The counters in Abu Dhabi worth queuing for: bread, pastry, and the morning ritual.
Bakery counters in Abu Dhabi worth queuing for: levain breads, laminated pastry, regional bakes and the morning ritual.
Knead Bakery & Patisserie in Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi, bakes 48-hour sourdough, croissants and French-style pastry, with breakfast and lunch from 07:00.
Worth the queue48-hour sourdough
TipYalla reports naturally leavened loaves with no enzymes, preservatives or enhancers, and a daily bread menu that rotates with the seasons.
Tripoli Sweets in Al Hisn, Abu Dhabi, makes Lebanese sweets including the Osmaleya kunafa cake, maamoul and namoura, open daily 08:00 to 22:30.
Worth the queueOsmaleya kunafa cake
TipGulf News describes the Osmaleya as a kunafa cake, two layers of crisp vermicelli around a soft centre of fresh cream or cheese.
Qwaider Al Nabulsi in Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi, sells Arabic sweets including baklava, qatayef and mamoul with nuts, open daily from 09:00 until midnight.
Worth the queueQatayef with cheese or nuts
TipProperty Finder lists pistachio Turkish fingers and qatayef with cheese or nuts among the best sellers at this Al Ramlah Street shop.
Al Aqssa Sweets on Salam Street in the Tourist Club area of Abu Dhabi has sold kunafa, baklava and basbousa since 1980, open daily from 09:00 to midnight.
Worth the queueKunafa with cheese or cream
TipGulf News notes a second branch in Khalidiya; this listing is the Salam Street shop in the Tourist Club area that opened in 1980.
Landers is a bakery and cafe at Al Qana in Abu Dhabi selling almond and salted honey croissants, cinnamon buns and zaatar monkey bread from 10:00 daily.
Worth the queueAlmond and salted honey croissants
TipPlatinumlist says breakfast is served until 13:00 and the gelato is made in house; the counter also holds kouign amann and feta swirls.
Anko Japanese Patisserie sits above teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi in the Saadiyat Cultural District, serving wagashi, yogashi and pan with specialty coffee.
Worth the queueWagashi
TipWhat's On suggests visiting around sunset for golden-hour views of the water and the Abu Dhabi skyline from the terrace.
Brot The German Bakery at Shams Boutik Mall on Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, sells wood-oven bread, lye pretzels and croissants, and opens 07:00 to 22:00 daily.
Worth the queuePretzels
TipThe brand's site says its flour comes from a family-run Bavarian mill and that its breads are made without additives or improvers.
Stead Bakery in Al Raha, Abu Dhabi, opened in summer 2025 with an open kitchen, naturally fermented sourdough, croissants and cardamom karak.
Worth the queueCheese jalapeno croissant
TipHuntr says the sourdough sells out before closing, and the open kitchen lets you watch croissants being shaped.
Super Classic Cafe at Marsa Al Bateen in Abu Dhabi is a speciality bakery serving sourdough croissants, danishes and babka alongside pour-over coffee.
Worth the queueSourdough croissant
TipHuntr places the cafe in an Al Bateen park beside 3 Fils, and says the pastries are baked on site in a space of about 30 square metres.
Otaku at Al Qana in Abu Dhabi serves home-grown bakery servings with specialty coffee in a Japanese-inspired space, open from 07:00 every day.
Worth the queueBakery servings with specialty coffee
TipThe Al Qana listing says Otaku also sells exclusive retail items alongside the bakery and specialty coffee.
Al Sultan Bakeries & Markets runs a branch in Al Danah, Abu Dhabi, selling Arabic bread, samoon, baklawa and knafa, open daily from 06:00 to 00:30.
Worth the queueKnafa with cheese
TipThis is the Najda branch opposite the Vision Twin Towers; the operator's list says its Khalidiya branch in Al Hisn is open 24 hours.
Tawa Bakery in Al Zahiyah, Abu Dhabi, is a 100% gluten-free bakery and eatery with safe options for guests with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity.
Worth the queueGluten-free bread
TipBest Bites lists the Al Zahiyah shop open from 9AM to 11PM and calls it a dedicated gluten-free restaurant with no cross-contamination.
Naeem Sweets at Marsa Mina, Abu Dhabi, is the kunafa shop of a Jordanian maker who opened on Hamdan Street in 1974 and reopened here at the age of seventy.
Worth the queueKunafa
TipGulf News says the owner still comes in at 15:00 every day and stays until 21:00, and the shop uses ingredients from Denmark and the Balkans.
Yann Couvreur Patisserie opened a second Abu Dhabi shop at Yas Mall in July 2026, selling Parisian-style pastries, viennoiserie and chocolates every day.
Worth the queueParisian-style pastries
TipThe first Abu Dhabi shop is at The Galleria Al Maryah Island, which the brand's own site lists at Level L1, ADGM Square.
Bloomsbury's Boutique Cafe & Artisan Bakery in Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, is a brand begun in 2011 as a cupcake shop; it serves cakes, brunch and coffee.
Worth the queueCupcakes
TipThe brand's site says the first shop opened in Al Wahda Mall in 2011; this branch is on level 2 of the mall.
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