10 Best Beach and Waterfront Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Imagine fixing your eyes on the horizon (fun fact: that’s nearly five kilometres away), gazing at the cerulean expanse of the sea, and listening to the swish of waves lashing the shore repeatedly. It may be our innate need to seek a connection with nature or something else, but being on or by the beach – or somewhere we can see it – tends to make us happy.
The next time you’re on a Yas Island staycation, try these beach and waterfront restaurants and the best restaurants with a beach view in Abu Dhabi. They will soothe, calm and relax you.
The Best Beach and Waterfront Restaurants in Yas Island Abu Dhabi
Yas Island Abu Dhabi has no shortage of beach restaurants, and some of the best restaurants in Yas Island have the best beach views. Below are the best Yas Island restaurants on the beach or with waterfront views.
1. Hunter & Barrel
Location: The Pier, Yas Bay Waterfront
Come here for: Charcoal-grilled meats and craft beverages
Yas Bay Waterfront is located on the southern side of Yas Island. It’s an entertainment destination, with the Etihad Arena for shows and concerts and a three-kilometre boardwalk lined with palm trees, cafes, restaurants, and installation art along the Arabian Gulf. Jutting from the centre of the bay is The Pier, and there, you’ll find Hunter & Barrel.
Hunter & Barrel is an Australian steakhouse known for its charcoal-grilled, slow-cooked meats and a wide array of drinks, including mocktails, cocktails, craft beers, wines, and spirits. It’s the perfect hang-out place for groups of friends who love excellent grills and drinks.
Start your meal with flamed prawns and a salad of hand-crafted burrata or beetroot goat’s cheese. Choose among many main options, including char-grilled baby veal ribs, meat or fish skewers and fire-grilled steaks and burgers.
2. Cipriani
Location: Building 1, Yas Marina
Come here for: Classic Italian
Yas Marina is an upscale leisure and lifestyle destination in Yas Island. It has a large mooring capacity for pleasure crafts (e.g., yachts) and a beautiful promenade set against a magnificent background: Yas Marina Circuit, home to the Abu Dhabi leg of the Formula 1 races, and the luxury Marriott property, W Abu Dhabi Yas Island. It’s perfect for sedate strolls to take in the water and the lovely Yas Marina sunset.
Cipriani on Yas Marina serves classic Italian cuisine. Expect more than your typical pasta and pizza – which Cipriani has and does oh-so superbly – because Cipriani offers so many other options, each one elevated with premium ingredients directly sourced from Italy. Must-tries include their risotto alla primavera, baked tagliolini Cipriani and the heavenly vanilla meringue cake.
At Cipriani, the food is eccellente and the aesthetic impeccable – courtesy of Florentine architect Michele Bönan. The view overlooking Yas Marina from Cipriani’s outdoor terrace is meravigliosa!
3. Zeera by Buddha-Bar
Location: The Pier, Yas Bay Waterfront
Come here for: Modern Indian
Zeera is the place to be for modern and interactive Indian gastronomy. Watch the line come alive as orders come in and fly out of the open kitchen.
Enjoy sharing plates of authentic Indian fare. The restaurant serves shorba, chaat, utthappam, kebab, chawal, and biryani. Choose from an assortment of tandoor-grilled fish, prawns, chicken, and lamb or try their mains that include mutton rogan josh, malai lobster and lamb vindaloo. Zeera is one of the places in Yas Island with a good selection of vegetarian options.
4. Akiba Dori
Location: The Pier, Yas Bay Waterfront
Come here for: Japanese street food
Come for the neon lights and stay for Japanese street food at Akiba Dori. This restaurant is so quirky with its metal-cage-esque dining booths and glowwave aesthetics. Choose the outdoor dining terrace for a magnificent view of the sunset and feast on Japanese fare. Think tatakis, katsu sliders and gyozas paired with the restaurant’s signature cocktails. Oishī!
We do recommend venturing off the well-beaten Japanese-cuisine path. They’re delicious, but Akiba Dori’s Tokyo-Neapolitan pizzas are out of this world.
