recalled that Mans had signed his appointment letter. When his group took over Golden Dragon in 2013, he said, he felt a responsibility to preserve the restaurant’s legacy.
The anniversary, he stressed, was not about business. “Today is about gratitude, remembering our routes and celebrating friendships that have lasted a lifetime.”
Favourite among Emiratis and expats
Mirza Hussain Al Sayegh, a former UAE diplomat who is now a member of the Board of Trustees of the Al Maktoum Foundation, attended the anniversary as chief guest.
He said the occasion offered an opportunity to remember the good old days, and the events held at the restaurant.
“Food connects people and cultures just as Bollywood connects India and the UAE. This place has connected so many people over food,” said Al Sayegh, who had served as the UAE’s first ambassador to India.
Mohammed Al Noori, a former director at Dubai Municipality and the Environmental Centre for Arab Towns (ECAT), also recalled how members of both the Emirati and expatriate communities used to visit the restaurant for special occasions.
Growth of employees and brand
Wellan Wong, who said she had known Golden Dragon since 1982, was reminded of her late husband, Patrick Chu, whom she lost just four months ago.
“He managed the restaurant for decades before going on to establish two restaurants of his own,” she said.
Wong said the restaurant brought back many memories of her husband and his long association with it.
Golden Dragon’s story is also continuing beyond Dubai. The restaurant has opened an outlet at Sharjah Central Mall, while an Abu Dhabi outlet at Deerfields Mall was scheduled to open on October 21, Muraleedharan announced.