Yas Mall Restaurants: Where to Eat on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Yas Mall is the biggest shopping centre in Abu Dhabi and, by extension, one of the biggest dining rooms in the capital. It sits a short walk from Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, Yas Waterworld, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Etihad Arena, which means the crowd wandering through its food court on any given afternoon is a mix of theme park refugees still in wristbands, concert-goers killing time before doors open, and Yas Island residents doing a completely ordinary Tuesday grocery run. Over 100 food and beverage brands operate here, from Emirati grills that have been feeding Abu Dhabi families for years to a 2025 arrival with genuine New York pedigree.

Most “where to eat” lists for this mall read like a copy-pasted directory: alphabetical, cuisine-tagged, done. That is not particularly useful when you are standing outside Ferrari World at 2pm with two exhausted children and a two-hour wait for anything resembling a table. So this guide is organised around what you are actually trying to solve, whether that is a fast breakfast before the gates open, a proper sit-down meal after a day of rollercoasters, or simply the fastest route to something that is not another chicken nugget. Every venue below has been checked against Yas Mall’s own directory and multiple independent sources; where a detail could not be confirmed with confidence, it is flagged rather than guessed at.

Yas Mall dining at a glance

Short on time? Here is the shortlist before the full breakdown.

Best for breakfast before the parks open

If you are on the road to Ferrari World or Yas Waterworld and need to feed a family before the gates open, sit-down breakfast at a mall might sound like an odd move, but it works: parking is easy, tables turn over fast, and nobody is queuing yet.

• L’ETO is the reliable choice: a café and bakery known for its cake counter, but with a proper breakfast and lunch menu and coffee that does not taste like an afterthought.
• House of Joud, inside Huna Yas, does specialty coffee alongside a genuinely good Neapolitan pizza and pastry selection, so it works for breakfast or a mid-morning pick-me-up.
• Avobar leans healthy, unsurprisingly, with an avocado-heavy menu, good coffee and lighter options for anyone trying not to ruin the day’s step count before 10am.
• AVLU mixes Greek and Turkish flavours with a relaxed, unpretentious setting that suits a slower start to the day.
• Montauk Boutique Café & Restaurant goes for a Hamptons-inspired, photogenic brunch spread if you want the morning to look as good as it tastes.

Best for a proper sit-down meal

Once the day of walking, queuing and screaming on rides is behind you, this is where Yas Mall earns its reputation. The mall has quietly built a genuinely strong roster of full-service restaurants that would hold their own outside a shopping centre entirely.

• Texas de Brazil, the churrascaria chain’s first Abu Dhabi location, does the full rodizio experience: skewer after skewer of grilled meats brought to the table, plus a substantial salad bar for anyone pacing themselves.
• Texas Roadhouse covers the other end of American steakhouse territory, with hand-cut steaks, ribs and the free bread rolls that have made the chain a cult favourite well beyond Texas.
• Mezzaluna Trattoria Moderna is the newest name on this list, having opened at Yas Mall in February 2025 after four decades in New York and a run of outlets in Istanbul. Expect San Marzano tomato sauces, buffalo mozzarella and a menu built around ingredients actually imported from Italy rather than a generic “Italian-inspired” approach.
• The Cheesecake Factory needs no introduction: a genuinely enormous menu, portions to match, and a dessert case that has derailed plenty of otherwise sensible dinners.
• P.F. Chang’s covers wok-fired Asian-American classics, dynamite shrimp included, and handles large groups comfortably.
• Somewhere takes a modern, design-led approach to Arabic cuisine, with the kind of plating that photographs well without sacrificing the food underneath it.
• Entrecôte Café de Paris is refreshingly single-minded: steak-frites with the restaurant’s signature secret sauce, and not much else on the menu, which is exactly the point.

Best Middle Eastern and Levantine

This is arguably where Yas Mall’s dining scene is strongest, and where visiting Dubai crowds tend to be pleasantly surprised. There is real depth here, not just one token Lebanese restaurant ticking a box.

• Al Fanar Restaurant & Café is the anchor: Emirati cuisine served in a setting styled after 1960s Abu Dhabi and Dubai, right down to the décor referencing the pearling and fishing trade. Traditional grilled meats, fish and rice dishes, plus a proper Emirati breakfast spread.
• Karaz is a newer Levantine addition near The Fountains, focused on the mezze-and-grill format done with more care than the mall-restaurant average.
• Leen’s and NAC both bring Lebanese hospitality-brunch energy, with the kind of sharing-plate spreads built for a table of six rather than a solo lunch.
• Kronfol, on Level 1, is worth knowing for Levantine sweets and pastries as much as for the savoury menu.
• Bosporus, at The Fountains, covers Turkish cuisine: grills, mezze and the wider Bosphorus-strait culinary tradition, distinct from the Greek-leaning AVLU a few doors down.

Best Indian and South Asian

Abu Dhabi’s Indian food scene is genuinely excellent, and Yas Mall reflects that with options spanning full sit-down restaurants to a fast, cheap chaat fix.

• Asha’s, the restaurant brand associated with singer Asha Bhosle, serves North West Indian cuisine with a stylish interior and a menu covering both vegetarian and meat dishes generously.
• Gazebo specialises in Mughal-style “dum pukht” cooking: slow-cooked biryanis, kebabs and curries, with strong vegetarian and tandoori options.
• Rasoi Ghar, near The Fountains, is a solid, less flashy option for home-style North Indian cooking.
• Kailash Parbat, a heritage Mumbai brand founded in 1952, holds down the food court with chaat and quick Indian street-food classics; it is the fastest, cheapest route to genuinely good Indian food in the mall.

