Japanese Restaurant TAZU Has Found A Home At The Louvre Abu Dhabi

Get in fast and make the most of this one while you can: TAZU is the latest - and greatest - iteration to take over the iconic Art Lounge on The Louvre’s rooftop. A gorgeous Japanese offering, there’s plenty of tasty bites to accompany your sunset drinks - but so much more than that: the whole menu really is excellent. 

If you’re looking for a wow-factor spot to show off Abu Dhabi to your visitors - with views to match - or catch up with your mates for a chic mid-week dinner or Friday night drink, this is it. We’d rate it as a great date spot as well - an afternoon strolling through The Louvre followed by dinner on the rooftop terrace? Très impressionnant!

Arrive hungry - there are a host of hot and cold starters that really tickled us, and it’d be a shame to skip over them. The oysters are plump and super fresh, perfect with a glass of bubbly to start. Move on to beef teriyaki skewers - just the right amount of sticky and very moreish, served on a miniature BBQ grill to finish - and crispy tempura softshell crab, light and not at all oily with a fab little pot of wasabi mayo for added punch.

We know you’ll be wondering - and yes, the sushi is excellent. Freshly rolled, the dragon maki and crunchy crab maki were delicious, and both were polished off quick smart. 

Mains hold their own on a menu that can  tempt you to just share a stack of smaller bites: 48 hour braised teriyaki short rib is really well flavoured - you’ll be jockeying for the most tender bites underneath - and their teriyaki salmon, which arrived when we were almost at capacity, was cooked to perfection and butter-soft under the fork. 

Rally yourself - and order the dessert platter. A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, it’s brimming with fresh fruit, sorbet, mochi, mango sticky rice and a pièce de résistance - though not traditionally Japanese - chocolate lava cake. Drinks are lovely as always - a constant at Art Lounge - but there are some new additions. Combat the heat with their refreshing mocktails, or our favourite - a lovely gin-based, bramble-inspired cocktail that hits all the right notes for a sunny afternoon on the terrace.

Staff are really on point - we put our trust in them and were amply rewarded with a really lovely evening and no difficult ordering decisions. Hot tip? Consider the weather - sunset is gorgeous on the rooftop, but it’s quite bright at 5PM when they open for the evening, so pack your sunnies. It was buzzing by the time we left - seats fill up fast, and we went mid-week - but if you’re looking for a restaurant that isn’t echoing and empty, this is one for you! 

With views across the sea to the city skyline, a vibey DJ and the treat of being somewhere that just feels effortlessly cool, this is one we’ll be telling all our friends about. Be sure to get in by mid-June -TAZU by Art Lounge closes for the summer, reopening in September. 

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TAZU by Art Lounge 

The Louvre Abu Dhabi

Open: daily | 5PM - midnight 

Contact: 052 799 4538