THE APRONS AND HAMMERS DHOW DIARIES - Part 5
- Aprons & Hammers
- May 8
- 3 min read
From Dhow to Dubai Icon – How It All Took Off
After sharing all those unforgettable stories last week - first dates, birthdays, seafood feasts, and giggles around crab buckets - I found myself reflecting on that moment.
The one where I looked around and thought:
“Wow… this is really happening.”
It All Started with a Wooden Dhow and a Wild Idea
When we launched Aprons and Hammers aboard a traditional wooden dhow in 2011, we weren’t thinking about becoming a Dubai dining icon. We just had a slightly wild, completely different idea: take an old trading boat and turn it into a no-fuss seafood restaurant with bold flavors, buckets of crab, and buckets of personality.
No white tablecloths.
No formality.
Just great seafood - served with aprons on, hammers in hand, and a whole lot of bold homemade sauces.
We weren’t building a brand. We were just trying to make it work:
How to cook in a tiny hull kitchen.
How to serve food on a swaying deck.
How to keep up with the overflow of guests – especially at weekends.
The Night That Changed Everything
About six months in, on a packed Friday night, I walked onto The Dhow and realized… we had officially run out of tables.
Both decks were full. People were waiting on the dock (we had to put tables and chairs there so guests could have a drink while waiting). The air was thick with the scent of seafood, garlic, and butter. You could hear the sound of hammers cracking crab echoing across the marina. That unmistakable energy still lives on at our restaurant in Palm Jumeirah, just steps from the sea.
The whole team was flying:
- Elie, keeping his cool as always
- Toufic, chatting with every table like they were family
- Godfrey, shaking out his cocktails
- Lalith, somehow working magic out of a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet
The whole place was buzzing.
And I remember standing there, taking it all in, thinking:
“This isn’t just a fun little concept anymore. This is something special.”
Our First Award – And a Big Surprise
In 2011, we won our very first award:
What’s On Dubai’s Best Seafood Restaurant.
This win placed us firmly on the map among Dubai’s top seafood restaurants.
We were just one year in - and suddenly our little floating crab shack was standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the most established restaurants in Dubai. It was surreal… and also deeply validating.
We were doing something right.
Our guests didn’t just enjoy the experience - they believed in it. They voted. They told their friends. They made Aprons and Hammers part of their Dubai story.
From that moment on, we had a seat at the table.
Still Us. Just Bigger.
Even as the momentum picked up - longer waitlists, glowing reviews, and more buzz - the soul of Aprons and Hammers never changed.
The Dhow still swayed.
The Seafood was still unapologetically messy.
The Vibe was still unmistakably us.
We weren’t trying to be trendy. We were just doing what we loved, serving generous seafood, the kind that sets great seafood restaurants apart, with laid-back beach vibes - giving people a reason to come back again and again.
Be it the old dhow or our buzzing restaurant in Palm Jumeirah, it’s still the same cracking good time.
Next Up: Taking the Apron Spirit to Shore
In next week’s post, I’ll share how we took Aprons beyond The Dhow - and what it took to grow while staying true to ourselves.
Because growing a brand is one thing.
Keeping its soul? That takes care.
Stay tuned for Dhow Diaries – Part 6: Taking the Aprons and Hammers Spirit to Shore.
Until then - aprons on, hammers ready… and let’s get cracking.
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