Restaurants in Abu Dhabi: The Best Places to Eat
Abu Dhabi eats well and quietly. There are more than a few thousand restaurants in Abu Dhabi, and the city has none of Dubai’s appetite for a scene, which means the good ones are judged on the food rather than the room. A great many are small, cheap and full of people who have been going for years.
This is where to eat in Abu Dhabi, organised by what you actually want to eat rather than by neighbourhood or price bracket. Each category below is a guide of its own.
Checked August 2026. Restaurants open, close and move. Confirm before you travel.
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The best restaurants in Abu Dhabi, by category
The best restaurants in Abu Dhabi are not clustered at one end of the market, so this list of the best places to eat in Abu Dhabi is organised by craving rather than by price. Each category below is getting a guide of its own.
Dum biryani, Hyderabadi and Malabar styles, cooked in sealed pots and sold by the kilo. A staple weeknight order across the whole city, and cheap almost everywhere.
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The real benchmark of an Abu Dhabi neighbourhood. Best eaten standing up, after ten at night, for a few dirhams.
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A genuinely strong scene, from Emirati-run smash burger counters to the international chains on Yas and Saadiyat.
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Abu Dhabi took to specialty coffee late and hard. Roasters in Al Bateen and Khalifa City, and karak stands that never went anywhere.
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Yemeni mandi, slow-cooked lamb over rice, eaten on the floor with your hands. Cheap, enormous and the city’s best-value meal.
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The weekend institution. Licensed hotel brunches on the Corniche and Saadiyat, and quieter daytime versions inland.
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The best restaurants in Abu Dhabi by cuisine
Abu Dhabi’s population is the menu. Roughly nine in ten residents were born somewhere else, and the restaurant scene maps onto that almost exactly, which is why the South Asian and Levantine cooking here is better and cheaper than the international names on the islands.
The deepest category in the city. The best Indian restaurants in Abu Dhabi run from India Palace and Asha’s at The Galleria at the polished end, to Chatore on Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street for chaat and street food, to the canteens along Electra Street where a thali costs less than a coffee.
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Peshawari cooking, and Mussafah is where it lives. Namak Mandi does chapli kebab, karahi and kabuli pulao in a room done out in truck art, with floor seating alongside tables.
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The most reliable cuisine in Abu Dhabi. Zahrat Lebnan on Defence Street and Mosaic on Al Najda are institutions, and Bait El Khetyar has branches on Najdah and Hamdan doing mixed grills, foul and shawarma from early morning.
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Mandi, madfoon and madhbi, eaten in enormous portions for very little money. Bait Al Kushna in Khalidiyah, Madfon Alkhalij in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, and Mandi Man out in Khalifa City.
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Kerala fish curry, dosa and appam, mostly in small unlicensed rooms on Electra Street and in Mussafah. Cheap, fast and consistently the best value in the city.
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Concentrated in Al Zahiyah, the old Tourist Club area, alongside the Filipino and Vietnamese places. Straightforward rooms, long menus, low prices.
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Almost entirely a hotel and Al Maryah story. The best Italian restaurants in Abu Dhabi sit inside the Corniche hotels and The Galleria, which is also where you will find the licensed wine lists.
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Sushi and robata, clustered on Yas Bay, Saadiyat and inside the larger hotels. Expensive by Abu Dhabi standards, and the quality is genuinely high.
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Al Zahiyah and Mussafah, serving the large Filipino community. Silog breakfasts, lechon and turo-turo counters where you point at what you want.
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Grills and pide, spread along Electra Street and the mainland districts. Good for large groups and late hours.
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Best Thai Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
A small scene, mostly inside hotels and on Yas. Fewer options than Dubai, but the ones that exist are decent.
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Best Persian Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Kebab houses and saffron rice, long established around the old town. Quiet rooms, generous plates.
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Best Seafood Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Two ways to do it. Buy your own at the Mina Zayed fish market and have it cooked, or book a hotel restaurant on the water. The first is far better value.
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Best Mexican Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
The thinnest category on this list and the least competitive. A handful of venues, largely on Yas Island and inside hotels.
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Best Emirati Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Harder to find than you would expect in the capital. Machboos, harees and luqaimat, served at a small number of dedicated venues and at the heritage sites.
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Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is an easy city to eat vegetarian in, largely because of the South Indian and Gujarati kitchens. Chatore does chaat and pav bhaji, and most Indian restaurants keep a full pure veg section rather than an afterthought.
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How eating out works here
Alcohol is served in licensed venues only, which in practice means hotels and a handful of standalone restaurants with licences. Everywhere else is dry, and nobody thinks twice about it.
The price spread is enormous. A full mandi platter feeding two runs a fraction of what a Saadiyat tasting menu costs per head. Some of the best food in the emirate is in the cheapest rooms, particularly on Electra Street and in Mussafah.
Ramadan changes everything. Daytime service is limited, iftar buffets take over the evening, and hours shift across the whole month.
Book at weekends. Thursday and Friday evenings fill up, especially anywhere licensed or on the water.
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Where to eat in Abu Dhabi, by area
Restaurants in Abu Dhabi cluster by area, and the clusters have distinct characters. If you are deciding where to eat, start here.
- Electra Street and Al Zahiyah. The densest, cheapest and most interesting eating in the city. Indian, Pakistani, Filipino and Arabic, side by side.
- Al Bateen and Khalidiyah. Specialty coffee, neighbourhood bistros and long-standing Lebanese restaurants.
- The Corniche and Al Maryah. The licensed end. Hotel dining, waterfront terraces and the best restaurant selection in any one place, at The Galleria.
- Saadiyat and Yas. Resort restaurants, beach clubs and the international names. Expensive, polished, good for an occasion.
- Mussafah and Khalifa City. Where the city actually eats on a weeknight. Grills, mandi houses and canteens, almost all of it unlicensed and very cheap.
Common questions
What is the best restaurant in Abu Dhabi?
There is no single answer, and anyone who gives you one is selling something. Pick by what you want to eat: mandi in Mussafah, Indian on Electra Street, a licensed dinner on Al Maryah, a beach lunch on Saadiyat.
Is Abu Dhabi expensive for eating out?
It has one of the widest price ranges in the UAE. A filling mandi or shawarma meal costs a few dirhams. A tasting menu on Saadiyat costs several hundred. Both are easy to find.
Can you drink alcohol in Abu Dhabi restaurants?
Only in licensed venues, which are mostly hotels and a small number of standalone restaurants. Most of the city is dry.
What food is Abu Dhabi known for?
Emirati dishes like machboos and harees, Yemeni mandi, and an enormous South Asian food scene reflecting the population. The shawarma is a serious local benchmark.
Do you need to book?
At weekends and anywhere licensed or on the water, yes. Midweek at a neighbourhood grill or canteen, no.
When is the best time to eat out?
Evenings, and late. Abu Dhabi eats late, and many of the best cheap places do not get going until well after nine.
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