30 editor picks across United Arab Emirates.
30 casual dining worth the trip across United Arab Emirates, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Arab Emirates guides.
Thalassery Thattukada serves Malabar parottas, beef curry, potthu kaal and mutton biryani from a small room near Big Mart in Al Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi.
OrderPotthu kaal, the bone cracked at the table for the marrow, with Malabar parottas, then the mutton biryani.
TipStart with a kadak tea, as Gulf News does, then order parottas, beef curry and potthu kaal; the tables gradually fill up by evening.
Bua Thai Cafe is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Thai room at Yas Bay Waterfront in Abu Dhabi, with steamed hagao, chicken green curry and mango sticky rice.
OrderSteamed hagao and the chicken green curry, then mango sticky rice, the dishes the Michelin Guide names.
TipMichelin suggests taking a terrace seat in cooler months and booking ahead, especially at weekends; the cafe opens from 12:00.
Abu Kaabi Kabab Restaurant & Grills has served Syrian and Arabic grills in Al Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi, since 1975 and won an Urban Treasures award in 2023.
OrderThe quarter-kilo mixed grill, up to three cuts from AED 46 on the 2026 menu, with hummus at AED 17.
TipSandwiches are the cheap way in: kebab at AED 10, tikka and shish tawook at AED 14 each, against grill plates from AED 34.
Rempah Indonesian Restaurant Khalifa City serves bebek goreng surabaya, nasi goreng with satay and ikan pecak betawi in Abu Dhabi, with a branch menu.
OrderBebek goreng surabaya, the crisp herb-marinated duck The National picks, or the nasi goreng special.
TipThe two branches do not share menus, so the Khalifa City dishes named here may not appear on the Airport Road list.
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.
TipIt runs on walk-ins and queues, and Michelin advises expecting a wait; seating splits between private cabins, majlis and regular tables.
Bu Qtair sells marinated fish and prawns by weight from a shack by the Umm Suqeim fishing harbour, then fries them to order while diners wait.
OrderFried pomfret or sheri by weight, with rice, parathas and the tomato curry sauce.
TipPick your fish at the counter, give your first name and wait for it to be called; there is no booking.
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant & Cafe seats diners under a tree in a covered courtyard in Al Fahidi, a Bib Gourmand kitchen cooking rustic Emirati food.
OrderMachboos rice with dango chickpea soup and a plate of luqaimat.
TipBread is baked in view of the courtyard tables, and live music plays in the evening.
Asyak Grill cooks Persian charcoal grills at Zayed Port in Al Mina, Abu Dhabi, with koobideh, hamour barg and mixed grill platters made for sharing.
OrderKoobideh or the marinated hamour barg, the two dishes the restaurant names on its own site.
TipWhat's On describes super-sized grills designed to share, so one mixed grill platter suits a table of friends.
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.
TipMichelin lists Meylas among Abu Dhabi's best breakfast spots; it opens at 08:30, and the chefs cook in an on-view kitchen.
Aroos Damascus plates Syrian kebbeh, grills and manakish on Al Jaziera Street in Deira, serving all day and late into the evening, inside or on the patio.
OrderMixed grill platter with kebbeh, shish tawook and a bowl of fattoush to share.
TipService runs from breakfast until well past midnight, and the patio tables are the pick once evenings cool.
Al Safadi Restaurant grills Lebanese mezze and steaks a short walk from DIFC in Dubai, open from 09:30 for breakfast through to a late dinner at 00:30.
OrderMixed grill platter with hummus and a plate of warm knafeh to close.
TipBreakfast runs from 09:30 and uses the same grill list as dinner.
Aroy Dee Thai Restaurant serves Thai street food such as pad Thai and curries on Electra Street in Abu Dhabi, with a bigger second room at Mushrif Mall.
OrderPad Thai, which Best Bites calls the national favourite, or the red curry with roasted duck.
TipBest Bites puts a meal for two under AED 120 and says the Mushrif Mall room is bigger, with floor seating as well as tables.
Bonna Annee serves Ethiopian injera platters with shiro, misir wot, gomen and beef tibs in Al Zahiyah, Abu Dhabi, open daily from 10:00 to midnight.
OrderThe vegetarian platter on injera, with a side of beef tibs, as Best Bites recommends.
TipBest Bites says staff will explain the dishes and that a shared platter suits mixed groups of vegetarians and meat eaters.
Kopitiam by Chandy's is a Michelin Selected Malaysian restaurant on Al Falah Street in Abu Dhabi, run by owner Chandy, with roti jala and daily specials.
OrderRoti jala, which the Michelin Guide says is always worth ordering, plus the blackboard specials.
TipA blackboard of daily specials supplements the short menu, and Michelin notes the kitchen is visible from the dining room and spotless.
Sind Punjab Restaurant has served Mughlai and Punjabi cooking from Meena Bazaar since 1977, one of the oldest South Asian kitchens in Bur Dubai, Dubai.
OrderButter chicken with a garlic roomali roti, finished with a plate of pani puri.
TipOrder from the chaat side too: pani puri, sev puri and falooda sit on the same menu as the butter chicken and dal makhani.
