Restaurant in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Book early. Emirati heritage, Michelin precision.
Erth holds a Michelin star (2024) and charges $$ — an unusual combination in the Gulf. Anchored at Abu Dhabi's Qasr Al Hosn cultural site, the kitchen applies modern technique to Emirati flavour traditions, with standout dishes including lamb machboos and Liwa dates batheeta. Book two to three weeks ahead; this is not a walk-in venue.
If you are planning a trip to Abu Dhabi and Erth is on your list, the single most useful thing to know is this: book before you arrive. Since earning its Michelin star in 2024, tables at Erth have become genuinely difficult to secure at short notice. The practical move is to lock in a reservation two to three weeks ahead, and if you have flexibility, aim for a weeknight sitting rather than the weekend rush. Unlike some Michelin-starred rooms where the counter or bar offers a walk-in option, Erth's setup at the Qasr Al Hosn cultural site does not lend itself to casual drop-ins. Plan accordingly.
Erth translates as "legacy" in Arabic, and that framing is not decorative. The restaurant sits within the Qasr Al Hosn cultural site, one of Abu Dhabi's most historically weighted addresses, and the architecture responds to that setting with bold concrete surfaces, bespoke furniture, and modern majlis spaces that reference Emirati gathering culture without turning into a museum exhibit. The result is a room that has genuine visual weight — not the kind of ambient luxury that disappears from memory the moment you leave.
On the food side, Erth operates in the space where modern technique meets Emirati tradition. The kitchen draws on ingredients sourced from farms across the Emirates and uses cookware and flavour profiles that connect to local culinary history. This is not fusion for its own sake. The lamb machboos — slow-cooked in a sweet and savoury teriyaki-adjacent sauce, served with fragrant rice , is a clear signal of how the kitchen thinks: familiar Emirati reference point, contemporary execution, nothing gratuitous. At the $$ price range, this is serious cooking delivered at a price point that is unusual for Michelin-starred dining in the Gulf region. For context, comparable one-star rooms in Dubai and Abu Dhabi often sit at $$$ or $$$$. Erth's pricing makes it the most accessible Michelin-starred Emirati experience in the country.
The Google rating of 4.3 from 256 reviews tracks with what the Michelin recognition suggests: consistently strong, occasionally uneven on service, but rarely disappointing on food. For a value-oriented diner comparing price to quality, the calculation is direct , the food quality is well above what the price tier suggests, and the setting adds a layer of context that most comparable rooms cannot match.
Erth rewards repeat visits more than most restaurants at this price point, because the menu's anchor points , Emirati tradition, seasonal Emirates-sourced produce , mean the kitchen has genuine range to work across. Here is how to approach it across two or three visits:
First visit: Use it to calibrate the kitchen. Order the lamb machboos and anchor your experience around the savoury mains. Finish with the Liwa dates batheeta, which the kitchen points to as a signature close. This visit establishes whether Erth's flavour register works for you , the sweet-savoury balance in the lamb dish is a deliberate choice, and it tells you a lot about the kitchen's philosophy.
Second visit: Shift focus to the broader menu and explore beyond the anchors. If the first visit confirmed the kitchen's competence with meat-centred mains, the second visit is the moment to test range. Pay attention to how the menu evolves seasonally, given the farm-to-kitchen sourcing model.
Third visit (if applicable): Bring someone you want to impress with context, not just food. The Qasr Al Hosn setting does significant work for occasion dining , it gives the meal a cultural dimension that restaurants in hotel towers simply cannot replicate. This visit is also when the majlis-style seating becomes a choice worth making deliberately, rather than whatever was available when you first booked.
For Abu Dhabi diners building a mental map of the city's serious restaurants, Erth sits alongside NIRI (Japanese Contemporary) and LPM Abu Dhabi as rooms worth returning to, each for different reasons. Erth is the one with the most specific sense of place.
Among Modern Cuisine restaurants internationally, Erth's positioning is comparable to venues like Trèsind Studio in Dubai, which applies similar logic , technical precision applied to regional culinary traditions , though Trèsind operates at a higher price point and with a more elaborate tasting format. If the Trèsind model appeals to you but the price is a barrier, Erth is the more accessible entry point into the same category of cooking. Other Modern Cuisine rooms worth benchmarking against include 11 Woodfire in Dubai and, further afield, FZN by Björn Frantzén in Dubai.
| Detail | Erth | Talea by Antonio Guida | Almayass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | $$ | $$$$ | $$ |
| Cuisine | Modern Emirati | Italian | Lebanese |
| Michelin recognition | 1 Star (2024) | Check Pearl | None listed |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | Hard | Easier |
| Setting type | Cultural heritage site | Hotel dining room | Standalone restaurant |
| Leading for | Occasion dining, cultural context | Fine Italian, special occasion | Group dining, value |
For more options across Abu Dhabi, see our full Abu Dhabi restaurants guide, our full Abu Dhabi bars guide, and our full Abu Dhabi hotels guide. If you are building a broader trip itinerary, our Abu Dhabi experiences guide and our Abu Dhabi wineries guide are worth a look too.
