SUMMER DINING DEALS IN ABU DHABI 2024

Abu Dhabi newbies and summer stayers alike have plenty to smile about as the weather heats up! Summer always brings a bunch of great deals to reward those sticking out the soaring temps and rising humidity - and we’re taking a front row seat with these picks of the bunch.

STREET FOOD MENU

ZOE MODERN GREEN KOUZINA | MARSA AL BATEEN

It’s no secret we’re big fans of Zoe’s for some of the best Greek food in the city, but their new street food menu has us bouncing in our seats in anticipation! If you need a deal to draw you out of the house on these long summer evenings, look no further: AED99 will see you tucking into unlimited street food on Mondays and Thursdays, all summer long!

Like their runaway success breakfast menu, it’s unlimited mini versions of all your favourites: think their sublime Greek salad, mini wraps (chicken souvlaki, we’re looking at you!), Zoe’s smashed cheeseburger, Soutzokaki burger, halloumi fries,

zucchini fries and messy fries. Don’t worry - you can keep ordering until you’re fit to burst. The mini concept simply means you can try more dishes, with less food waste - an approach we love to see!

With their location in Al Bateen Marina, chic interiors of whitewashed walls and cacti aplenty and smiling staff on hand, treat it like a weekday escape. A photo under the glorious pink bougainvillaea? Optional, but encouraged. If days spent by the Greek seaside aren’t on your summer bingo card, evenings at Zoe are the next best thing!

Timing: Monday & Thursday | two seatings: 5.30-7.30PM & 7.30-9.30PM | starts July 4th

Price: AED99 unlimited street food & complementary filtered tap water

Bookings: 02 886 8286 - reservations required.

WINE JOURNEYS

LA CAVA | ROSEWOOD ABU DHABI

Descend the stairs to this wine-cellar-style haven and we know you'll feel your mood lift! The space is refined: a proper wine sanctuary lined with wine cabinets and an impressive collection of labels, offering intimate alcoves for catching up with friends or an elegant date night.

Choose your own wine adventure - either a short or long journey of various vintages. The short journey features two glasses of fine wine or the long journey is a flight of five wines, both complemented by a selection of paired cheeses. From the knowledgeable staff to a sommelier-curated wine list, this is an elevated experience not to be missed: each month will focus on wines from a different region, with July uncorking a South African selection you’re sure to love.

Time: Tuesday - Sunday | 6PM - 1AM

Pricing: Short journey | AED98 | 2 glasses with cheese platter

Long Journey | AED198 | 5 glasses with cheese platter

Bookings: +971 2 813 5550

APERITIVO HOUR

AMALFI RISTORANTE | LE ROYAL MERIDIEN

Are these about to become your favourite three hours of the day? There’s a pretty good chance they might, especially when the damage is just AED99 - and the best part? It runs daily from 5PM! Wind down with Aperitivo Hour: choose from 3 Aperol spritz or 3 glasses of house wine and an antipasti platter, for the pocket-friendly sum of AED99.

Located in Le Royal Meridien, it’s the perfect Corniche-adjacent venue for a cruisy, post-work drink with friends, or to kickstart your night out. We seldom pass up an Aperol for a taste of those Italian Riviera holiday vibes, so we’re sold.

Pricing: AED99 | 3 wines or Aperol spritz & antipasti platter

Availability: daily | from 5 - 8PM

Bookings: 02 695 0461

THURSDAY SUSHI NIGHT

DESERT LOTUS | AL BANDAR

All you can eat, buffet-style sushi? Yes please! Head in for a night of flavour-packed bites, with an option to go for the sea buffet (live cooking) and sashimi for AED229. Indulge in a feast of freshly handcrafted sushi every Thursday, and on a night of deals that just keep on coming, you can add free flow house beverages for only AED70 extra.

There's superb outdoor dining if you’re feeling brave, but the air conditioned interiors and waterfront views are the next best thing. Friendly and accommodating staff are the cherry on top of a great night out - and ok, it isn’t sushi, but spring for the mango sticky rice for dessert if you have room - it’s a Best Bites team favourite!

Timing: Thursdays from 6PM | 2 hour seating

Price: AED169 soft package | AED229 sea buffet (live cooking) and sashimi | +AED70 for free flow house wine and Singha beer

Bookings: 02 874 2263

KIDS EAT FREE

BARBOSSA | YAS BAY

Don’t you hate it when you find a cracking deal but it’s always on a day you can’t make work? Barbossa have you covered this summer: they have a hot new summer set menu for AED250 per person - and it’s available every day of the week!

What takes this deal from good to great? You can bring the kids along for free! With so much variety - and guest appearances from all our favourite dishes on their brunch menu - you’ll be spoilt for choice. Following sharing starters - avocado mango salad is divinely fresh, and we always think good guac is a sign of good things to come - choose two tacos per person before your sharing mains land. Fajitas and quesadillas go down a treat, before you end on a high note with churros and tres leches cake. With one complimentary child per adult, it’s a feast - or should we say, fiesta - for the whole family!

