The Most Instagrammable Cafes and Restaurants in Abu Dhabi

EL&N

Yas Bay

This dreamy Yas Bay hot spot is a treat for the eyes and the tastebuds. Mini cereal pancakes, chicken and pink waffles, and four varieties of French toast all feature on a menu that is as fun as the decor. The cake display requires stronger willpower than ours to pass up, and there are plenty of cute backdrops to snap a pic inside and out. You won’t miss it - head to Yas Waterfront and make for the hot pink facade! Barbie would approve.

EL&N has recently opened two more locations - Marina Mall and Reem Mall - and each one has its own distinct style! Marina Mall has pink accents but a little more of a big sister vibe to the Yas Bay 'pink disco ball' vibe. Reem Mall is a funky deli-style space with red and green over the typical pink.

Time: daily | 10AM - 12AM

Contact: 02 883 9395

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Flamingo Room by Tashas

The Galleria | Al Maryah Island

Interiors to die for and food to match - Flamingo Room has to be one of the prettiest places to eat in Abu Dhabi. Enter via African Lounge - including a gorgeous bar and a luxe shop filled with high end trinkets with an African theme - and descend via the glamorous elevator (complete with fuzzy zebra print wallpaper) to the floor below. The finishings are fab, and you’ll notice extra little touches everywhere you look as you enter the pink dining room: monkey lamps, tiles that look like a mermaid’s tail, another ornate bar, even subtle speakers in the shape of paw prints. It could be overwhelming, but it isn’t - the whole space is impeccably put together. Views across the water and huge windows complement the vibe, and you’ll really want to capture the moment. We love it as the ultimate backdrop for a girly lunch or dinner, but it’s a great place to impress your guests or for your next date night. The food’s great too - order the bombe Alaska for the ultimate Instagrammable end to your meal. Oh - and don’t forget to check out the bathrooms, they’re just as pretty as the restaurant itself! 

Open: daily | 12PM - 12.30AM

Contact: 02 675 9301

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Perlage 

The Galleria | Al Maryah Island

If you loved Flamingo Room, spare some time for Perlage. It might be one of the most pricey places to grab a drink in Abu Dhabi, but if you want FOMO-worthy photos and a glamorous location, this is the place. Named for the French term for the effervescence in a glass of bubbly, you can enter Perlage via Flamingo Room’s dining room, or else through Rosewood Hotel, and the bar - while small - is ornately finished. Velvet, mounds of disco balls hanging from the ceiling, bougie menus - it’s a maximalist’s dream come true. Drinks can easily set you back 75 dirhams and up for a cocktail - plenty of them are Champagne based - so maybe save this one for after payday, or when you’re feeling flush. 

Open: Tuesday - Saturday | 8PM - 3AM

Contact: +971 58 288 8164

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Parker’s

Umm Al Emarat Park

Two words: Matilda cake! If you haven’t seen this viral dessert already, cast your mind back to the childhood classic - the cake that poor Bruce Bogtrotter demolishes against the odds, to the cheers of his classmates. Feeling up for the challenge? Setting you back a cool AED93, we’ve seen groups of 4+ fail to finish this rich beast. Scroll through their tagged posts in Instagram and you’ll see plenty of love (and defeat) for this one.

Parker’s has plenty more to offer, including some other excellent desserts and a whole array of fresh cafe favourites for breakfast and lunch, but we say go big or go home. The reveal of oozing chocolate is definitely picture worthy - whether you can follow up with a snap of your empty plate is another matter! Good luck - you’ll need it.

Open: daily | 8AM - 11.30PM

Contact: 600 555551

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Saikindō

Four Seasons Abu Dhabi Al Maryah Island

A funky fresh Japanese Hi-Fi cocktail lounge - with some seriously cool interiors - Saikindō is unlike anything else in Abu Dhabi; if you’ve been to HoneyComb Hi-Fi in Dubai, you’ll love this one. Emerging from postwar café culture in Japan, Saikindō’s inspiration is drawn from these intimate rooms that were built for deep listening, with DJs playing rare vinyl on high-fidelity systems tuned for warmth and clarity. Both food and drink menus are creative: innovative cocktails are a standout, with Japanese whiskey, sake and shōchū all in starring roles. Yakitori and robata plates are designed to complement the cocktails, and the drinks themselves are inspired by songs from 90s hip hop to soul and R&B - it’s quite the symbiosis. 

Want to translate a small piece of Saikindō’s vibe into your own life? There’s a funky shop - for want of a better word - called The Atelier, which offers Bōsōzoku-inspired fashion and hand-crafted work directly from Japan to Abu Dhabi - it’s small batch, artisan, and very chic. Prepare yourself for a trip at one of the coolest - and most aesthetic - spots in Abu Dhabi. 

