Why Abu Dhabi’s Yas waterfront feels like home to foodies: Steaks, Yuzu cheesecakes and lasting memories

Before I knew my way around Abu Dhabi, I learnt how to find the Yas waterfront.

It felt like a movie scene come to life, a waterside stretch lined with restaurants, music, and a breeze that somehow made everything feel a little better.

But I grew up in Delhi, which was as landlocked as it gets.

And so, I was glad for Al Raha, where we lived till eight months ago. It was on ‘the edge’ of Abu Dhabi as we described it: A languid neighbourhood overlooking a canal. Not remote by any means: we had grocery stores, pizza shops, and the cosy Cats Café in nearby Muneera. But more than anything, it gave us easy access to Yas.

And we discovered the joy of Yas. Yas Mall, the sight of Ferrari World next to it, Warner Bros  and Yas Waterworld. These were the usual spots for around four years, but none as regular as the Yas waterfront.

You drive in, park, and you’re already greeted by rows of restaurants, and the sight of the bay. People fill the paths quickly, regardless of whether it is afternoon and evening. You’ll see people walking their dogs, cats down the pavement alongside the water, on one side.

And by evening, the music gets a little louder, as if signalling it’s time to unwind. Even on weekdays, the energy shifts. You start to relax. Maybe you don’t even need a Friday to feel like it’s the weekend.

And perhaps, that’s why we ended up at the waterfront more than any other place. It’s where we took my parents during their first visit to the UAE, and it’s where we took my father-in-law, for a steak night out. The waterfront was where we ended up regularly, to meet our friends, in possibly the same restaurant, every time near the waters. In summers, sitting outside might have been unthinkable, but that it didn’t stop us from coming.  

We would stay inside.

Otherwise, during the cooler months, we walked along the waterfront, which was lined with restaurants, of varying cuisines, from Daikan, Paradiso, Asia Asia, and Lock, Stock and Barrel and our recent discovery: Nuri, a Korean restaurant, which also has Karaoke rooms, I’m told. Daikan is our usual haunt: Our go-to choices are a crab salad, and chicken karage. I feel by this time, they would know our orders by heart.

For a newcomer from Delhi to Abu Dhabi, that’s what the waterfront spelt: Good food. It’s where I slowly started falling in love with the UAE. Maybe it was the creamy burrata that became my unexpected favourite. Or the sea bream. Maybe it was the steak nights — or just knowing I could list the desserts without looking at a menu: the mango pavlova at Paradiso, the yuzu cheesecake at Daikan.

Sometimes, a mochi if we wanted something light.

I think we’ve spent over three hours in each restaurant, eating, laughing, to the point where Yas waterfront became inextricable from my memories of Al Raha.

We don’t go as often as we used to.
But every time we do, it still feels like home.