Timing: daily | available until end of September

Price: AED250 per adult | kids eat free - 1 complimentary child per paying adult

Bookings: 050 185 8068

STEAK & SUSHI SELECTION

TEATRO | PARK ROTANA

Are you a steak lover, or is sushi more your style? This summer, Teatro has a red hot deal for you, whichever your preference!

Enjoy a fix of premium protein with a selection of beef tenderloin, New York striploin, ribeye and lamb rack served with your choice of two sides and two sauces - cooked to perfection, it will set you back just AED189, or scoop up an even better deal - two people can enjoy the deal for AED289. Wash it all down with an included glass of wine - we recommend the full-bodied red!

Keep it fresh with a platter of premium sushi and sashimi: volcano rolls and passion torched maki, as well as sashimi and nigiri of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail, will sate your hunger. At AED169 per person or AED269 for two, this one is great value, and also includes a glass of wine - cheers to that!

Whether you’re after a date night to impress with change left for dessert, or you are staying for the summer and keen to break up the heat with some tasty nights out, this is one not to miss.

Timing: daily | from 6PM

Price: Steak deal AED189 per person or AED289 for two | Sushi deal AED169 per person or AED269 for 2

Bookings: 02 657 3317

THE PERFECT COMBO: TOP OF THE POPS & HAPPY HOUR

RAY’S BAR | CONRAD ETIHAD TOWERS

Ray’s Bar already has a reputation as a perfect spot for sunset drinks on the 62nd floor; combine that with happy hour and retro tunes galore, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a successful Saturday night!

We love a weekend happy hour - and from 4.30-8PM Ray’s Bar is serving up some seriously tasty cocktails alongside beer, wine and mocktails. You don’t have to wait long for the tunes to start - from 5PM the best of the 70s, 80s & 90s descend, with a DJ spinning tracks that will have you wiggling your way to the dancefloor (props and feather boas optional!). Pull out the crimper, backcomb those bangs and lacquer it all in hairspray: whether you want to gently lean into the nostalgia, or dress up and party like it’s 1989 all over again, this Saturday night combo will go down a treat!

Timing: Saturday | Happy Hour 4.30-8PM | Top of the Pops 5PM-2AM

Price: Happy Hour cocktails from AED28, mocktails from AED25, wine from AED25, beer from AED20

Bookings: 02 811 5666

BUSINESS LUNCH, ITALIAN STYLE

SOLE | CONRAD ETIHAD TOWERS

Famous for their long, sumptuous lunches, meet as the Italians do for a business lunch full of Mediterranean flavours. Choose between two or three courses - but who really wants to skip dessert? Starters include crispy calamari & shrimp - complete with proper garlic lemon aioli - and wood-fired eggplant parmigiana with buffalo mozzarella. Mains are equally drool-worthy: look out for Low & Slow (tagliatelle pasta with a luscious 6-hour meat ragu) and Mamma Sofia’s Paccheri - paccheri pasta topped with a mouth-watering ragu of beef cheek and confit onion.

Upgrades are available for starters and mains: for AED15-35 extra you can broaden your choices, or add dessert for AED15 - not a choice you’ll regret. Finish off with an espresso to combat the post-lunch slump!

Timing: 12-3PM | Monday - Friday

Price: from AED 140 for two-course, including water and espresso coffee | from AED155 for three courses

Bookings: 02 811 5666

TUESDAY SEAFOOD NIGHT

RACLETTE | MAMSHA AL SAADIYAT

Seafood feast? Tick.

Water views? Tick.

Top location? Tick!

Raclette has themed nights and vibes aplenty every night of the week, but Tuesday seafood night is hard to beat! AED375 will land you a veritable feast for two: think grilled salmon, breaded calamari, moules in creamy blue cheese sauce, Dibba Bay oysters (it would be a crime not to!), prawns and ceviche.

Seafood at Mamsha with change from 400 dirhams? That’s date night done right! Tack on two house drinks each (AED555 for 4 drinks and seafood) or order a la carte from their tasty cocktail selection. Arrive in time for sunset across Soul Beach, before retreating into the chic interiors and welcome air-con for an evening that feels too good to be a weeknight.

Timing: Tuesday | from 6PM onwards

Price: AED375 for 2 people | AED555 for 2 people with 2 house drinks per person included

Bookings: 02 546 2277

GRAND BEIRUT’S DINNER TRAY

GRAND BEIRUT | THE GALLERIA & AL QANA

Love finding a deal you can’t WAIT to tell your friends about, but die a little inside when it’s allll the way across town? Same - but with two locations that are pretty as a picture, Grand Beirut has come to the rescue.

The Dinner Tray concept has us hooked - all our Levantine favourites ferried to the table without even having to open a menu means more time for chatting (and eating) - big tick of approval. It’s some of the best Lebanese food Abu Dhabi has to offer: enjoy a mix of cold mezze, hot mezze, mixed grill BBQ and assorted dishes served sharing-style. Available all day and with enough to feed four people, this one is great for catching up with friends, a team lunch, feeding your hungry teens or giving your out-of-town visitors a feast to remember.

Timing: daily | 12PM-11PM

Price: AED299 for 4 people

Bookings: 056 216 1001