Food
48 August 2019 Time Out UAE Kidschicken salad is worthy of
the venue’s name, while the
sushi and robata salmon are
top-notch, too.
O Open daily noon-4pm
and 7pm-midnight. The St.
Regis Saadiyat Island Resort,
Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island
(02 498 8888). ★
★ Outdoor Restaurants
★★ RomanticLi Jiang Some of the best
South-East Asian food in
town, be sure to order a
noodle dish to see some real
culinary magic.
O Licensed. Open daily
4pm-1am. The Ritz-Carlton
Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Khor
Al Maqta (02 818 8282). ★BEST CHINESE
Hakkasan The service is
slick, the décor stylish and
the food very, very good
indeed. We’re big fans. Has
won several of our Restaurant
Awards over the years and
with good reason.
O Licensed. Open daily
6pm-midnight. Emirates
Palace (02 690 7999). ★★Dai Pai Dong Top Cantonese
street food done in fine-dining
style. Great atmosphere and
good value.
O Licensed. Open Sat-Wed
noon-11pm, Thu-Fri
6pm-11.30pm. Rosewood
Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island
(02 813 5550). ★BEST EUROPEAN
La Petite Maison A quite-
brilliant restaurant serving
Niçoise cuisine. Expectmark in the capital but there
were no such issues for MYNT,
which immediately soared
into our top three. The daab
chingri (Bengali prawns) is
just one of many reasons we
can’t wait to tell friends about
this place.
O Open daily noon-4pm
& 7pm-midnight. Salam
Street, Al Zahiyah
(02 666 6400). ★Punjab Grill High-end,
creative Indian dishes that
look great and are packed
with plenty of flavour. Service
is good, too, as you would
expect for a restaurant in
such a lovely location.
O Licensed. Open daily
12.30pm-midnight.
Venetian Village,
The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi
Grand Canal, Khor
Al Maqta (02 449 9839). ★BEST ITALIAN
Villa Toscana Charmingly
rustic décor and friendly
service give this Italian all the
charisma you could ask for.
O Licensed. Open noon-3pm,
6pm-11pm. The St. Regis Abu
Dhabi, Nation Towers
(02 694 4553). ★★Cafe Milano Lovely staff and
food that is very, very good
make dining at this elegant
restaurant a memorable
experience.
O Licensed. Open daily,
noon-4pm, Sat-Wed
7pm-midnight, Thu-Fri
7pm-1am. Four Seasons
Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island
(02 333 2222). ★Circo A thoroughly enjoyable
experience awaits at this
circus-themed restaurant.super ingredients, presented
simply but effectively. A more
than welcome addition after
starring in Dubai for so long.
O Licensed. Open daily
noon-3pm, 7pm-11pm. The
Galleria, Al Maryah Island
(02 692 9600). ★★Bentley Kitchen A bustling
atmosphere, excellent
European dishes and some
excellent cuts of meat.
O Licensed. Open daily
noon-1.30am. The Galleria,
Al Maryah Island
(02 626 2131). ★The Warehouse A tapas bar
that’s as cool as they come.
Excellent dishes that work
as bar bites or as a proper
meal out. Keep an eye out
for regular deals, too, and
be sure to book in advance,
especially for the weekend as
it draws in a large crowd.
O Licensed. Open daily
4pm-1am. Pearl Rotana
Capital Centre, Al Khaleej
Al Arabi Street
(02 307 5591). ★BEST INDIAN
Tamba An Indian restaurant,
sure, but actually much more
than that. Tamba not only
does the basics that you’d
expect from an Indian eatery
very well, it also adds a touch
of glamour, creativity and
style in an extremely cool.
O Licensed. Open Sun-Wed
noon-1am; Thu-Sat noon-2am.
The Hub at The Mall, World
Trade Center Abu Dhabi
(02 672 8888). ★★MYNT Indian Cuisine You’d
think any Indian newcomer
would struggle to make itsFrom the entertaining staff
to the traditional dishes,
you’ll find perfectly executed
Italian hospitality.
O Licensed. Open daily
noon-midnight.
InterContinental Abu Dhabi,
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz
Al Saud Street
(02 666 6888). ★BEST JAPANESE
Zuma High-end Japanese in a
stunning setting. This hot spot
serves up the best Japanese
food in town. Bookings are
essential as this place is
always busy.
O Licensed. Open Sun-Sat
noon-3.30pm, Sat-Wed
7pm-midnight, Thu-Fri
7pm-1am. The Galleria,
Al Maryah Island
(02 401 5900). ★★99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant
Watching the chefs work
meticulously to prepare
the stunning food is a joy,
and as the dishes come
out – one-by-one – you’ll be
seriously wowed.
