Where To Go for the Best Business Lunch in Abu Dhabi
New clients? A perk for an employee’s excellent performance? Need to escape the office? Whatever the reason, sometimes you just have to head out for lunch.
Business lunch in Abu Dhabi is anything but usual. You’ve got an array of options, from fine dining restaurants that help you sign on new clients to trendy hotspots that let you unwind in style. Where do you go?
We list the eight best spots to do business lunches in Abu Dhabi.
1. Paradiso
Burrata heirloom tomatoes for starters, ribeye steak for mains, and panna cotta for dessert, how does that sound for a lunch menu with long-time clients? When you’re strengthening your relationship with clients, Italian cuisine will help you keep them happy.
Paradiso serves traditional Italian cuisine with generous portions in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Expect layers of flavors with only the finest ingredients, from sun-kissed tomatoes to luscious olive oil.
With its Yas Bay Waterfront location and sun-drenched decor, Paradiso can turn your midday break into a mini holiday in an Italian coastal town. This is the kind of business lunch in Yas Island that could spill over into cocktail hour.
Business Lunch: AED 110, 2 courses, AED 130, 3 courses.
Location: The Pier, Yas Bay Waterfront, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Mon to Fri 12 pm to 4 pm
2. Zeera by Buddha Bar
Modern Indian gastronomy meets uber cool decor, Zeera is the perfect spot for a business lunch with the team. The casual but super chic ambiance leaves room for a working lunch without it being stuffy.
The menu features sharing-style plates, a perfect vehicle to bond over a shared love for Indian dishes, from spicy dal shorba (lentil soup) to chicken biryani. The dishes are part of the modern Indian restaurant’s Curry in a Hurry lunch offer, which also includes your choice of dessert and drinks.
Zeera has been named one the best Indian restaurants in Abu Dhabi by Time Out. If you and your team haven’t tried it, walk down to The Pier on Yas Bay Waterfront and check out this new lunch hotspot.
Business Lunch: AED 99, 2 courses with choice of house beverage, coffee, or tea
Location: The Pier, Yas Bay Waterfront, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Mon to Fri 1 pm to 4 pm
3. Graphos Social Kitchen
Although the UAE capital is known for its swanky dining places, you can still find a cheap business lunch in Abu Dhabi.
Drop in at Graphos Social Kitchen and enjoy a fun business lunch from a two-course set menu. It features filling and familiar dishes, such as pastas, Graphos burgers, and pad Thai.
If you want more options, book a table for their lunch buffet. And savor a long, leisurely lunch as you pick from the Hilton Hotel restaurant’s 10 live cooking stations. The lunch buffet, though, will cost more than the set menu.
Business Lunch: AED 89
Location: Hilton Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Mon to Fri 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm
4. COYA
At COYA Abu Dhabi, business lunch is anything but ordinary with culinary innovations inspired by Peru. The restaurant describes its menu as featuring “global DNA signature dishes as well as unique plates inspired by the city and country of each COYA.”
The lunch menu has three courses with vegetarian and vegan options. You can do a maki roll de atun or yellowfin tuna with pink peppercorn, Peruvian red peppers, and tamarind with anticuchos de setas (portobello mushrooms, Peruvian red peppers, and parsley) — because you can pick two appetizers.
For mains, you can order the salmon a la brasa (salmon filet with seaweed, barley, and mustard) or pay an extra AED 50 for a rich and decadent lunch of angosto bife angosto wagyu (wagyu sirloin in Peruvian spice rub with chimichurri sauce).
Business Lunch: AED 140, 3 courses
Location: The Galleria, Four Seasons Hotel, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Mon to Fri 12 nn to 4 pm
5. Mika
Modern Mediterranean plus sunny Yas Marina equals the most pleasant al fresco business lunch.
Start off your Mika business lunch with a bread basket containing focaccia, sourdough, and five-seed rye with tomato sofrito and green chili paste in olive oil. For mains, you can take your pick from an easy salt beef sandwich with mustard mayo and pickled cucumber to an earthy forest mushroom risotto. For a sweet finish, there’s Nonna’s tiramisu.
Note, however, that the Yas Marina restaurant menu is proudly seasonal and prioritizes ethically sourced ingredients, minimal waste, and affordability. The lunch sets may change over time, depending on available ingredients.
Business Lunch: AED 95, 2 courses, AED 125, 3 courses
Location: Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Mon to Fri 12 nn to 3 pm
6. Hunter & Barrel
When you’re craving steak and ribs for lunch, head to Hunter & Barrel on Yas Marina. The premiere steak restaurant has multiple locations across the world: Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Dubai, and of course, Abu Dhabi.
What can you expect from lunch at Hunter & Barrel? It has one of the most affordable business lunch offers in Abu Dhabi with two courses, and an option to add another appetizer (but will cost extra). Among your options are a steak sandwich with melted cheese on chips; beef stroganoff with chunky chips or Basmati rice; and an Angus beef burger with green salad or chunky chips.
But a Hunter & Barrel business lunch doesn’t have to be all steak. If you have someone in your party who prefers something lighter, the premier steak restaurant can whip up a chicken avocado on rustic baguette with green salad or chunky chips, or fire butterfly prawns with mushroom nantais sauce and Basmati rice.
Business Lunch: AED 85, 2 courses and a soft drink, AED 25, plus one appetizer
Location: Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Mon to Fri 12:30 pm to 4 pm
7. Éla Éla
Prefer Mediterranean? The newest dining spot on Yas Marina is Éla Éla, and it’s just presented its business lunch offering.
Much like Mika, Éla Éla’s menu is also seasonal, which means the business lunch set could also change according to the availability of ingredients.
For now, you can take your pick from a number of vegetarian items. These include starters like kopanisti (charred red capsicum, feta cheese, labneh with caramelized onion), Greek salad, or kolokithakia (deep-fried zucchini with lemon and mayo). For mains, your business lunch could be tsipoura (grilled sea bream filet with caper vinaigrette and baby green beans) or Ski Fichta tomato (Cretan pasta in ouzo, tomato sauce, kalamata olives, and feta with dill)
And for dessert? Treat yourself to loukoumades (fried dough with honey, cinnamon, and candied walnuts).
Business Lunch: AED 99, 2 courses, AED 129, 3 courses
Location: Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Weds to Fri 12 nn to 3 pm
8. Hakkasan
A job done well or landing the biggest client deserves an unforgettable reward. What could be more memorable than a fine dining experience at one of Abu Dhabi’s Michelin-star restaurants?
Hakkasan bears the coveted one star from Michelin. Located in Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi, the restaurant serves Chinese cuisine using traditional techniques but with a contemporary flair.
Unlike all other corporate lunches on this list, a Hakkasan business lunch in Abu Dhabi is on Saturdays. Called Dim Sum, Then Sum, lunch hour features a selection of exquisitely crafted steamed and fried and baked dim sum, like black garlic wagyu beef, truffle seafood xiao long bao, lychee lobster yuzu pearl, and XO prawn cheung fun, among others.
Business Lunch: AED 98, 3 dim sum baskets, AED 138, 5 dim sum baskets
Location: Emirates Palace, Al ras Al Akhdar, Abu Dhabi
Lunch Hour: Sat 12 nn to 3:30 pm
The Best Business Lunch Spots in One Place
Yas Island restaurants in Abu Dhabi have something for everyone in your team, from modern Indian and traditional Italian to all-day dining and Michelin-star level fine dining. And you’ll find many of these restaurants on Yas Island.
So leave your packed lunch in the office fridge and make your way to Yas island for the best business lunch in Abu Dhabi.
Here’s how to get to the island.