Karachi Darbar in Al Karama belongs to the Pakistani group that traces its roots to 1973 and serves karahi and nihari to drivers and families alike.
OrderChicken karahi with tandoori roti and a plate of seekh kebab on the side.
TipFriday mornings bring halwa puri and chickpeas before the karahi menu switches on at lunch.
Wafi Gourmet serves Lebanese hummus, tabouleh and kebbeh at its Sunset Mall branch on Jumeirah Beach Road, a Dubai brand established back in 2001.
OrderHummus plate with tabouleh salad and a side of kebbeh bil laban.
TipThe souq counter up front sells the same Lebanese ingredients to take home after the meal.
Al Mandaloun has served Lebanese mezze in DIFC's Gate Village since 2005, a Dubai room built for a business lunch or a shisha evening outside.
OrderShish tawook with garlic sauce, ordered alongside a round of hot and cold mezze.
TipIn cooler months the outdoor lounge between the DIFC towers is the draw, with shisha and mezze late into the evening.
Afghan Khorasan Kabab grills chapli kebab and cooks Afghan rice dishes on Al Meydan Street in Al Quoz, Dubai, a room built around shared plates.
OrderChapli kebab with a plate of Kabuli palaw studded with raisins and carrot.
TipOrder a grill platter with a rice dish for the table; the menu is built around sharing.
Kalpaka A Malabar Restaurant cooks Kerala coastal seafood inside the Regent Palace Hotel in Al Karama, Dubai, with a lunch and a late dinner service.
OrderKarimeen pearl spot fry with kappa tapioca and a Malabar prawn curry.
TipLunch and dinner are separate services, with a break in the afternoon.
Payyannur Restaurant serves nool parotta, thattu dosa with veg stew and Kerala-style biryani on Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street in Abu Dhabi, from 06:00.
OrderNool parotta and thattu dosa with veg stew, then the fish mango curry or the Kerala-style biryani.
TipOrder several plates for the table: Gulf News reports one group of six covered shrimp starters, fish mango curry, idiyappam and parotta.
Fonda Colombiana serves empanadas, arepa de choclo and patacones con carne desmechada from a colourful villa on Al Mihtham Street in Al Manhal, Abu Dhabi.
OrderEmpanadas, arepa de choclo with cheese and patacones con carne desmechada, as Best Bites advises.
TipSeating runs from inside with air conditioning to outside among hammocks, and the restaurant takes reservations on WhatsApp.
Villa Mamas is a Michelin Selected Khaleeji restaurant in Abu Dhabi from Bahraini chef Roaya Saleh, serving chicken machbous and hummus with lamb cubes.
OrderThe chicken machbous and the hummus topped with lamb cubes that the Michelin Guide names.
TipVilla Mamas states that 20% of the restaurant's profits go to the Emirates Red Crescent.
Al Farah is a Michelin Selected Middle Eastern restaurant on Khalidiyah Street in Abu Dhabi, popular for breakfast, with manaqeesh and fresh oven bread.
OrderManaqeesh and the fresh bread coming straight out of the oven, the two things Michelin notices as you arrive.
TipExpect a queue of people collecting manaqeesh orders; the Michelin Guide lists Al Farah among the best breakfast spots in Abu Dhabi.
Berenjak is a London-born Persian kebab house that opened in 2026 in The House villa in Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, cooking over a mangal across two floors.
OrderThe koobideh kabab, with kashk-e bademjoon and black chickpea hummus, the signatures FACT lists.
TipBerenjak is set in a standalone villa across two floors, with a four-seat chef's table beside the open kitchen and mangal.
Taparelle is a Michelin Selected restaurant in Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, marrying French and Italian cooking in a room with locally sourced pottery.
OrderThe scallop Grenobloise, the oxtail ragu or the crispy charred sea bass named by the Michelin Guide.
TipFully licensed, it opens at 07:30 and closes at 23:00, or midnight on Friday and Saturday; Michelin says its Saturday brunches are a must.
Calicut Paragon, a Kozhikode name dating to 1939, cooks Malabar biryani, fish moilee and beef fry in a plain Al Karama dining room in Dubai.
OrderChicken biryani with a side of fried Kerala prawns and a bowl of chicken curry.
TipMost dishes come in full and half portions, priced to match, so a table can try more of the Malabar menu.
Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe rebuilds 1960s Dubai in its Al Seef dining room, serving machboos and harees the way the UAE ate before towers rose.
OrderLamb machboos with a plate of luqaimat and date syrup to finish.
TipAsk for the terrace, which looks across the creek at the boats and old Dubai.
Saravanaa Bhavan pours filter coffee and folds masala dosa at its Al Karama branch in Dubai, part of the long running Chennai vegetarian chain.
OrderMasala dosa with coconut chutney and a tumbler of filter coffee.
TipIt opens at 07:00 every day, so it works for an early dosa breakfast.
Nayaab Haandi has cooked Pakistani and Mughlai dishes since 2006, and its Al Wasl Road room near Al Bada serves chicken handi, karahi and seekh kebab.
OrderChicken handi with tandoori roti and a plate of seekh kebab rolls.
TipHandi dishes are cooked to order and take longer than the karahi list, so put that order in first.
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