O Licensed. Open daily
noon-3.30pm; Sun-Wed
7pm-11.30pm; Thu-Fri
7pm-12.30pm. bar open
Sat-Wed noon-1am; Thu-Fri
noon-2am. The Galleria,
Al Maryah Island
(02 672 3333). ★KOI Abu Dhabi If Zuma
weren’t its competition, KOI
would probably win our
Japanese Restaurant of the
Year more often than not.
O Open daily Sat-Wed
6.30pm-1am; Thu-Fri
6.30pm-2am.
The Collection, The St. Regis
Saadiyat Island Resort
(02 678 3334). ★BEST MENA
Li Beirut This fine-dining
Lebanese restaurant offers
something a little different.
There is a set selection of
mezze if you’re not sure of
what to order.
O Licensed. Open daily
7pm-midnight. Jumeirah at
Etihad Towers, Corniche West
(02 811 5893). ★★Byblos Sur Mer There’s a
wide variety of traditional
dishes from grills and creative
mezze. There’s also authentic
entertainment in the evening.
There are a number of set
menus starting from Dhs275
per person, and many
different grills and salads.
O Licensed. Open Sun-Thu
noon-2am, Fri-Sat noon-3am.
InterContinental Abu Dhabi,
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz
Al Saud Street
(02 666 6888). ★BEST
AFTERNOON TEAObservation Deck at 300
The new winner of our Best
Afternoon Tea title was a
shoe-in for the award this
year. Head to the lofty 74th
floor of Jumeirah at Etihad
Towers for an afternoon with
incredible views..
O Open daily 2pm-6pm.
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers,
Corniche West
(02 811 5666). ★★Alba Lobby Lounge Tea at
The Ritz is world-renowned for
offering the utmost in quality
service, the daintiest of
delights and a setting
you’d expect only the
most important of VIPs
to enjoy. The Grand Canalincarnation produces super
sandwiches and scones in a
salubrious setting.
O Open daily 8am-11pm.
The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi,
Grand Canal, Khor Al Maqta
(02 818 8282). ★BEST BREAKFAST
Raw by Nolu’s Honest,
wholesome and healthy are
just three of the watchwords
of this wonderful third cog in
the Nolu’s wheel. Cuter and
cosier than its big brothers in
the capital, Raw has attracted
its own band of devotees.
O Open daily 8am-10pm.
Al Seef Village, Khalifa Park
area (02 444 8080). ★★Café Arabia A cosy
book-lined coffee nook
that doubles as a place to
demolish Sultan of Arabia
burgers, cakes and mezze.
O Unlicensed. Open Sat-Wed
8am-10.30pm; Thu-Fri
8am-10pm. Villa no.37, 15th
street, Airport Road
(02 643 9699). ★tashas So incredibly healthy
(and tasty) are the breakfast
dishes at this South African
import, we can almost forgive
its owner for missing out an
apostrophe from its moniker
(almost). The emperor’s
breakfast is a beautiful way
to kick-start your morning.
O Open daily 8am-midnight.
Marsa Al Bateen
(02 445 0890). ★BEST BUDGET
Bonna Annee This friendly
joint offers food that packs a
spicy punchl. If you haven’t
tried Ethiopian food, this is
your chance to give it a go.
O Unlicensed. Open daily
11am-midnight. Al SalaamStreet (02 491 2128). (^) ★★
Barbacoa This mighty
Mexican marvel in Masdar
City has long been on our
radar as an outpost in
which you can grab some
seriously tasty food at some
perfectly pocket-friendly
prices. We can’t get enough
of the barbacoa tacos
(worthy of this place’s name)
and the guacamole is
just perfect.
O Open daily 10am-10pm.
Masdar City (02 639 4226).★
Pizza Di Rocco Specialises in
one dish, but that’s no bad
thing when they’re this good.
Great takes on the classics
and some unusual pizzas.
O Unlicensed. Open daily
11am-midnight. Salam Street,
between 9th and 11th Street
(02 641 8300). ★
BEST CAFÉ
Joud Café We knew our 2018
Best Café winner had to do
something special and Joud
proved a complete revelation.
O Open daily 8am-10pm.
Barbacoa bites
Feed three for under Dhs150?
You can do that right here at this
fun, colourful Mexican spot, which
serves up mean tacos and tortillas,
quesadillas, burritos and bowls.
O Open daily 10am-10pm.
Masdar City (02 639 4226).
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