Dubai-Based Luxury French Bakery To Open On The Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — KAYU, a luxury French-inspired bakery and cafe from Dubai, is heading to the United States for the first time to open on the Upper East Side early next year, the owner told Patch.

The cafe, on East 82nd Street near Third Avenue, is owned by Ibrahim Al Sayed, who worked in private equity in Dubai until the 2020 lockdown, when he opened his first cafe with award-winning pastry chef Karim Bourgi.

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Now, the duo manages five locations, spread across London and the United Arab Emirates.

"We met during COVID, and I said, 'Since I'm in finance and we're out of the office, how about we start a little bakery until everyone goes back to the office?'" Al Sayed said. "But, I never went back to the office — no more suits, no more ties, no more finance."

Despite leaving the world of finance, Al Sayed treats his bakery like an investment, where precision and timing matter. The owner has opened five locations so far, in affluent neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, and London.

For Al Sayed, who grew up in Montreal, opening KAYU in North America is his biggest expansion yet.

"It's the most expensive location I've signed and is the biggest," Al Sayed said. "But in business, you gotta take risks."

"People pushed me a lot toward Soho, towards Flatiron, and they wanted me more in Midtown, but I want repeat customers, I want to know my customers by name."

It's a serious baking operation at KAYU. The croissants take 48 hours to make, due to the dough lamination process, and many of the ingredients are shipped from France, including butter, cream, and chocolate, to make their confections.

On the menu, expect classic eclairs, tarts, cakes, croissants, brioche, mille fuille, financiers, but don't expect Dubai chocolate, the gooey pistachio-filled chocolate that took over social media in the past year.

However, some of the pastries are inspired by Middle Eastern flavors, like saffron, cardamom, orange blossom, and Turkish coffee, Al Sayed said.

"We've mostly rejected trends and stuck to a DNA which respects the ingredients and French flavors and techniques," Al Sayed said.

KAYU will be located at 1444 Third Ave. and will open sometime in early spring in 2026.

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.