Gulf fish, Liwa dates and a capital's worth of expatriate kitchens.
Free cancellation on most tours, with live prices on the partner's site.
Abu Dhabi eats in three registers at once. The oldest is Emirati: dates and gahwa for every guest, machboos and harees, regag and chebab at breakfast, the cooking of Bedouin camps, Liwa date gardens and the pearling boats that the city grew from after fresh water was found on the island in 1761. The second belongs to the people who built the modern capital, who now make up most of the emirate's population: Iranian dhow traders at Mina Zayed, Kerala breakfast rooms, Pakistani grills, Lebanese mezze houses and Arabic sweet shops across the downtown grid between Hamdan Street and the Corniche. The third is the hotel and island dining that arrived with the oil economy and now has its own MICHELIN Guide, with stars for Erth at the Qasr Al Hosn site, Hakkasan and Talea at Emirates Palace and a Bib Gourmand list that runs from Emirati and Kuwaiti cooking at Al Mrzab to a Mina Zayed fish kitchen. The Mina Zayed fish market and the fruit and vegetable souk beside it open every day. Halal is the default, and alcohol is poured only in licensed venues, mostly hotels.
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The plates that define eating in Abu Dhabi.
Machboos is rice cooked in the stock of spiced meat or fish with dried lime and saffron, regarded as a national dish across the Gulf states and a fixture of Abu Dhabi's Emirati kitchens.
Where Al Mrzab, Meylas, Erth, Villa Mamas
Where to eat Machboos in Abu Dhabi →Harees is wheat cooked with meat and beaten into a smooth, salted porridge finished with ghee. It is the dish of Ramadan and festive tables across Emirati homes.
Where Al Mrzab
Where to eat Harees in Abu Dhabi →Balaleet is sweet vermicelli scented with cardamom, rose water and saffron, topped with a thin omelette. It is an Emirati breakfast and the first meal of Eid.
Where Meylas
Where to eat Balaleet in Abu Dhabi →Hammour is the Gulf grouper, a fish prized across the Persian Gulf states. At ryba in Al Mina the Michelin Guide singles out the locally caught hammour from the charcoal grill.
Where ryba, Falwa, Asyak Grill
Where to eat Hammour in Abu Dhabi →Karak chai is strong black tea boiled with milk and spices, popularised in the Gulf by South Asian communities. On Hudayriyat Island a food truck is known for its karak.
Where Zaatar and Karak
Where to eat Karak chai in Abu Dhabi →Manakeesh are flatbreads baked with za'atar, cheese or minced meat, a Levantine breakfast that Abu Dhabi's Arab communities brought with them and that bakeries sell hot.
Where Al Farah, Zaatar and Karak
Where to eat Manakeesh in Abu Dhabi →Kunafa is shredded pastry layered with cheese or cream and soaked in syrup, served warm. Abu Dhabi's kunafa shops include a Jordanian maker's counter and a Lebanese osmaleya cake.
Where Naeem Sweets, Al Aqssa Sweets, Tripoli Sweets
Where to eat Kunafa in Abu Dhabi →Foul is slow-cooked fava beans mashed with oil and spices, eaten with bread. In Abu Dhabi, a Sudanese cafeteria in Al Zahiyah opens in the evening for it.
Where Abu Al Afwal
Where to eat Foul (ful medames) in Abu Dhabi →Malabar parotta is a flaky, layered flatbread torn up with beef curry or potthu kaal. Abu Dhabi's Kerala kitchens serve it with beef curry and the bone-marrow dish potthu kaal.
Where Thalassery Thattukada, Payyannur Restaurant
Where to eat Kerala parotta in Abu Dhabi →Biryani is spiced rice layered with meat, fish or vegetables, and in Abu Dhabi the Kerala and wider Indian kitchens serve it; Nihal Restaurant lists a mutton version at AED 38.
Where Thalassery Thattukada, Taste of Kerala, Nihal Restaurant
Where to eat Biryani in Abu Dhabi →A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Abu Dhabi.
