Skip The Cocktails And Try The Best Mocktails In Abu Dhabi Instead

Dragon’s Tooth

Rosewood

Tucked away under the Rosewood, this speakeasy bar is the vibey little sister of Dai Pai Dong. It makes for the perfect before or after-dinner drink, but don’t let that put you off making Dragon’s Tooth itself your final destination: taking cues from the 1920s Shanghai Jazz movement, it has a tasty Asian-inspired bar menu and plenty of signature cocktails. 

Onto the mocktails (or aptly named refreshers), and we can’t go past the Passion Boba (AED39) - a combination of oolong tea, passionfruit and lime with plenty of chewy boba. The flavour is sweet but not overpowering, and the pearls add a fun touch. Three other signature refreshers are on the menu, so there are plenty to work your way through during an evening out.

Open: daily | 6PM-1AM | until 2AM Friday & Saturday

Bookings: 02 813 5588

Taparelle

Manarat Al Saadiyat 

For a (relatively) new kid on the block, we may have found our way back to Taparelle an embarrassingly large number of times since their doors opened at the end of 2024. Whether it’s a date night, a larger gathering with friends or even a place to grab a meal with the family without sacrificing ambiance and good food, Taparelle ticks all the boxes. The smell of woodfired pizza wafting across the al fresco tables is guaranteed to whet your appetite, but the menu has plenty of other excellent options if you aren’t in a pizza mood - seafood, pastas and share plates aplenty, it's a Mediterranean dream.

The cocktails are a delight, but the mocktails are arguably the star of the show. Our favourite? The refreshing, decadent, creamy Aubin: a beautiful passionfruit concoction, topped with the whitest whip and a smattering of lime - a truly gorgeous drink, and there are plenty more where that came from.

Open: daily | 12PM-11PM

Bookings: +971 2 657 5832

Oii

Al Qana

Mocktails are far from an afterthought on the drinks menu at Oii: they’re the main event. This pretty Mediterranean restaurant has the tagline ‘serving joy’ and their mocktails certainly deliver on that promise. Twelve - yes, twelve - signature mocktails are on the menu, alongside some failsafe mojitos and we can’t pick a favourite. Bird’s Kiss (AED39) combines grapefruit, elderflower and butterfly pea tea for a fun infusion, Skopelos Vibes (AED39) is an aqua concoction of passionfruit, pineapple and ginger ale, while Porto (AED39) blends peach and strawberry for an under the radar winner. 

While the whole Al Qana precinct is dry, you wouldn’t notice it with tasty beverages like these. Want something to accompany your mocktails? Check out the fab BB+ menu at Oii - for just AED160 per person, enjoy three courses and a mocktail to wash it all down! 

Open: daily | 8AM - 12AM

Bookings: 02 628 2983

La Petite Maison (LPM)

The Galleria Al Maryah Island

We’re big fans of La Petite Maison for many reasons - divine food, charming staff, water views from their splendid terrace - but the fact they do a mean mocktail is also high on the list. Limonade Noire (AED60) - (yes, that’s black lemonade for the non-French speakers) combining rosemary-infused honey with verjuice, activated charcoal and stirred with soda water - is our go-to, but it keeps good company in a mocktail list 16 strong. 

Les Classiques (alcohol-free takes on classic cocktails like an espresso martini and bloody Mary) sit alongside Les Signatures: signature LPM concoctions that are delicately balanced and a pleasure to sip. They even have the calorie count listed, if you’re watching your alcohol intake AND saving extra calories for dessert: a Pomme-Basilic, green apple cordial with fragrant basil topped up with sparkling mineral water will cost you AED44 and just 47kcal. Now that’s a mocktail we can get around! 

Open: daily | 12PM - 1AM | from 12.30PM on weekends

Bookings: 02 692 9600

NURI Korean Grill & Bar

Yas Bay

Home to possibly my favourite mocktail in Abu Dhabi, NURI in Yas Bay is a fab Korean Grill & Bar that ticks a lot of boxes: delicious food (their Korean fried chicken is the perfect combination of crispy, sticky and tender in the middle), gorgeous industrial chic interiors and proper Korean-style karaoke. Hire a room for an hour (for just AED100) - or an evening - arm yourself with a songlist packed with hits, and sing your heart out. Enjoy food and drinks while you sing - which brings us back to the mocktails: Acacia is a dreamy concoction with whipped foam on top; combining pineapple juice, lemon and fresh basil, it’s a delight. 

