Abu Dhabi: Golf & Gastronomy

For golf fans who also love great food, Abu Dhabi is hard to beat as a tourist destination. Home to world-class courses including Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Yas Links Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital is now a must-visit destination for foodies, too.

Reflecting its cosmopolitan nature, the city serves up cuisine from all over the world. Here’s our guide to the city’s best places to eat.

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Hakkasan

The Michelin-starred London restaurant opened its Abu Dhabi branch in 2010 in the luxurious Emirates Palace. The dining room is adorned with carved wooden screens, embroidered furniture and marbled Chinese sculptures, while head chef Lee Kok Hua’s superb signature plates of Peking duck with caviar and Wagyu beef with soy are accompanied by an excellent selection of dim sum and noodle dishes.

Zuma Abu Dhabi

Located at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, Zuma offers a modern twist on traditional Japanese cuisine alongside waterfront views. It’s fashionable and buzzy, and the food lives up to the cool surroundings of burgundy leather chairs and stone fixtures. There’s sushi and sashimi, tempura, bao buns, and signature dishes such as miso-marinated black cod cooked to perfection on a robata grill in front of guests. It also serves one of the best brunches in town.

Coya Abu Dhabi

Also located in The Galleria, Coya Abu Dhabi is one of the city’s coolest hangouts. The Incan-inspired interior’s bright colours are matched by the vibrancy of the Peruvian dishes on offer, including ceviches and tasty tacos. The waterfront views add to this fun and contemporary Latin American experience, and it’s a great place for brunch too, with welcome drinks and Latin music.

Nusr-Et Steakhouse

The world-famous chain of Nusr-Et restaurants also has a branch in Abu Dhabi on the Galleria level of the Four Seasons Hotel. It’s highly fashionable due to the popularity of owner Nusret Gokce, a restaurateur also known as ‘Salt Bae’, but the quality of food shows there’s substance beneath the glitz. The premium cuts of beef and wagyu steak take centre stage, prepared and salted at the table. This is one of the city’s most exciting and memorable spots.

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Catch

This smart/casual seafood restaurant at the Nation Riviera Beach Club, part of The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, serves up fresh seafood next to Corniche Beach. The nautically-themed dining room is open and bright with French doors leading to a porch overlooking the water. Dishes include grilled Chilean sea bass, sushi and shellfish, but there’s plenty of great meat dishes on the surf-and-turf menu. The 15-course brunch is very popular with tourists and expats.

Diablito Food Yas Island

Bringing authentic Mediterranean cuisine to Yas Island, Diablito occupies a rooftop venue in Yas Marina and has fantastic views of the architecturally-stunning Yas Marina Circuit, home to the Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The restaurant is popular and buzzy and the menu is a mix of different Mediterranean cuisines, with pizzas alongside Spanish tapas.

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Meylas

After starting life as a food truck, Meylas now serves up traditional Emirati dishes in its own restaurant in the Al Muneera residential district of Al Raha Beach. The trendy canteen-style interior wouldn’t look out of place in London’s Shoreditch area, while the menu is filled with modern takes on traditional plates such as salonat Badu, a Bedouin stew with lamb and rice. With a terrace facing the sea, it’s a great place to enjoy traditional Emirati hospitality.

Bu Tafish

Dating back to 1968, this seafood restaurant is one of Abu Dhabi’s oldest food establishments. The menu is unpretentious and the flavours speak for themselves with fresh, local fish such as bream and snapper cooked to simple perfection. A great place for an informal, tasty experience with friends.

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Saudi Kitchen

More Middle-Eastern food can be found at Saudi Kitchen at the Gava Hotel in the heart of the city. It’s a charming, casual place decked out with glowing lanterns, wooden rafters and woven textiles. The food is just as comforting, with traditional dishes like fattoush and lamb madfoon (lamb served on aromatic rice). A warm, welcoming, family-friendly place to eat and socialise.