Under its palace domes, along its marina terraces, and inside its old fort at Qasr Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi sets Arabic tables with either urban polish or majlis-warmth. The cooking is anchored in the Gulf and the Levant, where saffron-scented rice holds its perfume, Grilled meats are served with their juices sealed in, and mezze earn their appetite.
At heart, this is a capital that follows the Gulf catch and the market, using local seafood and seasonal UAE produce where possible and imports where needed. So, as the currents cool, it’s hamour and sheri, fresh from the run, and when the harvest comes in, it is Liwa dates at their most flavoursome.
Below are the addresses that are counted as the best Arabic restaurants in Abu Dhabi.
Mezlai, Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
Emirati cooking is presented with the posture of a grand affair. The room echoes a contemporary majlis, with patterned screens, lantern light, and a calm view across the grounds, while the menu is as geographic as it is gastronomic. The choices include Gulf fish, oasis-grown herbs, and properly layered spice blends, plus slow-cooked lamb and rice perfumed with saffron and rosewater. Arabic coffee and warm luqaimat set the tone the moment you’re seated. It remains the palace dining room most steeped in local memory, with soft formality, and the first port of call for visitors who favour original Emirati dishes.
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Lebanese Terrace, Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
A newer Levantine room in the same palace and part of the set of high-end Arabic restaurants in Abu Dhabi, Lebanese Terrace is made for lunches that are best savoured in afternoons that run into the soft light of evening. Olive trees and stained glass frame a bright interior, and the garden-side terrace shows its best face between October and April when the weather is at its best. The kitchen runs a clean line of cold mezze, charcoal-grilled fish and meats, and house signatures such as fattet lamb shank and cabbage-rolled castaletta. The Lebanese wine list does well to impress, with arak poured correctly over ice, leaving the table well supplied from aperitif to dessert.
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Li Beirut, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
City-smart and quietly ambitious, the dining room opens to a harbour-facing terrace as the kitchen pares back the classics with a gentle, nostalgic accent. Menus are concise, plating is sharp, and the modern touches carry the 21st-century flair. Kunafa-wrapped prawns arrive with a clean crunch, and grills are rested well so the meat keeps its juiciness. Li Beirut is among the city’s most reliable Lebanese addresses with a cadence of service that keeps a consistent pace for discreet business suppers as well as date nights.
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Byblos Sur Mer, InterContinental Abu Dhabi
It rises across two levels, with terraces wrapped around the marina and the friendly smell of charcoal in the air as you sit. The pace matters here: mezze arrive vivid and generous, the fattoush stays crisp and properly sharp, and the mixed grills come smoky, well-seasoned, and well-paced. Sunset has its part to play, since the terrace faces west, and many diners stay back for the occasion, as the light fades with thick coffee and the scent of anise keeps drifting once the plates are cleared. The true draw lies in the consistency, the water view, and the kitchen’s steady hand, producing dishes suited from midday through to evening.
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Em Sherif Sea Café, Rosewood Abu Dhabi
Em Sherif is a Lebanese restaurant with a waterfront address on Al Maryah Island. The light pours into a glass-lined room patterned with hand-painted tiles, and a counter stacked with the day’s fish signals what the kitchen does best. The menu tilts towards seafood, with sayadieh carrying proper depth and grilled prawns lifted by acidity, and it is designed to be shared across the table. Salads and dips bring their herbs through cleanly, while the service holds steady and present when needed. As evening comes in, the room often takes on a quieter pulse of live music, a detail that folds naturally into the setting. It is one of the top Arabic restaurants that is celebrated for being stylish, generous, and true to its place on the water.
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Mijana, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
A resort flagship, it carries the air of an evening restaurant even in daylight. Deep blues and gilt details shape the interior, softened by candlelight kept burning through the day, while the terrace opens to the night sky and, once dessert is cleared, shisha and aromatic sips of tea take over. The kitchen stays close to the classical repertoire and serves a full spread of hot and cold mezze, a grill section led by the mashawee mshakaleh rotating four cuts of meat, and pastries that arrive hot from the oven. Mijana seats approximately 80 guests indoors with room for another 90 on its terrace, making it equally suited to intimate suppers and convivial evenings by the water.
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Beirut Sur Mer, Mamsha Al Saadiyat
This beachfront dining room is bright and transparent, its broad windows look onto the sandshores at Soul Beach in Saadiyat, where the architecture favours glass, pale stone, and minimal framing to hold views of the horizon. At Beirut Sur Mer, mezze arrive colourful and crisp, whole fish is grilled over charcoal expertly, and marinated meats land with their flavour intact. Desserts – mouhalabieh with pistachio, kunafa pulled hot and sweet – are kept light and as delicious as they ought to be. The venue has quickly become a popular Arabic restaurant in Abu Dhabi, with its terrace opening directly onto the Gulf. The dress code remains smart-casual, ensuring the atmosphere stays poised.
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Erth, Qasr Al Hosn District
Here is the story piece: Erth sits inside the city’s oldest cultural site, Qasr Al Hosn, whose watchtower dates to the 18th century. A walk through real history, not themed décor, in late 2023, it became the first Emirati restaurant to earn a Michelin star, and it has held that star since. The interior is designed around modern polished concrete, with majlis and bespoke textures, while the cooking is anchored to Emirati flavours using traditional cookware and ingredients sourced across the Emirates. A lamb machboos may arrive with modern accents yet rooted to its origin, while date-rich sweets echo Bedouin memory. It’s the restaurant that gives visitors a genuine taste of Emirati cuisine, with a pride that residents recognise as their own.
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Final Reflection
These Arabic fine dining restaurants in Abu Dhabi have grown into a recognised part of the city’s international appeal. The Michelin Guide now lists more than a dozen Arabic restaurants, with Erth becoming the first Emirati restaurant to earn a star in 2023. Palace hotels continue to present the cuisine in formal and sophisticated settings, while new beachfront and marina addresses draw in younger diners with a lighter hand. Abu Dhabi, young in city years, has managed to set out a sequence of Arabic dining addresses with a standing to match the best of capitals. Together they define the city’s balance of heritage and ambition – a Gulf setting that stretches from the oldest watchtower to the newest waterfront.
