Food is available for all palettes and diets in Abu Dhabi. In addition to visiting a number of independent restaurants I traveled to the Taste of Abu Dhabi expo on Yas Island to sample more of the food that Abu Dhabi has on offer.
Special Diet / Organic / Natural / Vegetarian / Wheat or Lactose Free
Daintree will deliver organic food to you. Their meals are paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, GMO-free, soy-free, corn-free, grain-free and refined sugar-free,
Lifefood caters for many restrictive diets and offers an assortment of juices and meals.
Fresh juice is an option for people on most diets and it’s available in many places.
Yogoday has non-fat organic products (mostly drinks and snacks) and they deliver.
Arabian
Shish Schawerma is the only local franchise that I could find serving anything close to local Emirate cuisine. I;m hoping the UAE will increase its offering in local Arabian cuisine.
There are other independent “doner” / shawarma takeaways in the city.
Indian
With a majority of the population being residents from the sub-continent you’ll find Indian food available everywhere you go.
French
La Brioche is present on the Corniche and in many malls.
Japanese
I came across quite a few Japanese restaurants.
I’m a fan of sushi and was pleased with what was on offer in Abu Dhabi.
Lebanese
Lebanese food is available throughout the emirate.
American
There are too many American brands to cover in this post including Shake Shack, Starbucks, McDonalds, Fuddruckers, Johny Rockets, The Cheesecake Factory and Dairy Queen.
Persian / Iranian
Hatam served the tastiest meal I had during my visit. The rice was very soft and fragrant.
Turkish
Turkish kebabs, ice cream and sweets are available but not to the same extent as American and Indian food.
Seafood
You’ll find the freshest fish in the city at low cost at the restaurants in the Mina Fish market.
I’ve seen halal food wherever I’ve been which makes Abu Dhabi a convenient destination for Muslims to travel to.
To learn more about Abu Dhabi check out these articles:
Abu Dhabi Travel Guide for South Africans