Huna Yas: the food hall worth knowing about

Huna Yas is a large, design-forward food hall on the Ground Floor that opened as one of the biggest additions to the mall’s dining scene in recent years, and it is genuinely worth a special mention because it packs so much variety into one space. It is built for grazing: order from two or three counters, share a table, and let everyone eat something different.

• BB Social Dining for Asian-meets-Middle Eastern bowls, baos and barbecue.
• Saigon for Vietnamese classics, summer rolls included.
• Philotimos for Greek mezze and grilled seafood.
• Taco Ville for tacos, quesadillas and burritos.
• Maxzi The Good Food Shop for wagyu burgers and steaks in a casual format.
• SLRP by 3Fils for ramen, from the team behind 3Fils, the Dubai restaurant that earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand; a genuine pedigree for a food hall counter.
• % Arabica and Joe & The Juice for coffee and fresh juices respectively.
• Forever Rose Café for a comic-book-themed spot doing breakfast, lunch and a dedicated afternoon tea menu.

Best quick bites, burgers and casual eats

Sometimes you just need to eat something without sitting down for an hour. This is the fast, casual and reliably good end of the mall.

• Boo Burger, on the First Floor, is the UK-import smash burger option: British and Irish-sourced beef, loaded fries, reasonably priced.
• ADRIFT Burger Bar brings the DM Burger, once described by The New York Times as “the perfect burger”, plus the usual American burger-bar sides.
• Sticky Rice covers Southeast Asian street food: pad Thai, tom yum, and local touches like garlic-fried clams.
• Chipotle, on the Ground Floor, does the build-your-own burrito and bowl format that needs no explaining.
• Wontoneria is a quicker Chinese option, focused on dumplings, noodles and soups.
• Off The Hook serves Louisiana-style seafood in a casual, no-frills format: good for a quick shrimp or fish fix without committing to a full sit-down seafood dinner.

The food court, for when time is genuinely tight

Level 1’s food court is the fallback for anyone racing between the cinema and the car park, or refuelling a family that simply will not wait. It covers the familiar names: KFC, Burger King, Five Guys, Pizza Hut, Shake Shack and Raising Cane’s, alongside Kailash Parbat and Automatic Restaurant & Cafeteria for something outside the standard fast-food rotation.

What’s new at Yas Mall right now

Two things are worth flagging for anyone who last ate here a couple of years ago. Mezzaluna Trattoria Moderna opened in February 2025 and is, at time of writing, one of the more talked-about additions to the mall’s dining line-up, bringing genuine New York Italian pedigree rather than a generic pasta-and-pizza formula. And SLRP by 3Fils inside Huna Yas deserves more attention than a food hall counter usually gets, given its connection to 3Fils, one of Dubai’s Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants. Neither of these gets much of a mention on older Yas Mall dining guides still doing the rounds online, which tend to lean on the same five or six names that have not changed since 2019.

Good to know before you go

• Hours: Yas Mall generally opens from around 10am, with closing times varying between roughly 9pm and midnight depending on the day and the specific outlet [VERIFY: current mall and individual restaurant hours, which vary by day and by season, especially during Ramadan and public holidays].
• Parking: The mall has extensive multi-storey parking with direct access from several entrances; arriving close to Ferrari World opening times or big Etihad Arena events is when it fills up fastest.
• Dietary needs: Vegetarian options are genuinely strong across the Indian and Levantine restaurants listed above. For halal status, most outlets in the mall serve halal meat as standard in the UAE, but it is worth confirming directly with any restaurant if you have specific requirements [VERIFY: halal certification per individual outlet].
• With kids: Rainforest Cafe and the food court are the least stressful options for younger children; Huna Yas works well for families who cannot agree on one cuisine.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best restaurant at Yas Mall?

There is no single answer, which is rather the point of this guide, but Al Fanar is the most consistently recommended for a proper sit-down Emirati meal, while Texas de Brazil and Mezzaluna cover the higher end for a special occasion.

Does Yas Mall have a food court?

Yes, on Level 1, with the usual international fast-food names plus Kailash Parbat for Indian street food and Automatic Restaurant & Cafeteria.

Where can I get breakfast at Yas Mall?

L’ETO, House of Joud, Avobar, AVLU and Montauk Boutique Café all serve breakfast; exact opening times vary by outlet, so it is worth checking directly if you need an early start before the parks [VERIFY: individual breakfast opening times].

Are there good Indian restaurants at Yas Mall?

Yes: Asha’s and Gazebo for sit-down North Indian dining, Rasoi Ghar for home-style cooking, and Kailash Parbat in the food court for fast, cheap chaat and street food.

What is Huna Yas?

A large food hall on the Ground Floor bringing together multiple concepts under one roof, including BB Social Dining, Saigon, Philotimos, Taco Ville, Maxzi, SLRP by 3Fils and several coffee and dessert counters. It is built for grazing with a group rather than a single fixed menu.

Is there a newly opened restaurant worth trying at Yas Mall?

Mezzaluna Trattoria Moderna, which opened in February 2025, is the standout recent addition, alongside SLRP by 3Fils inside Huna Yas.

Yas Mall’s dining scene has grown well past “somewhere to eat before or after Ferrari World.” Between the Emirati and Levantine restaurants that give it a genuinely local identity, the food hall built for grazing, and a steady trickle of new openings like Mezzaluna, it holds up as a destination in its own right, not just a pit stop between theme parks. Confirm hours and any dietary requirements directly with the outlet before you go, since individual restaurant schedules shift more often than mall-wide ones, and then eat accordingly.