5. The Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar
Location: Waterfront Plaza, Yas Bay Waterfront
Come here for: Mediterranean
The Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar is right off the waterfront promenade. The mid-century modern aesthetic is charming, with the interior’s dark floors, light-coloured counters and walls, earth-toned chairs and tables, and floor-to-ceiling windows accented in cerulean.
The highlight, of course, is the view and the food. You can dine outdoors and enjoy the gorgeous sea vista. Visit in the morning so you can sample the breads at the bakery and enjoy their highly rated breakfast. Options include avocado on toast, smoked salmon bagel, muhammara eggs, overnight oats, and eggs Florentine, among many others.
6. Ishtar
Location: Yas Marina
Come here for: North African and Middle Eastern fusion
Ishtar exudes warm elegance with its lovely but comfortable seats: plush blue and red velvet barrel chairs inside and saffron-coloured couches and Audrey chairs on the terrace. We recommend dining outdoors for Gulf, marina and W Abu Dhabi views.
The food is top-notch. Try Ishtar’s Turkish lamb kabab, Ishtar mix grill, shish tawouk, Lebanese mix mezza, risotto sayadiyeh, and kibbeh bel laban.
7. Café Del Mar Abu Dhabi
Location: Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, Yas Bay Waterfront
Come here for: Mediterranean
Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island on Yas Bay Waterfront is one of the best beach hotels in Abu Dhabi, and it has one of the best beach restaurants in Yas Island: Café Del Mar Abu Dhabi. Café Del Mar is an Ibiza-style beach club with a lounge bar and a floating white-sand beach with sun loungers and an infinity pool overlooking the Arabian Gulf. The sweeping views are one for the books.
The food is typical but elevated beach club fare. Enjoy your beach day with mini tacos, sushi, tapas, mezzas, salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizzas, and gelato accompanied by cocktails. Also available are sharing boards of grilled meats and seafood; there’s a kids menu as well.
More Beach Restaurants in Abu Dhabi
In the rare instances you feel the need to venture off Yas Island, you can visit Corniche Road, Saadiyat Island and Al Zahiyah. In these places, you’ll find more excellent beach restaurants in Abu Dhabi.
1. Society Abu Dhabi
Location: Soul Beach, Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi
Come here for: Breakfast
Soul Beach in Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island is an excellent destination for swimming and watersports. The long stretch of white sand and the blue sea make it one of the best beaches in Abu Dhabi.
Society is one of the good Soul Beach restaurants in Abu Dhabi. The interior dining area is lovely, but the view from the outdoor dining area is exceptional. Visit in the morning to enjoy the restaurant’s excellent breakfast menu.
Note: If you go a few kilometres northeast, you can also try the beachside dining options at St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. Go farther up and add the Saadiyat Beach Club restaurants to your Abu Dhabi itinerary.
2. West Bay Lounge Abu Dhabi Corniche
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort, Corniche Rd - Al Bateen Abu Dhabi
Come here for: International
West Bay Lounge Abu Dhabi is one of the Corniche beach restaurants at the Abu Dhabi Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort. It serves an extensive selection of dishes from different parts of the world. Try their rock shrimp tempura, risotto alle verdure and sizzling tenderloin wagyu.
3. BRAUHAUS GARDEN
Location: Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, 10th St - Al Zahiyah Abu Dhabi
Come here for: German food and beverages
Try the beach restaurants in the Abu Dhabi Beach Rotana Hotel if you’re in Al Zahiyah. Visit Brauhaus Garden, an outdoor restaurant that serves German sausages, crispy tarte flambés, hamburgers, and schnitzels. It also has an expansive range of German draught beer.
Beach Restaurant-Hopping in Abu Dhabi
Stay in Yas Island on your next staycation in Abu Dhabi. Refer to the above for beachside, beach-view and waterfront Yas Island restaurants you’ll love and other Abu Dhabi beach restaurants off Yas Island you can try.
Yas Island Abu Dhabi is an excellent venue for entertainment and recreation. We have theme parks, a mall, an indoor arena, a selection of the best four-star and five-star hotels in Abu Dhabi, and plenty of restaurants. Check out the latest Yas Island offers and start planning your Abu Dhabi vacation.