Are you a tourist visiting Abu Dhabi, or a resident, and pondering where to try UAE’s cultural food? If so, we’ve got you covered. We have put together a list of the best Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi where you would get a unique taste of the UAE’s traditional food.
Know Before you Eat!
If you have seen an Emirati person eating Emirati food before, you will most likely notice they are eating the food in an informal way(without the use of a spoon and fork). You may want to taste real Emirati food, we recommend you eat it in the same way as local Emirati does.
Al Majboos is a traditional meal made of rice and either chicken or lamb beef. Normally, Emirati people prefer to eat the Al Majboos using their hands. Eating with your hands will level up the experience of enjoying tasty food. Moreover, Saloona is an Emirati stew made with seasonal vegetables and flavored with a special spice mixture called bezar. In an Emirati way of eating Saloona is added on top of white rice, or dipped bread in the Saloona.
Regarding Emirati sweets, Luqaimat is simple fried dough fritters fluffy from the inside and crunchy from the outside, topped with honey or date molasses and sesame.
Emirati cuisine is distinguished by great hospitality, which is one of the most featured characteristics of UAE because it is passed down from great grandfathers to fathers. If you were invited to an Emirati family house, you will be served in a specific way. Firstly, you will try the welcome drink, which is Arabic coffee, along with a date. Then, the family will serve you the meal, but they will not start eating unless the visitor joins the table. Lastly, the family will not get off the table unless the visitor is done eating his meal, because he might feel awkward if the house family gets off the table first while he is still eating. Emirati families respect their visitors.
Here’s a list of the best restaurants in Abu Dhabi. Now tuck in.
Meylas – Best Emirati Restaurant in Abu Dhabi
Meylas is one of the best Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi. As referring to the name, Meylas in UAE’s local language means “guest’s living room”.
The restaurant serves casual dining Emirati food and drinks in a high-quality atmosphere. Meylas specializes in traditional Emirati cuisine made of superior and fresh food. Moreover, Sheikha and Noura Alkaabi, Meylas owners, support home businesses. Hence, the restaurant buys some of the ingredients from local Emirati home businesses.
Meylas offers traditional breakfast from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, this includes all types of Emirati breakfasts such as Balaleet, Khameer, Regag, Al Harees, Shakshuka, and much more. We tried their best seller from the breakfast menu that is “Reyog Meylas” which includes diverse kinds of traditional breakfast in one tray.
For lunch and dinner, various traditional main courses are available in Meylas. The traditional Al Majboos is so delicious, along with the Mashawy, Saloona, and Thereed, in all of its kinds (chicken, meat, fish, vegetable), and furthermore available.
We tried Meylas salads, soups, and side dishes for lunch, and it gave us a great experience of traditional food in their restaurant.
Meylas is accessible in two locations, in Al Muneera as a dining-in, and on al Hudayriat Island as a food truck.
Everybody likes discounts, and so do we! If you work at ADNOC or have an ADCB account you can have a discount on the bill. Also, you can find Meylas at Noon, Talabat, Delivaroo, or order directly through Meylas.
Operating hours: 8:30 AM – 10:30 PM
For more requests and answers about Meylas Emirati dishes, visit Meyla’s Instagram account, or website, or check their menu here.
Average Cost for 2: 150 AED
Contact: (02) 444 8884 or +971 56 310 6611
Location: Al Raha Beach – Al Muneera – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
Yadoo`s House – Best Emirati Restaurant in Abu Dhabi
This eatery made its debut in 2013. In our opinion, it is one of the best for quality food together with a nicely set up airy atmosphere. Furthermore, the design of the restaurant reflects Emirati culture providing visitors with a good experience.
They serve a wide variety of UAE national food and are well known for their classic chicken majboos, laham majboos, and luqaimat. Consequently, Yadoo`s House Restaurant & Café stands out from the crowd with its authentic flavors and ingredients.
The restaurant is mostly busy during the afternoon times, so make sure to arrange your timings before you visit. Since they have established an online presence, you can also make an order on Talabat, Zomato, or Deliveroo. You can explore their menu; see a list of available food and place orders anytime you want.
