Restaurant in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Two Michelin Plates. Book for a serious occasion.
Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi holds back-to-back Michelin Plates (2024–2025) and a 4.4 Google rating, making it Abu Dhabi's clearest choice for refined Indian dining at the $$$ price tier. The West Corniche Road location suits business dinners and family celebrations. Book one to two weeks ahead for weekend evenings; walk-ins work better midweek.
Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi earns its back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) and sits at the more serious end of Abu Dhabi's Indian dining options. At $$$ per head, it occupies a credible middle ground: more polished than the city's mid-market subcontinental options, and considerably more affordable than Abu Dhabi's top-tier tasting-menu rooms. If you want refined Indian cooking on West Corniche Road without committing to a $$$$ bill, this is the right call. If you've already been once, there's enough range in the menu to justify coming back with a different order strategy.
Martabaan sits on West Corniche Road in Al Ras Al Akhdar, one of Abu Dhabi's better dining corridors with water views and relative calm compared to the downtown cluster. The name itself references the large earthenware jars historically used to store and transport spices across the subcontinent — a signal of the culinary register the kitchen is aiming for. The room reads as composed rather than casual: expect a setting that suits a business dinner or a celebratory meal with family more naturally than it suits a quick weeknight bite. It is not a loud room, which makes it a better choice for conversation than many of its Abu Dhabi competitors at the same price point.
If you came once and ordered safe — a tandoor selection, a familiar curry, a bread basket , you've seen only part of what Martabaan offers. The kitchen draws on a broad regional canvas, so the most effective approach across two or three visits is to work through different parts of the menu rather than returning to the same dishes. On a first return, focus on the sections of the menu you skipped: the kitchen's treatment of slower-cooked preparations tends to reward attention, and the spice calibration at this price tier is more considered than you'll find at Moksh or Namak. On a third visit, bring a larger group: Indian menus at this level are built for sharing, and a table of four or more can cover substantially more ground than a pair.
For comparison with what Indian fine dining looks like at the Michelin-starred tier internationally, Trèsind Studio in Dubai operates at a higher price point and tasting-menu format, while Opheem in Birmingham and Trishna in London show what the Plate-to-Star progression looks like in Europe. Martabaan holds its own at the Plate level, and for Abu Dhabi specifically, it represents the clearest Indian dining option at the $$$ price range. If you want to see what Indian cooking looks like at the destination-dining level elsewhere, Haoma in Bangkok and Musaafer in Houston are worth knowing.
Booking difficulty here is moderate. You won't need to plan six weeks out as you would for Abu Dhabi's most competitive tables, but don't treat this as a walk-in venue on a weekend evening. Aim to book at least one to two weeks ahead for Friday or Saturday dinner, and a few days ahead for midweek slots. West Corniche Road sees consistent traffic from hotel guests and residents alike, which keeps the dining room reasonably full without creating the reservation scramble you'd encounter at, say, Hakkasan ($$$$ · Chinese) during peak periods. Lunch on weekdays is your leading window for flexibility if your schedule allows it.
Two consecutive Michelin Plates are a meaningful signal. The Plate designation indicates Michelin inspectors found cooking worth noting , it sits below Star level but above the noise of the general market. For Abu Dhabi's Indian dining tier, that credential matters: it separates Martabaan from the substantial number of competent but undistinguished Indian restaurants across the city. At $$$, you are paying for that consistency and the room, not just the food volume. If you are price-sensitive, Punjab Grill offers an alternative at a lower spend. If you want the full fine-dining register for Indian food, Erth (Modern Cuisine) covers different ground but shows what Abu Dhabi's more ambitious kitchen projects look like.
Google reviewers rate Martabaan at 4.4 from 188 reviews , a solid signal of consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. That score suggests the kitchen delivers reliably across services, which matters more for a multi-visit strategy than a single exceptional meal would.
Martabaan works well for: business dinners where the cuisine won't alienate mixed groups; families celebrating an occasion; returning visitors to Abu Dhabi who want Indian cooking at a notch above the mid-market; and anyone building a multi-night dining itinerary who wants one Michelin-acknowledged Indian option without the full tasting-menu commitment. It is less suited to solo diners on a budget or anyone expecting the experimental modernist Indian format , for the latter, INDDEE in Bangkok or Rania in Washington D.C. show what that register looks like. For a broader view of where Martabaan sits in the city's overall dining picture, see our full Abu Dhabi restaurants guide. If you are planning a longer stay, our Abu Dhabi hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide round out the picture. For Indian dining in London as a comparative reference point, Amaya operates in a similar register at a higher price tier.
