Showing 1-18 of 18 results
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Al Dhafra
If you're peckish in the Abu Dhabi Heritage Village, try some traditional Emirati dishes or Arabic mezze at Al Dhafra, on the white-sand beach where you can enjoy the splendid city skyline while you eat.
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Automatic Restaurant
This Lebanese eatery is a branch of the successful national chain, and while everything on the menu is good, their tangy shwarmas are some of the most delicious around.
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Café du Roi
Affectionately known as 'Roy's', this neighbourhood café is popular with expats and Emiratis alike, from academics calling in for a gossip over lunch to Emirati guys doing deals on their mobiles. The haloumi and zaatar croissant is delicious while the decent coffee is still the cheapest around.
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Café Firenze
Beloved by the expat community, the large al fresco terrace makes this a wonderful choice when the weather is cool. They also make some of the best coffee around, along with delicious cooked breakfasts.
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Carrefour
Carrefour, has the best bakery and deli counter in Abu Dhabi, with barrels of delicious olives and Arabic cheeses, good quality fruit and vegetables, and a huge range of products from Europe.
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Finz
With a divine waterfront location in a wooden A-frame beach house with verandas over the azure sea, Finz serves up some of the finest seafood in town. Highlights when we visited were the tuna tartare with lemon capers, crème fraiche and oestra caviar; the sesame crusted oysters with miso; and the grilled sea scallops with tomato and basil ice cream. Sublime.
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Hediard
This Abu Dhabi branch of the elegant French chocolatier and patisserie chain, established in 1854, has proven to be popular with Emiratis - the men love to linger and read the paper over lunch, while the wives like to drop in for coffee and petit fours between shops.
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Idiom
Despite being on the radar for a few years, this hip eatery (around the corner from Roy's and opposite Tché Tché), with its minimalist design, is a breath of fresh air. They do delicious soups and a tasty dish of the day.
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India Palace
You'll feel as if you're in Rajasthan rather than Abu Dhabi when you eat at this expat favourite with its regal Raj interior and fine North Indian cuisine, including lots of vegetarian options and delicious tandoori dishes.
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Jazz Bar
One of the city's oldest and most consistently fine restaurants serves up fabulous cocktails, clever contemporary fusion cuisine, and live jazz in a modern Art-Deco-inspired interior. The South African bands play on a raised platform behind the curved bar, so it's possible to watch from your dining table or from the cocktail bars up close.
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Lebanese Flower
Abu Dhabi's most popular Lebanese restaurant does delicious mixed grill meats and delicious garlicky chicken shwarmas . They also sell fabulous Lebanese sweets and pastries.
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Marrakesh
If the exotic Moroccan décor and the authentic cuisine, including delicious tajines and couscous, aren't enough to bring you here, there's an excellent Moroccan band and bellydancer. Evenings here are memorable and go late.
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Pars Palace
Tucked away in a Khalidiya backstreet behind Corniche Towers, this excellent Persian restaurant in Oriental surroundings is a hidden gem. Local favourites include the delicious zereshk polo-ba-morgh (chicken and saffron with pomegranate seeds, and spicy kebabs. The complimentary home-baked flat bread with sheeps'-milk cheese is scrumptious.
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Prego's
The best of Abu Dhabi's Italian restaurants, Prego's offers up authentic, well-executed Italian fare, including delicious handmade pastas (you can see them being made!) and wonderful wood-fire oven pizza and pasta. The fresh-out-of-the-oven breads and virgin olive oil on arrival is scrumptious, and the staff friendly. But while the interior is buzzy and stylish, there are few better experiences than sitting on the outdoor terrace on a sunny day.
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Royal Orchid
Perennially popular, the tasty Thai cuisine here is the best in Abu Dhabi. The gaeng phed lynjee (duck with lychees in a red curry sauce) is our favourite. The restaurant is rather stylish for an eatery not located in a five-star hotel - there's a fabulous glass walkway in the entrance over a large aquarium - and the service is friendly and efficient. The restaurant is unlicensed.
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Sayad
This swish seafood restaurant at Emirates Palace is a stunner. While the whimsical interior with its fabulous blue-lit interior (designed to make you feel like you're underwater) can be distracting, the creative seafood dishes easily command your attention. From its champagne trolley and caviar menu to its impeccable attentive service, this is a memorable restaurant that you should save for that last night of the trip or special celebration.
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Sheesha Cafés
On the grassy verge next to the Corniche at Kalidiya, these outdoor Sheesha Cafés are great for soaking up some local ambience. Emirati men, and the occasional group of Emirati women, chat over sheesha (around Dh20 ) and Turkish coffee (around Dh10 ) at white plastic tables on the lawn - well into the early hours of the morning.
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Tché Tché
Offers up a true expat Arab experience - with Arabic music videos blaring from the TV and a long sheesha menu. This popular café (with a branch in Dubai) also serves delicious Arabic food and good Turkish coffee.
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Showing 1-18 of 18 results
