Hocho by Hassan Fetyani
Hocho represents perhaps the most compelling template for The Mukaab’s dining identity: a restaurant created by a Saudi chef who trained internationally and returned to build something that could only exist in Saudi Arabia. Set inside VIA Riyadh, the Japanese-inspired eatery blends omakase-style intimacy with Saudi-rooted culinary ambition, earning selection in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Saudi Arabia 2026. The concept comes from Saudi chef Hassan Fetyani, who trained in Japan before launching the restaurant in late 2024.
The counter-seating format places diners in direct proximity to chefs at work — a format that Japanese cuisine has perfected over centuries and that resonates strongly with the performance-oriented dining preferences emerging in Riyadh’s market. As industry analysts note, “diners prioritize experiences over meals” in 2026, and the omakase format — where the chef selects and prepares each course based on the day’s finest ingredients — transforms dining into a live performance where culinary skill is demonstrated in real time.
Michelin Recognition and Saudi Culinary Identity
Hocho’s significance extends beyond its culinary quality. As a Saudi-founded concept operating at a level that earns Michelin recognition, it challenges the assumption that The Mukaab’s prestige dining must come from imported international brands. Fetyani’s Japanese training combined with Saudi identity creates a cross-cultural culinary voice that reflects the kind of global-meets-local dining that The Mukaab’s Najdi-inspired architecture naturally supports.
The restaurant includes The Rubi Room at Hocho, a separate concept also recognized in the Michelin Guide — making Fetyani one of only a handful of chefs in Saudi Arabia with two Michelin Guide selections. This dual recognition validates the multi-concept approach within a single venue, demonstrating that Saudi culinary talent can sustain quality across different dining formats simultaneously.
The Michelin Guide Saudi Arabia 2026 selected 52 restaurants — 11 Bib Gourmand and 41 selected — across Riyadh, Jeddah, and AlUla. Hocho and The Rubi Room are among the selected restaurants in Riyadh, placing Fetyani’s work alongside establishments by Daniel Boulud (Cafe Boulud, Julien), Alain Ducasse (Benoit), and Michael Mina (Taleed). Future star contenders from the inaugural guide include Cafe Boulud, Il Baretto, Benoit, Hocho, and Long Chim — positioning Fetyani as a potential star earner in the 2027 edition.
The Omakase Format and Mukaab Integration
For The Mukaab’s spiral tower, Hocho’s format suggests a model where intimate chef’s counter experiences operate alongside larger-format restaurants, creating the variety of dining scales that a 2-million-square-meter structure requires. The omakase counter seats a limited number of diners per service — typically 8 to 15 — creating exclusivity and premium pricing that generates high revenue per seat. The spiral tower’s upper elevations, with panoramic views into the holographic dome, could house multiple intimate counter-dining concepts where the immersive environment adds a visual dimension that no conventional restaurant space can provide.
The technology integration opportunities are significant. Imagine an omakase counter where the holographic dome surrounding the dining space shifts to display the Tokyo fish market as the chef prepares sashimi, transitions to a serene Japanese garden during a tempura course, and projects a starlit Riyadh skyline for the final course — the cuisine and the environment telling a synchronized story that bridges Japan and Saudi Arabia. Falcon’s Creative Group, the entertainment design firm appointed as The Mukaab’s Creative Lead Advisor, could design this kind of chef’s-table-meets-immersive-theatre experience as a signature attraction within the development.
Solo dining reservations in the U.S. are up 29%, creating growing demand for intimate dining formats where individual guests feel welcomed rather than awkward. The omakase counter format naturally accommodates solo diners — sitting at the bar, engaged in direct conversation with the chef — and The Mukaab’s immersive environment could enhance this experience further. A solo diner at a Mukaab omakase counter would experience an intimate culinary performance within a 380-meter-high atrium of holographic wonder — a combination that addresses the growing solo dining trend with an experience impossible to replicate elsewhere.
Blueprint for Saudi Culinary Talent Development
For emerging Saudi chefs watching Fetyani’s trajectory, Hocho provides a blueprint. International training, return to Saudi Arabia, launch in a premium venue, Michelin recognition within the first year of the inaugural guide. This pathway demonstrates that the Kingdom’s culinary renaissance can produce globally recognized culinary talent — not just host imported expertise.
The new generation of Saudi restaurateurs and chefs is “exploring the country’s own culinary identity, reinterpreting traditional flavours through contemporary concepts.” Fetyani’s approach — taking Japanese technique and filtering it through a Saudi sensibility — represents one model for this exploration. Other Saudi chefs are pursuing different approaches: Deem Albassam’s Somewhere, SUGAR, and GRIND at Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace create contemporary Saudi lifestyle dining, while Najd Village’s Bib Gourmand-winning kitchen demonstrates excellence within traditional Najdi cuisine formats.
