Restaurant in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Michelin-recognised Emirati dining at everyday prices.
Meylas holds back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) for Emirati cuisine at a single-dollar price point in Al Muneera, Abu Dhabi — a combination that is rare in this city. With a 4.2 Google rating across 656 reviews and easy booking, it is the most accessible credentialed Emirati dining option in Abu Dhabi, particularly strong for weekend brunch and family meals.
The common assumption about Emirati cuisine in Abu Dhabi is that you either pay premium restaurant prices for it at a heritage-themed venue, or you track it down through personal connections. Meylas corrects that assumption. Sitting in Al Muneera on the Al Rahah waterfront, it earns its back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) at a single-dollar price point, which in Abu Dhabi's dining scene is a rare combination. If you are looking for a credentialed Emirati restaurant that does not require a special-occasion budget, this is the answer.
Al Muneera is a residential and retail district with a calmer, more neighbourhood-oriented feel than the high-traffic tourist zones closer to the Corniche. The physical setting at Meylas reflects that. The room is designed to feel grounded rather than theatrical, oriented toward families and regulars rather than first-time visitors looking for a photo opportunity. Seating arrangements are suited to groups, with enough space that larger tables do not feel crowded against one another. For a special occasion or a family meal where the food and conversation are the point, the spatial setup works in your favour. It is not an intimate two-leading dining room, and if you want that kind of enclosure, this is not the right pick. But for a celebration with extended family, or a meal where you want to introduce guests to Emirati food without the pressure of a $$$$ price tag, the room delivers.
Emirati breakfast is a different proposition from the international buffet spreads that dominate Abu Dhabi's hotel brunch circuit. At Meylas, the morning and weekend service is where the kitchen's focus on local cuisine reads most clearly. Emirati breakfast traditions draw heavily on slow-cooked dishes, date-based preparations, and bread formats that are not well represented elsewhere in the city's restaurant offer. If you have not eaten Emirati food before, a weekend morning visit here is a more authentic entry point than a heritage buffet at a five-star hotel. The price range means you can order widely without financial pressure, which is the right way to approach an unfamiliar cuisine. For guests visiting Abu Dhabi on a tighter schedule, a brunch visit to Meylas covers more cultural ground than many tours do. For context on what else the city's dining scene offers across formats and budgets, see our full Abu Dhabi restaurants guide.
Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) at a single-dollar price point is a meaningful signal. The Michelin Plate designation marks restaurants where inspectors found food quality worth noting, without the full Star or Bib Gourmand classification. For a budget-tier Emirati restaurant to hold this recognition across two consecutive years suggests consistent kitchen execution rather than a one-off performance. For comparison, the Bib Gourmand and Star restaurants in Abu Dhabi tend to operate at $$$ to $$$$ price ranges — places like Talea by Antonio Guida or Hakkasan. Meylas holds Michelin recognition at a fraction of those prices. That gap is the core of the value case here. A 4.2 Google rating across 656 reviews reinforces that the kitchen performs consistently for a broad audience, not just for critics on a single inspection visit.
Yes, with the right framing. Meylas is not a fine-dining restaurant in the conventional sense — no tasting menus, no sommelier-driven pairing experience. But it is the kind of place where the food quality is high enough that the meal itself becomes the occasion. If you are celebrating with family, introducing colleagues to Emirati food, or looking for a culturally grounded dinner that does not require a $$$$ spend, Meylas works well. For a more formal anniversary dinner or a business entertainment meal where the room and service formality need to match the occasion, you would be better served by Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard or a comparable $$$$ venue. The distinction is not about quality , it is about format and setting.
Booking is direct. The venue carries a single-dollar price point and serves a neighbourhood audience, which means it does not operate on the same reservation pressure as Abu Dhabi's more high-profile restaurants. Walk-in availability is likely during off-peak hours, though weekend brunch and family meal times in the early evening will be busier. No booking phone number or website is currently listed in the Pearl database, so approaching via Google search or in person is the most reliable route. Location is in Al Muneera, Al Rahah , leading reached by car or taxi. For hotels in the area, our full Abu Dhabi hotels guide covers options across the city.
Emirati cuisine is genuinely underrepresented in the UAE's restaurant scene relative to the volume of international options. In Abu Dhabi, Al Mrzab is the closest direct peer in terms of cuisine and price tier, and both are worth knowing. In Dubai, Gerbou, Al-Fanar, and Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant operate in broadly the same category. For a more contemporary take on regional cuisine with tasting-menu ambition, Trèsind Studio in Dubai is the benchmark in the UAE right now, though the format and price point are entirely different. If Erth in Abu Dhabi represents the upscale Emirati dining tier, Meylas sits at the accessible, everyday end of the same culinary tradition. Both are worth eating at. For bars and experiences while you are in the city, see our full Abu Dhabi bars guide and our full Abu Dhabi experiences guide.
Meylas, Al Muneera, Al Rahah, Abu Dhabi. Emirati cuisine. Price: $. Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google: 4.2 (656 reviews). Booking: easy, walk-ins likely outside peak hours.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meylas | Emirati Cuisine | $ | Easy |
| Talea by Antonio Guida | $$$$ · Italian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Al Mrzab | Emirati Cuisine | $ | Unknown |
| Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard | French | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Otoro | Japanese Contemporary | $$ | Unknown |
| Mika | Mediterranean Cuisine | $$ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Abu Dhabi for this tier.
The morning and brunch service is the clearest entry point — Emirati breakfast dishes are what set Meylas apart from Abu Dhabi's hotel buffet circuit. Specific menu items are not published in available records, so ask staff what is freshest that day. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) suggest the kitchen has consistent strengths worth exploring beyond the obvious staples.
Yes. The neighbourhood setting in Al Muneera and the single-dollar price point make this a low-pressure solo option — no dress-code anxiety, no minimum spend. Walk-ins are reportedly easy, so there's no need to plan around a reservation. It's a more honest solo meal than most hotel-adjacent dining rooms in Abu Dhabi.
At a single-dollar price point with two Michelin Plates behind it, the value case is straightforward — this is one of the cheaper ways to eat at a Michelin-recognised table anywhere. The Michelin Plate signals food quality worth seeking out, not just proximity to a tourist zone. If you're in Abu Dhabi and want Emirati cuisine without paying heritage-venue premiums, Meylas is the practical answer.
The Al Muneera location and neighbourhood format suggest it can handle small groups without the booking lead time you'd need at a formal restaurant. Specific group policies and capacity details aren't documented, so check the venue's official channels before bringing a large party. For a structured group dining event, a fine-dining room with private space would be a better fit.
Al Mrzab is the most direct comparison for Emirati cuisine in Abu Dhabi and is worth checking if Meylas is full or if you want a second opinion on the category. For a step up in formality and spend, Bord Eau by Nicolas Isnard covers French fine dining with Michelin credentials at a different price tier entirely. Meylas holds its own as the accessible Emirati option.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