Their menu contains several food categories among which grilled items, soup, starters, salads, and pasta are the most popular. For breakfast, savory meals such as taybeen, balaleet, arabica, regag, and chebab are available. We tried out luqaimat, and balaleet with sides and we loved their delicacies.
The Main Course category includes Biryani Dejaj (Chicken), Jeshed, Margooga, saloona, and others you will not want to miss. There is a separate menu for kids which makes it an ideal place for family time. Before leaving, you might need to drink either hot or cold drinks. Karak tea, Arabic coffee, mojitos, cocktails, and juices are available to choose from.
Operating hours: 8 AM – 11 PM
Average Cost for 2: 175 AED
Contact: 02 441 1311
Location: Al Nasr Tower 2, Al Murror Street
If you want to check out their services, you can visit Yadoo’s House’s official Instagram account.
Garb Al Deera – Best Emirati Restaurant in Abu Dhabi
Garb Al Deera is one of the best Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi that we selected to review. We recommend it for the traditional Emirati food they’ve excelled at for the past few years.
The restaurant has floor seating, and tables and as well offers closed seating for groups, families, and anyone who prefers to eat in privacy to satisfy all their desires.
The menu at the Garb Al Deera restaurant features a wide range of traditional Emirati foods, including entrees, snacks, drinks, and desserts. You may as well enjoy their most well-liked meals as we did when we visited them, like lamb biryani, prawn machboos, chicken tikka, chocolate luqaimat, and orange juice.
Let’s mention the tasty traditional sweets that leveled up our experience at Garb Al Deera. We tried what the restaurant is well-known for, which is lamb biryani. Also, we tried the Luqaimat topped with sesame and one of the finest honey brands.
If you visit the restaurant and don’t know what to order, take a look at Garb Al Deera’s electronic menu, you will find a section for “Most Selling” meals.
Through our experience, we observed the serving time in the restaurant. Garb Al Deera took 10 to 15 minutes to serve us all the orders, except for grilled dishes, which took up to 20 minutes. Garb Al Deera employees are well-trained in dealing with customers, they serve with a smile and generosity.
Operating hours: 10:00 AM – 12:30 AM every day.
Average Cost for 2: 150
Contact: 055 707 0101
Location: Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Rashed Bin Saeed St – Zone 1
Al Fanar – Best Emirati Restaurant in Abu Dhabi
This was the idea of Hashem Al Marzouqi to establish the popular restaurant, Al Fanar. The aim was to introduce visitors, whether residents or tourists, to the local culture. Consequently, Al-Marzouqi opened its first branch in 2011. A Few years later, he managed to open three more branches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Al Fanar is one of the best Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi. The menu is very rich, as it serves authentic national food of UAE, prepared with delicious secret seasonings by skilled professional Emirati chefs.
Among the most famous of these dishes are meat, chicken, and fish biryani, Jasheed, khameer and chebab, grilled fish, khanfaroosh, and karak tea. Additionally, a long list of appetizers, salads, and desserts.
Al-Fanar hosts occasions, like national day and Eid. The traditional music band with Emirati cuisine has this nostalgic vibe that hits each visitor and creates a traditional atmosphere.
The restaurant specializes in making delicious food from fresh ingredients that take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to be ready for a table of 5-7 people. During that time, the employees serve the customers Arabian coffee and also give children coloring paper.
Al-Fanar has a delivery service too, but they only deliver if you order through Talabat or Deliveroo. Additionally, with every delivery order from Talabat, you can receive a 20-30% discount only on weekends and national days.
Regarding home service, they can cook for 100-300 people and deliver the food to you, so you will serve it to your guests as hot as it is.
To bring to your attention, Alfanar does accept an entertainer discount, 40% off your bill, which is awesome, isn’t it?
Operating hours: 9 AM–10 PM
Average Cost for 2: 200 AED
Contact: 02 877 2272
Location: Yas Mall
For more information, visit their website or Instagram account.
Final Words
Now that you have a list of the best Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi, you can choose one and enjoy the traditional food of UAE while exploring more about the culture.
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