The Mukaab could accelerate this pathway by creating culinary residency programs or chef incubator spaces within its food hall infrastructure. These programs would allow Saudi culinary talent to develop concepts specifically designed for the immersive technology environment, potentially producing restaurants that could not exist anywhere outside The Mukaab. Access to Falcon’s Creative Group technology design, the Saudi food supply infrastructure (over 1,900 food factories with investments exceeding SAR 88 billion), and a built-in audience of 420,000 residents and 9,000 hotel room guests would provide emerging chefs with resources unavailable in conventional restaurant incubation.
Market Context and Competitive Positioning
The Japanese and pan-Asian dining category is the most densely competitive in Riyadh’s premium segment. ROKA at KAFD earned Restaurant of the Year at Time Out Riyadh 2022. SUSHISAMBA brought Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion to KAFD. Chotto Matte offers Nikkei cuisine with Japanese Grade A5 Wagyu Beef. Akira Back operates Namu and AB Steak at the Esplanade and 1364 complex. Hakkasan brings Michelin-starred modern Cantonese to Diriyah, and Long Chim offers Michelin-heritage Thai cuisine at Bujairi Terrace.
Within this competitive landscape, Hocho differentiates through three factors: Saudi ownership (creating authentic local connection), omakase format (offering intimate counter dining versus the larger-format alternatives), and Michelin Guide selection (validating quality at the highest international standard). For The Mukaab, these differentiation principles suggest that the development’s Asian dining concepts should emphasize uniqueness — concepts that couldn’t exist at KAFD, Diriyah, or Via Riyadh because they require The Mukaab’s specific technology or scale advantages.
The Saudi F&B market supports continued Japanese dining expansion. With the market projected to reach USD 48.06 billion by 2031 and the cafes and bars segment growing at 11.82% CAGR, consumer appetite for diverse dining experiences shows no signs of saturation. The 150 million tourism visitors targeted by 2030 — with international arrivals already at 30 million in 2024 — include significant Japanese-food-conscious travelers from markets across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Sustainability and Ingredient Sourcing
The sustainability dimension of Japanese cuisine in Saudi Arabia involves specific sourcing considerations. Premium omakase relies on the finest seasonal fish and seafood — often imported from Japanese auctions — creating a significant carbon footprint from air freight. The sustainable dining movement gaining traction in the Gulf suggests that alternatives must be explored. Red Sea seafood, increasingly available in Riyadh through improved domestic logistics, offers a local sourcing option that reduces environmental impact while connecting Japanese preparation techniques with Saudi marine resources.
The hyperlocal sourcing trend identified in dining innovation data — “menus built around communities and local narratives” with chefs “procuring from nearby farms and markets” — intersects with omakase’s ingredient-focused philosophy. A Hocho-style concept at The Mukaab could develop an omakase program where seasonal Red Sea catches replace some imported Japanese fish, desert truffles (fagaa) substitute for imported matsutake, and Saudi-grown microgreens from vertical farms provide garnishes. This local-global integration would create a distinctly Saudi Japanese dining identity aligned with the culinary renaissance that Fetyani’s work embodies.
The Mukaab’s scale could enable dedicated food production facilities — vertical farms, aquaculture operations, or specialized food processing — that serve multiple restaurant concepts. With the development designed as a “15-minute city” spanning 19 million square meters, integrating food production into the urban fabric would reduce supply chain dependency and create sustainability credentials that align with both consumer preferences (68% of MENA diners prefer sustainable restaurants) and regulatory trends across the Gulf region.
VIA Riyadh Comparison and The Mukaab Advantage
The restaurant also validates VIA Riyadh as a dining destination that produces Michelin-caliber results. The mall positions itself as hosting “the highest concentration of Michelin-selected restaurants,” creating a competitive precedent for The Mukaab’s retail environment. However, The Mukaab’s proposition differs fundamentally — VIA Riyadh operates as a conventional luxury mall, while The Mukaab integrates dining within an immersive technological environment that transforms the entire dining context. Hocho operating within a holographic dome would be a fundamentally different experience than Hocho within a luxury mall — and that difference is The Mukaab’s core competitive advantage.
The Mukaab’s 980,000 square meters of retail space — larger than Dubai Mall — provides the scale for a dining ecosystem that dwarfs VIA Riyadh’s curated but smaller offering. With 104,000 residential units providing base demand, 9,000 hotel rooms bringing visitor traffic, and over 80 entertainment and culture venues generating footfall, The Mukaab’s dining environment serves a fundamentally different market dynamic than a luxury mall. The development’s Phase 1 targeting completion by 2030 Expo creates a timeline where early restaurant commitments could establish The Mukaab as Riyadh’s premier dining destination before competing developments reach critical mass.
