Abu Dhabi’s dining scene is taking a more experiential turn this summer, with leading restaurants and hotels introducing new menus, limited-time events and culinary concepts that extend well beyond the traditional meal. From a Chinese feast accompanied by a traditional tea ceremony to handmade pasta, creative desserts and carefully curated evening experiences, the latest launches offer fresh ways to explore the capital’s increasingly diverse food scene.
There are options for almost every occasion, including refined business lunches, relaxed after-work bites and more immersive dining events designed around culture, craftsmanship and atmosphere. This guide brings together some of the most interesting new experiences to discover across Abu Dhabi this summer, and explains why each one is worth knowing about.
Best Summer Offers in Abu Dhabi Right Now
The Dragon’s Feast at Shang Palace
Shang Palace has long been one of Abu Dhabi’s more established destinations for refined Chinese dining, and its latest seasonal experience gives residents another reason to return this summer. The Dragon’s Feast brings together unlimited handcrafted dim sum, including the restaurant’s lobster dumpling, alongside dishes such as wok-fried XO prawns, smoked beef short ribs and the soup of the day.
What makes the experience particularly interesting is the addition of a traditional Gongfu tea ceremony. Available on selected evenings, it introduces a cultural element that sets the offer apart from the city’s more conventional set-menu promotions, turning dinner into a more considered occasion.
The Dragon’s Feast runs until 30 September 2026, from 6 pm to 8 pm, priced at AED 169 per person for food. The Gongfu tea ceremony takes place on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. For bookings, call +971 2 509 8555 or email restaurantreservations.slad@shangri-la.com.
Rhutab Qahwa Cake at The Silk Fold by ETHR Café
ETHR Café at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental is marking the start of date season with the return of its Rhutab Qahwa Cake, a dessert that feels especially relevant to Abu Dhabi at this time of year. Made with freshly harvested rhutab, the cake draws on familiar regional flavours while giving them a more refined pastry-led treatment.
The dessert is soaked in coffee and cardamom syrup, creating a rich, layered finish that brings together the bitterness of qahwa, the warmth of spice and the natural sweetness of fresh dates. Because rhutab is only available for a short period each year, the cake is as much a seasonal celebration as it is a limited-time menu addition.
The Rhutab Qahwa Cake is available daily at ETHR Café until 4 September 2026.
Evening Bites at Chamas Bar & Cigar Lounge
For a more grown-up evening at InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Chamas Bar & Cigar Lounge has introduced a new small-plates menu designed around drinks, conversation and late-afternoon dining. Evening Bites forms part of The Chamas Series and gives the venue a clearer identity beyond the hotel’s well-known churrascaria experience.
The menu moves between Latin American flavours and modern bar food, with seabass and salmon tiraditos, beef tartare and foie gras gyoza among the lighter options. Wagyu sliders, Brazilian-style grilled skewers and desserts add more substance, while signature drinks and premium cigars make this best suited to an unhurried evening rather than a quick meal.
Evening Bites is served daily from 5 pm at Chamas Bar & Cigar Lounge, InterContinental Abu Dhabi. For reservations, call 056 680 2161.
Saadiyat Beach Club and Malfy Gin Summer Offers
Saadiyat Beach Club is leaning into the island’s summer atmosphere with two Malfy Gin events built around long lunches, poolside dining and sunset entertainment. The collaboration begins with a farm-to-beach brunch at Safina Restaurant, where a dedicated Malfy trolley will serve personalised creations alongside seafood, citrus-led desserts and live cooking stations, including a BBQ grill.
The second event shifts the focus outdoors. Sunset Splash takes over the main pool with a Mediterranean-inspired menu of wood-fired pizzas, seafood platters, wild seabass, light bites and desserts. A DJ, live percussion and a summer-themed photo wall add to the occasion, making this the livelier of the two experiences.
The Malfy-themed farm-to-beach brunch takes place on 25 July, from 1 pm to 4 pm, with prices from AED 345. Sunset Splash follows on 1 August, from 4 pm to 9 pm, at Saadiyat Beach Club’s main pool. Visit the official website for bookings or contact +971 2 656 3500.
Sapori d’Estate at Beach House
Beach House at Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi is bringing the flavours of the Italian coast to Saadiyat Island with Sapori d’Estate, a seasonal dining experience designed for slow summer evenings by the sea.
The three-course menu focuses on simple, familiar dishes done well, with handmade pasta, seafood and the restaurant’s signature tiramisu among the highlights. Two selected beverages are included, while the beachfront setting gives the experience more of a holiday feel than a conventional set-menu dinner.
Sapori d’Estate is available throughout the summer, priced at AED 280 per person. For reservations, call +971 2 407 1234.
Business Lunch at The Listening Room
Business lunches are nothing new in Abu Dhabi, but 1927 at Cinemacity Starlight is taking a different approach. The venue’s new daytime offering is centred around The Listening Room, a space designed for meetings, focused work and informal catch-ups, combining dining with an atmosphere built for productivity rather than distraction.
Guests can choose between a three-course business lunch or a lighter lunch menu, featuring dishes such as truffle arancini, heritage beetroot salad and Mediterranean sea bass, before finishing with the venue’s signature 1927 Affogato. Curated playlists are delivered through Dolby Atmos, while discreet screens provide news, weather and sports updates throughout the day.
The business lunch is available daily from 12 pm to 5 pm. Prices start from AED 120 for the light lunch and AED 160 for the three-course business lunch.
From tea ceremonies and seasonal desserts to beachfront dinners and creative business lunches, Abu Dhabi’s latest dining offers bring something new to the table this summer. Whether returning to a favourite or trying somewhere different, there are plenty of reasons to dine out across the capital this season.
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