Four months after suddenly closing down, high-end restaurants Megu and Tse Yang have re-opened on the Pearl.

But employees at both places told Doha News that the restaurants would not be selling alcohol “yet.”

One person working there indicated that the reason behind February’s closure was declining sales following the Pearl’s sudden alcohol ban late last year.

It is unclear how the restaurants will avoid such losses now that they’ve reopened.

Both restaurants are owned by Hospitality Development Company (HDC), a subsidiary of Pearl developer United Development Company.

Last month, citing slumping sales at the Pearl as a factor, HDC announced plans to “aggressively” roll out brands it manages across the Middle East, starting with Megu and Pampano restaurants opening in Dubai.

Alcohol very briefly returned to the Pearl in April, when Qatar Distribution Company opened its second warehouse in the country there. But it promptly closed down after one day and has remained closed, citing “technical difficulties.”

A public outcry to the new QDC outlet, which sells alcohol for private home consumption, may have played a factor in its shuttering.

Megu, a New York-based Japanese restaurant, opened in Doha last April, and Tse Yang, a high-end Chinese restaurant, opened in 2010.

Has anyone checked out the restaurants yet?

Credit: Photo by Omar Chatriwala