Otoro is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Japanese restaurant at Al Qana in Abu Dhabi with an open kitchen, serving fish and wagyu from several Japanese prefectures.
OrderThe otoro nigiri, then the yellowtail with green chili and leche de tigre, as the Michelin Guide suggests.
Al Mrzab is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Emirati and Kuwaiti restaurant on Airport Road in Abu Dhabi, with majlis seating and photos of old Abu Dhabi on the walls.
OrderThe chicken machboos at about AED 61, then cooked-to-order khanfaroush drizzled with local honey.
Meylas is a Michelin Selected Emirati restaurant at Al Muneera, Abu Dhabi, begun as a food truck by Shaikha Al Kaabi and grown into an all-day eatery.
OrderThe machboos at AED 56 and the saffron balaleet at AED 35, both priced in tbreak's 2026 guide.
ryba is a Michelin Bib Gourmand seafood restaurant at Zayed Port in Al Mina, Abu Dhabi, from chef Faisal Alharmoodi, grilling local catch over charcoal.
OrderCharcoal-grilled local hammour, then the chocolate pâte à choux Michelin names as the signature dessert.
Tazal is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant at Al Qana in Abu Dhabi, mixing European influences with Arabic touches, plus Gulf and Levant breakfasts.
OrderThe Iranian kabab, bang bang shrimps and kaak Al Quds that the Michelin Guide names as originals.
3Fils Abu Dhabi is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Japanese restaurant at the EDITION marina in Al Bateen, sister to the Dubai original, and takes walk-ins only.
OrderThe chargrilled baby chicken, prawns and sashimi from the open kitchen, then the Take Me To The Moon dessert.
The downtown grid between the Corniche and Hamdan Street: Kerala breakfast rooms, Indian vegetarian counters, a Pakistani grill and a Lebanese mezze house, with Erth cooking modern Emirati food at the Qasr Al Hosn site.
Best for: Kerala breakfast, Indian vegetarian, Pakistani grills, Modern Emirati
Corniche Road West and its towers: Hakkasan and Talea at Emirates Palace, Li Beirut and José by Pizarro at Etihad Towers, Villa Toscana at the St. Regis and Catch at its Nation Riviera Beach Club.
Best for: Michelin hotel dining, Seafood, Cocktail bars
Al Khalidiya: a Michelin Selected manaqeesh oven where regulars queue for takeaway, a Syrian grill open since 1975, a Kerala parotta room, Lebanese sweets and a Colombian villa kitchen.
Best for: Manaqeesh, Syrian grills, Kerala parotta, Arabic sweets
Marsa Al Bateen's waterfront of cafes and bakeries sits beside the EDITION hotel, with Persian, Japanese and Lebanese dining rooms and the Capital Centre hotel bars on Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street.
Best for: Breakfast cafes, Persian, Japanese, Hotel bars
The spit at the end of the Corniche around Marina Mall and Heritage Village, where % Arabica runs a coffee bar inside Marina Mall.
Best for: Coffee
The old Tourist Club Area: Sudanese foul in the evening, Palestinian kunafa, Malaysian and Indian rooms, a revolving rooftop lounge at Le Royal Meridien, a pub at Le Meridien and a sports bar at Southern Sun.