Development Timeline and Investment Context
The New Murabba development represents an estimated $50 billion investment spanning 19 million square meters with over 25 million square meters of floor area. The masterplan, developed by AtkinsRealis, envisions a “15-minute city” where most living, working, and entertainment needs are accessible within walking distance. Excavation reached 86% completion as of October 2024, with over 10 million cubic meters of earth moved. Construction began in October 2024, with Phase 1 targeting completion by the 2030 Expo in Riyadh and the full project spanning four phases through 2040.
The development’s sustainability credentials include green areas, walking and cycling paths, and a community-focused design that integrates residential living with commercial and entertainment spaces. A technology and design university, a museum, a multipurpose immersive theatre, and a stadium are among the over 80 entertainment and culture venues planned. The total community facilities span 1.8 million square meters, with 620,000 square meters of leisure assets providing the programming capacity that restaurant concepts depend on for destination traffic.
The Riyadh hotel pipeline provides additional context for dining demand projections. At least 46 high-end hotel projects totaling 18,358 keys are under development across the city, including 28 five-star and 18 four-star properties representing at least US$3.8 billion in hotel development investment. Q1 2026 openings include DoubleTree by Hilton Madinah Gate, Sofitel Riyadh, SLS The Red Sea, and Crowne Plaza Al Jubail. Key hotel brands expanding in Riyadh include Radisson Blu (3 hotels), InterContinental (2), Holiday Inn (2), Hotel Indigo (2), Novotel (2), Hilton (2), and Rosewood (2), alongside the Regent Riyadh KAFD and Kimpton Riyadh. This hospitality expansion creates the transient dining demand that premium restaurants require beyond resident and worker populations.
Saudi Arabia’s food manufacturing sector has grown to over 1,900 food factories with investments exceeding SAR 88 billion, providing the domestic supply chain infrastructure that supports premium dining operations. The SFDA conducts over 20,000 inspections annually and enforces penalties up to SAR 500,000 for non-compliant delivery firms, ensuring food safety standards that international restaurant brands require. The Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) 2026 at the Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah in Riyadh, scheduled for April 20-22, 2026, provides a platform for restaurant deal-making — FHS 2025 generated US$1.6 billion in business opportunities with 11 major signings.
Delivery Infrastructure and Digital Transformation
Saudi Arabia’s food delivery ecosystem has matured into one of the most sophisticated in the Middle East. The market processes over 500 million food delivery transactions annually, with 35% of consumers ordering food online at least once per week. Leading platforms have established comprehensive coverage: Jahez operates as the leading Saudi delivery app; HungerStation covers 95% of the Kingdom with sub-one-hour delivery guarantees; Rabbit established Saudi operations in April 2025 targeting 20 million deliveries by 2026; Keeta expanded to Jeddah and Makkah in January 2025 with 13,000 restaurant partners and 15,000 riders; and Nana operates 30 dark stores in Riyadh with 20 additional locations announced.
Cloud kitchen operators are expanding rapidly. Kaykroo operates 77+ digital-first brands across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. Rebel Foods, the Indian cloud kitchen giant, entered Saudi Arabia in 2023 with 2 cloud kitchens and ambitions for 60 online restaurants. Sweetheart Kitchen from Dubai plans 15 kitchens in Riyadh focused on healthy affordable dishes. Kitopi operates as a major cloud kitchen operator in the region. The PIF’s USD 400 million investment in CloudKitchens signals government-level commitment to the delivery-first dining model.
All cloud kitchens must comply with SFDA guidelines for food safety and hygiene. The authority has conducted over 20,000 inspections, and February 2025 amendments introduced penalties up to SAR 500,000 for non-compliant delivery firms. This regulatory framework ensures that delivery dining maintains quality standards comparable to dine-in experiences — a consideration directly relevant for The Mukaab’s cloud kitchen integration strategy.
The Saudi culinary landscape includes four distinct regional traditions. Najdi cuisine from the central highlands features denser, earthier preparations centered on kabsa, jareesh (declared national dish in 2023), margoug, mandi, and mathbi — robust Bedouin flavors built for the desert with long preparation times using cardamom, cumin, saffron, lamb, dates, and desert truffles. Hijazi cuisine from the western coast (Jeddah, Mecca, Medina) is more cosmopolitan, shaped by pilgrimage traffic and Ottoman influence. Al Ahsa cuisine defines the eastern region. Southern cuisine from Asir and Jazan draws on highland and coastal ingredients. Arabic qahwa — light coffee from short-roasted beans, spiced with cardamom, poured from the dalla, always served with dates — anchors every gathering. UNESCO recognized qahwa on its Intangible Cultural World Heritage list in 2015. The Saudi Coffee Company’s US$320 million investment supports domestic Arabica production in the Jazan highlands.