Open: daily | 5PM - 2AM

Contact: 02 333 2222

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Strawfire

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Abu Dhabi

The brainchild of Ross Shonhan, Strawfire combines plenty of wow-factor moments backed up by genuinely great food. While Strawfire is a must visit for serious foodies, it’s also gorgeous - from the moment you walk in, the spectacle unfolds. The Tsukimi Lounge is chic and perfectly set off by the giant moon floating front and centre, the space inspired by a Japanese full moon festival. Be sure to enjoy a welcome drink in the bar and bask in the beauty of it, before heading through to the main restaurant for dinner. 

In the dining room, regular bursts of flame from the strawfire cooking blazes as everything from premium cuts of meat to oysters and even avocado were cooked in this reimagined waryaki style. From the bright flames to the smell of smoke and even the tiny straw particles drifting through the air of the glassed-in open kitchen, it’s an immersive and exciting experience. The decor is equally sumptuous, and from beginning to end, Strawfire delivers: exceptional food, gorgeous interiors, wonderful staff and an experience you won’t forget in a hurry! 

Open: daily | from 6PM

Contact: 02 690 7999

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Episodes

Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace

As eye-catching inside as it is out, if a night here is out of the budget - us, too! - Episodes is worth a visit just to bask in the decadence of this iconic hotel.

Styled as a series, Episodes 1 - 4 include a tea apothecary, a deli, a cake shop and a gelateria: this space is the definition of opulence. Take a seat - we like grabbing a spot by the crystal flowers of Episodes 1 - but feel free to order from different counters depending on what you fancy. Whether you're coming for the iconic 23K gold leaf coffee (a cool AED90) or fancy something stronger - this is a classic Abu Dhabi experience.

Time: daily | 9AM - 11PM

Contact: 02 690 7999

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Bake Studio 

Muroor 

A brand new bakery has landed in Abu Dhabi and this one’s the real deal - you can see the bakers busy at work while you wait for your order (and they sure are busy!). As well as making everything from croissants to cinnamon rolls on site, they’re doing a roaring trade with pick up orders - probably your best bet to try them out, as there are only a few small tables inside and outside. It’s tiny, but it’s cute - and the pastries are definitely photo-worthy!  

Our picks? The croissants in the window were enticing, and I was sold on an almond croissant… until we spied the pain au suisse butterfly (AED27) - it’s shaped like a bow! We couldn’t go past a crumble cinnamon roll (AED27) and rounded out the trio with a chocolate brownie (AED20). Filled with chocolate and raspberry jam, the pain au suisse is so cute, and the crispiness of the pastry was on point! We love, love, LOVE a cinnamon roll, this one wasn’t the best ever (if it was warmed up it’d score more points) but still highly commended. And the humble chocolate brownie? Not so humble - topped with ice cream and caramel sauce, and with some walnut chunks, it was a chocolate bomb without being too sweet - we polished it off with no problems. It’s a cute spot, popular with a local crowd and even has some adorable tees and caps if you want to take a little of the Bake Studio vibe home with you - bonus points!

Open: daily | 8AM - 10PM

Contact: 054 359 8921

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COYA

The Galleria Al Maryah Island

The lush interiors and waterfront views get us every time, and COYA knows how to deliver a very impressive - and aesthetic - experience (literally - have you tried the cocktail that comes to your table in a smoke-and-light-filled glass case?). This Latin American restaurant serves up fresh and interesting Peruvian cuisine, making it a must-try on the Abu Dhabi foodie scene. The devil is in the details at COYA: from wow-factor drinks care of the pisco bar, to impeccably presented desserts and everything in between, you’ll be surprised at every turn. 

You’ll find plenty to love on the innovative - yet accessible - menu, and check out their lively Saturday brunch (it’s a vibe - the music is on point and staff will make sure you have a fab time). All this against a super cool backdrop - it’s an eclectic combination of high ceilinged industrial-chic, lush greenery and quirky touches that transport you far away from Abu Dhabi. 

Timing: daily | 12PM - 11.30PM with a break between lunch and dinner service

Bookings: 02 306 7000

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OsK Croissanterie

Al Bateen

If the cool minimalist vibe doesn’t immediately lure you inside, the smell of freshly baked croissants will definitely do the trick! As the door swings open and smiling staff welcome you in, get ready for those stomach rumblings. Matcha lattes - and the cult sakura matcha, a matcha-strawberry blend that is garishly, brilliantly pink and green - fly out the door every few minutes to waiting cars, doing a roaring takeaway trade for locals.

The glassed-in viennoiserie at the back gives you a peak at the good stuff: golden, flakey pastries lined up by the trayful. Watching the bakers at work feels like a new kind of meditation - maximum relaxation! Good luck choosing what to eat - it all looks and smells amazing, and return visits will be necessary. We rate the cookie croissant, served with your choice of frothed milk (coconut recommended!) - dunk and devour! Feeling the heat? Summer has brought the arrival of matcha ice-cream, as yummy as it is ‘grammable - even our anti-matcha mate was converted, so let us know what you think!

Open: daily | 7AM - 11PM

Contact: 02 886 7977

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