Book two to three weeks in advance, minimum. Since the 2024 Michelin star, demand has outpaced availability at peak times. Weeknights are more accessible than weekends. Do not rely on walk-ins.
For Emirati cuisine at a lower price point, Al Mrzab ($) is the most direct alternative , less polished, but more casual and easier to book. For a comparable $$ dining experience with a different focus, Almayass (Lebanese, $$) and Mika (Mediterranean, $$) are both strong. If budget is not a constraint, Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard (French, $$$$) and Talea by Antonio Guida (Italian, $$$$) represent the leading of Abu Dhabi's fine dining market in European formats.
The venue's modern majlis spaces suggest some capacity for group sittings, but specific group booking policies are not confirmed in our data. Contact the restaurant directly to discuss group arrangements before assuming availability. Given the booking difficulty, groups should reach out further in advance than individual diners.
Bar seating or walk-in counter options are not confirmed in our data. Given the cultural site setting and the format of Emirati dining spaces, the experience is structured around seated dining rather than bar-side eating. Plan for a full sit-down reservation.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger special-occasion choices in Abu Dhabi at the $$ price tier. The Qasr Al Hosn setting gives the meal a sense of occasion that hotel dining rooms cannot replicate. The Michelin 1 Star (2024) credential also provides the kind of third-party validation that matters when you are booking for someone else's milestone. For a higher-budget celebration, Talea by Antonio Guida or Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard are alternatives, but neither offers the same cultural specificity.
Specific tasting menu pricing is not confirmed in our data, but at Erth's $$ price range, the value case for a structured menu is strong relative to other Michelin-starred tasting formats in the region. If the lamb machboos and the Liwa dates batheeta are indicators of kitchen quality, a tasting format built around the same ingredient sourcing and technique should hold up. Confirm the current format and pricing when booking.
At the $$ price tier with a Michelin 1 Star, Erth delivers a quality-to-cost ratio that is genuinely unusual for the Gulf region. Most comparable starred rooms sit at $$$ or $$$$. The food is technically accomplished, the setting is culturally specific in a way that adds real value, and the 4.3 Google rating across 256 reviews confirms consistency. For a value-oriented diner, this is the clearest yes in Abu Dhabi's serious dining category.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erth | Modern Cuisine | Meaning ‘legacy’, Erth is made up of many striking elements, from its dramatic location as part of the Qasr Al Hosn cultural site, to its bold architecture. Inside, the polished concrete and bespoke furniture, along with modern majlis, make for a unique environment. Equally memorable is the food which, while modern, is anchored firmly in Emirati traditions when it comes to flavours, cookware and ingredients sourced from farms across the Emirates. A modern take on lamb machboos delivers tender lamb slow-cooked in a sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce, served with fluffy, fragrant rice. We suggest finishing with the Liwa dates batheeta.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Talea by Antonio Guida | $$$$ · Italian | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Al Mrzab | Emirati Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| Almayass | Lebanese | Unknown | — | |
| Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard | French | Unknown | — | |
| Mika | Mediterranean Cuisine | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Book at least two to three weeks before your visit, and further ahead if you are travelling on a weekend or planning around a public holiday. Since earning its 2024 Michelin Star, demand has increased noticeably. Walk-in availability at a Michelin-recognised restaurant in a cultural site with limited seating is not a strategy worth relying on.
For a different take on fine dining in Abu Dhabi, Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard offers French technique with regional influence at a comparable level. Al Mrzab is the go-to if you want straightforward, unfussy Emirati food without the Michelin price point. Almayass suits groups wanting Armenian-Lebanese sharing plates in a more relaxed setting.
The venue's architecture within the Qasr Al Hosn cultural site suggests capacity for larger parties, and the modern majlis seating format is designed for communal dining. For groups larger than six, check the venue's official channels to confirm configuration and availability, particularly on busy evenings.
There is no confirmed bar seating at Erth in the venue data. The restaurant's design centres on a formal dining room with polished concrete interiors and bespoke furniture, which points toward a seated table-service model rather than a bar-counter option. Confirm with the venue before assuming counter availability.
Yes, with a clear case for it. The setting inside the Qasr Al Hosn cultural site gives it a sense of place that most Abu Dhabi restaurants cannot match, and a 2024 Michelin Star gives it credibility to back the occasion. For milestone dinners where the backdrop matters as much as the food, Erth makes more sense than a hotel dining room.
The menu's anchor dishes, including a slow-cooked lamb machboos and Liwa dates batheeta, are grounded in Emirati tradition rather than international trend-chasing, which makes the tasting format genuinely purposeful here. At a $$ price range, Erth sits below what you would pay for comparable Michelin-recognised tasting experiences in Dubai or internationally, which tilts the value calculation in its favour.
At $$, Erth is priced accessibly for a Michelin Star restaurant, particularly one operating inside a significant cultural site with bespoke interiors and locally sourced ingredients from across the Emirates. If you are in Abu Dhabi for more than a day and want one structured dinner that reflects where you are, Erth earns that slot more clearly than most options in the city.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