Best for: Sudanese foul, Kunafa, Malaysian, Pubs
Machboos
Machboos is rice cooked in the stock of spiced meat or fish with dried lime and saffron, regarded as a national dish across the Gulf states and a fixture of Abu Dhabi's Emirati kitchens
Harees
Harees is wheat cooked with meat and beaten into a smooth, salted porridge finished with ghee
Balaleet
Balaleet is sweet vermicelli scented with cardamom, rose water and saffron, topped with a thin omelette
Hammour
Hammour is the Gulf grouper, a fish prized across the Persian Gulf states
Karak chai
Karak chai is strong black tea boiled with milk and spices, popularised in the Gulf by South Asian communities
The Corniche
Corniche Road West and its towers: Hakkasan and Talea at Emirates Palace, Li Beirut and José by Pizarro at Etihad Towers, Villa Toscana at the St
Al Bateen
Marsa Al Bateen's waterfront of cafes and bakeries sits beside the EDITION hotel, with Persian, Japanese and Lebanese dining rooms and the Capital Centre hotel bars on Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street
Breakwater
The spit at the end of the Corniche around Marina Mall and Heritage Village, where % Arabica runs a coffee bar inside Marina Mall
Al Reem Island
A residential island of towers and malls, with German bread at Shams Boutik and date-and-coffee pairings at Reem Mall
A sample of Abu Dhabi hotels from our booking partner, who list 332 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Al Diar Mina Hotel
A stay at Al Diar Mina Hotel places you in the heart of Abu Dhabi, steps from Abu Dhabi Corniche and a 3-mi...
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Al Diar Capital Hotel
A stay at Al Diar Capital Hotel places you in the heart of Abu Dhabi, just a 3-minute walk from Abu Dhabi C...
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Trianon Hotel
With a stay at Trianon Hotel in Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi City Center), you'll be a 5-minute walk from Abu Dhabi...
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Al Diar Sawa Hotel Apartments
Located in Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi City Center), Al Diar Sawa Hotel Apartments is within a 5-minute drive of R...
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Al Diar Dana Hotel
With a stay at Al Diar Dana Hotel in Abu Dhabi (Al Zahiyah), you'll be within a 10-minute walk of Khalifa C...
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Al Ain Palace Hotel
A stay at Al Ain Palace Hotel places you in the heart of Abu Dhabi, steps from Abu Dhabi Corniche and 8 min...
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Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Int Airport
Located in Abu Dhabi, Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Int Airport is within a 15-minute drive of Yas Marina Circuit a...
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Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Capital Centre
Located in Abu Dhabi (Capital Centre), Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Capital Centre is within a 5-minute drive of A...
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Emirates Plaza Hotel
With a stay at Emirates Plaza Hotel in Abu Dhabi (Al Zahiyah), you'll be within a 15-minute walk of Abu Dha...
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Nehal Hotel
In the heart of Abu Dhabi, Nehal Hotel is within a 5-minute drive of Corniche Beach and Abu Dhabi Mall. Fea...
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Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan
Located in Abu Dhabi, Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan is in the business district, within a 5-minute drive of A...
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Platinum Hotel Apartment
With a stay at Platinum Hotel Apartment in Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi City Center), you'll be within a 5-minute w...
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Also compare: Booking.com in Abu Dhabi · Expedia in Abu Dhabi
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Abu Dhabi, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Peak food season: October to April, when the weather cools and the festival calendar runs: Global Food Week in early October, Taste of Abu Dhabi in mid November, the MICHELIN Guide Food Festival (held in late November in 2025) and the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba through the winter. The Liwa Dates Festival marks the summer rutab harvest in July, and Ramadan, which moves 10 to 11 days earlier each year, reshapes every service around iftar and suhoor.
Local dining hours: The UAE weekend has been Saturday and Sunday since 2022, with Friday a half working day, and the hotel brunch has largely moved to Saturday and Sunday. Cafes open from about 07:00 or 08:00, restaurants serve lunch from about 12:00 and dinner late into the evening, and many cafes and sweet shops stay open past midnight at the weekend.
Tipping: Tipping is not expected but is common. Many fine-dining and high-end restaurants add a service charge of usually around 10 per cent and a tourism levy of 6 per cent, often already included in menu prices; where nothing is included, 10 to 15 per cent for good service is usual.
Abu Dhabi's signature dishes include Machboos, Harees, Thareed, Luqaimat, Balaleet. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Abu Dhabi by district. Al Markaziyah and Al Danah, The Corniche, Al Khalidiya, Al Bateen are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Abu Dhabi include Erth, Hakkasan, Talea by Antonio Guida, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 2 editor-picked food tours in Abu Dhabi, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Abu Dhabi dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.