For Indian food at a lower price point, Punjab Grill and Namak are the most relevant comparisons. If you want to move outside Indian cuisine at the same $$$ tier, Martabaan sits alongside options like Moksh for variety. For a step up in formality and price, the Abu Dhabi fine-dining circuit runs through Talea by Antonio Guida and Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard, both at $$$$ and in different cuisine categories. If your priority is value over prestige, Mika at $$ and Al Mrzab at $ offer different experiences at lower spend.
At $$$ with back-to-back Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a Google rating of 4.4 from 188 reviews, Martabaan represents solid value within Abu Dhabi's Indian dining tier. You are paying for consistent, inspector-acknowledged cooking in a composed room , not for a tasting menu or theatrical service. If you want Michelin Star-level Indian cooking, you will need to look outside Abu Dhabi or spend more. But at the $$$ level in this city, the Plate credential is a meaningful differentiator that justifies the price over less-decorated alternatives.
Indian restaurant kitchens at this level generally accommodate vegetarian and pescatarian requirements well , the subcontinental culinary tradition has extensive vegetarian repertoire built in. However, specific allergen policies, gluten-free options, and vegan accommodations are not confirmed in our data. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if you have strict dietary requirements. Do not assume accommodation without confirmation, particularly for severe allergies.
Seating configuration details are not confirmed in our current data. In Abu Dhabi's licensed Indian restaurants at this tier, bar seating is not always available or standard, and the dining format tends to be table-based. If bar or counter seating matters to you, verify directly with the restaurant before booking. For venues in Abu Dhabi where the bar experience is part of the draw, see our Abu Dhabi bars guide.
Specific dishes are not confirmed in our data, so we won't name items we can't verify. What the Michelin Plate designation tells you is that the kitchen's cooking met inspector standards for quality and consistency , meaning the menu's core preparations are the right starting point, not the specials. On a first visit, work through the tandoor and slow-cooked sections. On a return visit, cover the parts of the menu you skipped. A table of four or more gives you the leading coverage. For dishes that Indian kitchens at this recognition level typically execute well, the bread program and the regional curry preparations are usually where the most considered work shows.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi | Indian | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Moderate | — |
| Talea by Antonio Guida | $$$$ · Italian | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Al Mrzab | Emirati Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard | French | Unknown | — | |
| Otoro | Japanese Contemporary | Unknown | — | |
| Mika | Mediterranean Cuisine | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi and alternatives.
For Indian specifically, Martabaan is the clearest Michelin-recognised option in Abu Dhabi at the $$$ price point, which narrows the like-for-like field considerably. If you want to compare across cuisines at a similar spend, Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard covers French fine dining on the same West Corniche corridor, and Otoro is worth considering if Japanese is on the table. For a lower-pressure dinner with local flavour, Al Mrzab shifts the cuisine profile entirely but keeps costs down.
At $$$, back-to-back Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025 give you a concrete benchmark: inspectors found the cooking worth noting two years running, which is not a given in Abu Dhabi's competitive dining scene. The value case is strongest for occasion dinners or business meals where the cuisine is broadly accessible and the credentials need to hold up to scrutiny. If you are looking for a casual Indian meal, the price point will feel hard to justify — but that is not the format Martabaan is built for.
Indian cuisine at this level typically accommodates vegetarian requirements well, and Martabaan's kitchen depth suggests the team can work around common restrictions. That said, specific dietary policies are not documented in available venue data, so check the venue's official channels before booking if you have allergies or strict requirements — do not assume at a $$$ price point without confirming.
Seating configuration details are not confirmed in the venue record, so bar or counter dining can change or ruled out. Given the $$$ price range and Michelin Plate recognition, Martabaan reads as a sit-down dining room rather than a bar-led format — but verify directly when booking if that flexibility matters to your group. Check the venue's official channels for the latest details.
Specific menu items are not listed in the venue record, so dish-level recommendations would be speculation. What the body of evidence does support: the kitchen rewards diners who move beyond the familiar tandoor-and-curry defaults, and a second visit often unlocks more of what the kitchen can do. Ask the team for guidance on less obvious sections of the menu rather than defaulting to crowd-pleaser orders.
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