Our story
21grams is a family-style, homegrown neighbourhood bistro that brings Dubai honest yet daring Balkan soul food.
The weight of a soul
Our name holds two ideas. A famous early-20th-century experiment claimed that the human soul weighs twenty-one grams. And the 21st degree is close to the latitude of the Balkan Peninsula, the melting pot of cultures our food comes from. Soul and place: that is what we try to put on every plate.
Founded in 2018
21grams was founded in 2018 by Stasha Toncev, who came to Dubai from Belgrade. It began as a small urban bistro with 25 chairs and grew, through a pandemic and a move, into the bright space on the second floor of Meyan Mall where we cook today.
Stasha curated every detail of the experience — the food, the room, the atmosphere, even the patterns on our serving platters — so that friends and travellers alike can gather and celebrate the simple things in life.
From the Balkans, by hand
Every dish and pastry is made in-house from family recipes, with fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers whenever possible, and served by a team with roots across the Balkans. Bread is baked fresh throughout the day; dough is stretched by hand; sauces simmer for hours.
Recognition
21grams holds a MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand in Dubai, awarded to restaurants offering good quality, good value cooking, and was ranked No. 26 on MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2025. We are proud of both — and prouder that most of our guests are neighbours who come back every week.