Day-by-day eating plans for Abu Dhabi. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.
Day-by-day plans
Abu Dhabi first visit: Al Hosn, the harbour and the islands ★ 4.7
First-time visitor, two days, with a car or taxis2 days
Two weekend days that start at the Qasr Al Hosn site and the Mina Zayed markets, move through Sudanese foul and kunafa, and run through a Bib Gourmand Emirati breakfast, gahwa on Saadiyat and dinner at Al Qana.
Day 1: Saturday: Al Hosn breakfast, Mina Zayed lunch, foul and kunafa
Morning
Erth at 08:00, when it opens on Saturdays, on the Qasr Al Hosn site; the Michelin Guide lists it among the best breakfast spots in Abu Dhabi. Then Bait Al Gahwa from 09:30, which shows Emirati coffee roasted, ground, brewed and served with dates.
Afternoon
Lunch at ryba from 12:00 in Souq Al Mina, where the Michelin Guide singles out the locally caught hammour from the charcoal grill. Then walk to Mina Zayed Fish Market and the Abu Dhabi Dates Market, both open 08:00 to 22:00.
Evening
Abu Al Afwal in Al Zahiyah from 17:30 for Sudanese foul and falafel with bread. Finish at Naeem Sweets at Marsa Mina for kunafa; it stays open until 01:00 on Saturdays.
Day 2: Sunday: Airport Road breakfast, Mamsha gahwa, Al Qana dinner
Morning
Al Mrzab on Airport Road, open from 07:00; arrive for 09:00 and expect a wait for a table, as the Michelin Guide advises. The Guide names chebab, harees and khanfaroush drizzled with local honey among its standout dishes.
Afternoon
Coffee Architecture on Mamsha Al Saadiyat from 14:00 (open 09:00 to 22:00 on Sundays). Its founder serves gahwa to anyone who walks in, and recommends the manual iced Chemex.
Evening
Dinner at Tazal at Al Qana from 19:30; it is open until 23:30 on Sundays. The Michelin Guide names the Iranian kabab, bang bang shrimps and kaak Al Quds as the originals.
Abu Dhabi weekend: brunch across Yas Bay, Saadiyat and Al Maryah ★ 4.3
Weekend visitors who want brunch, waterfront dinners and little driving2 days
A Saturday and Sunday built around two of the capital's brunches, with Al Qana coffee, a Lebanese pier dinner at Yas Bay, a Saadiyat promenade coffee and a Spanish grill to close.
Day 1: Saturday: Al Qana coffee, Paradiso brunch, Lebanese dinner at Yas Bay
Morning
Space Cafe at Al Qana from 09:00 for specialty coffee and a homemade dessert; it opens at 08:00 and stays open to 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Afternoon
Paradiso's Saturday brunch on The Pier at Yas Bay Waterfront, 13:00 to 16:00, with Italian plates and sparkling packages; Yas Bay lists the Saturday packages at AED 250, 350 and 450.
Evening
Bushra by Buddha-Bar on The Pier from 20:00 for contemporary Lebanese food with live performances; the doors stay open until 02:00.
Day 2: Sunday: Saadiyat coffee, La Vie en Rose brunch, grill dinner
Morning
TEN11 Beach on Mamsha Al Saadiyat from 09:00 for coffee on the promenade, with beans from Ethiopia to Brazil and pre-packaged rose and saffron latte blends to take home; it is open 08:00 to 01:00 from Friday to Sunday.
Afternoon
La Petite Maison's La Vie en Rose brunch at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, which runs every Sunday from 11:00 to 16:30. Arrive by 12:30; LPM takes bookings on +971 2 692 9600.
Evening
Marcella at Yas Bay from 20:00 (open 12:00 to 00:00 on Sundays) for the whole-roasted Pyrenees lamb shoulder or the seafood paella with king crab bisque, both from the parrilla.
Abu Dhabi on a budget: one day in the downtown grid ★ 4.5
On a budget, one day, eating well for little1 day
One Saturday in Al Danah, Al Khalidiya, Al Zahiyah and the Mina area: a Kerala breakfast, a parotta lunch, chaat, Sudanese foul at dusk and kunafa after midnight, mostly at everyday prices.
Day 1: Saturday: Kerala breakfast, parotta lunch, chaat, foul and midnight kunafa
Morning
Taste of Kerala on Old Passport Road from 07:30 (open from 06:00). Gulf News lists breakfast plates of idly, dosa, appam and puttu with kadala curry, and Curly Tales prices a meal at about AED 45 for two.
Afternoon
Lunch at Thalassery Thattukada in Al Khalidiya at 13:00, before the tables fill up by evening, as Gulf News describes: Malabar parottas with beef curry, or the potthu kaal with the bone cracked for the marrow. Then chaat at Chaat Chaska from 16:00; Best Bites says nothing on the list tops AED 12.
Evening
Abu Al Afwal in Al Zahiyah from 17:30 for Sudanese foul and falafel, a cafeteria open since 1975. Finish with kunafa at Naeem Sweets at Marsa Mina, which stays open until 01:00 on Saturdays.
The Emirati table in one day: Meylas, Al Mrzab and Erth ★ 4.6
Food-focused visitor, one day, wanting the Emirati dishes1 day
One Sunday of Emirati cooking in three registers: a food-truck-born breakfast at Meylas, a Bib Gourmand lunch at Al Mrzab, gahwa at Qasr Al Hosn and a Michelin-starred dinner at Erth.
Day 1: Sunday: chebab and balaleet, gahwa, thareed, a modern machboos
Morning
Meylas at Al Muneera from 08:30 for chebab with date syrup, honey and cheese, and the saffron balaleet at AED 35. Then Bait Al Gahwa at Qasr Al Hosn, which runs from 09:30 to 14:00 on Sundays and serves gahwa with dates.
Afternoon
Lunch at Al Mrzab on Airport Road, where Michelin names harees and chebab as standout dishes and its lamb thareed is a favourite. Then the Abu Dhabi Dates Market at Mina Zayed, open until 22:00, where vendors hand out dates and Arabic coffee to sample.
Evening
Dinner at Erth, open until 23:00 on Sundays, for the modern lamb machboos and the Liwa dates batheeta the Michelin Guide suggests to finish.
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