Alongside a bunch of other delicious mocktails, NURI has a fully stocked bar, and they have a brilliant Saturday brunch as well. Praise for NURI is well-deserved: for a fun and fresh Korean meal, you can’t go wrong here - and we’d wager you’ll love their mocktails just as much as we do!

Open: daily | 12PM - 12AM | until 1AM Friday & Saturday

Contact: 054 211 5151

Gran Tour Emilia

Ferrari World Yas Island

You say Ferrari World, we say… mocktails? Yep, you heard us right - and you’ll be just as impressed with the mocktail offering at Gran Tour Emilia - Ferrari World’s newest and fanciest restaurant - as we are! Opening their doors in September, they have a gorgeous bar set up to complement their excellent Italian fare, serving dishes that are authentic to Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, the birthplace of Ferrari. The best part? The bar is completely dry - so you can enjoy a host of artfully created drinks without drinking and driving (are the car puns too much?). 

The bar itself is lovely, right down to the terracotta roof tiles adornment, direct from the rolling hills of Emilia-Romagna - and the talented bartender whipping up some of the most impressive mocktails we’ve seen. Without a doubt, the Rosso Noturno booster (AED30) had the most wow factor: mixed in a blown glass vessel, then topped with a glowing, smoke-filled bubble, it’s no shrinking violet. We love Bologna (AED45): sweet, foamy and refreshing, combining basil cordial, cold brew green tea and pineapple juice - it’s a winner. Controversially, Gran Tour Emilia’s Bellini (AED60) is one of the best we’ve ever had - made even better with its guilt-free 0% Lyre’s Classico bubbly, topped with sweet peach puree. Be sure to pop by on your next visit to the theme park - the food is delightful, and the mocktails are a must-try. 

Open: daily | 10AM - 

Contact: walk-ins | contact Ferrari World directly for more information

SUSHISAMBA

Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers

It hardly needs an introduction, but the eagerly awaited arrival of SUSHISAMBA in Abu Dhabi has brought with it their much loved blend of Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese fusion, impeccable food and delicious drinks - of course served up in the iconic speckled orange SUSHISAMBA glasses. Saturday’s Rio Brunch is a riot: colour, flavour and glamour combine for one of the best brunches in Abu Dhabi (link) - and the dancers are just incredibly fun and fabulous! Another big brunch highlight? The non-alcoholic drinks! Yes, the cocktails are excellent, but both the Samba Mojito and White Champagne fly the flag for great mocktails that understand the SUSHISAMBA brief. White Champagne combines Lyre’s London Dry gin, sparkling white grape, mint & elderflower cordial for a velvety floral concoction - reminiscent of a Hugo spritz, but better! 

Open: Saturday brunch | 12.30PM - 4PM | moving from monthly to fortnightly

Contact: 02 811 5882

Aqua

Rosewood Al Maryah

Another brunch find that we’ve fallen hard for, Aqua has relaunched their Saturday brunch with a strong mocktail game: enter, the Forbidden Fruit. Do you find most mocktails way too sweet, to the point that you’re one and done for fear of inducing a sugar coma? Same - but this one strikes the right balance. Not bitter or sour, but not overly sweet either, it’s the Goldilocks of mocktails – and served up in Aqua’s newly revamped (and gorgeous) dining room, this mocktail is just right! Perfect to wash down their best-of-the-Mediterranean brunch.

Open: Saturday brunch | 1PM-4PM

Contact: 02 813 5550

Raclette

Mamsha Beach 

Mocktails with a view? Look no further than Raclette! Perfect any time of the day or night, this French brasserie serves up excellent food - but they aren’t pretentious about it. High ceilings, chic decor and fun wallpaper await if you take a seat inside, but if the weather is good soak up the seaside views and fresh air on the promenade. 

Non-alcoholic signature drinks add to the holiday vibe: with names like Garden Party (AED40) - a cooler-style mix of pineapple, passionfruit, apple and cucumber, Thirst Quencher (AED40), Tropicana (AED45) and Liquid Spa (AED48) you can see why. From sweet to more tart, you’ll find a nice blend of flavours on the menu. And if you’re wondering what a Liquid Spa entails? Pineapple juice, lemon juice, almond syrup, peach syrup and martini rose - yum!

Open: daily | 9AM - 12AM

Contact: 056 996 6898