If your idea of a perfect week involves great food, good vibes, and zero “where should we eat?” debates, Yas Restaurant Week was basically built for you. Yas Island runs the event across two back-to-back weeks each May – one for Yas Bay Waterfront, one for Yas Marina – turning the whole island into a curated food crawl of set menus, signature dishes and limited-time offers.
This page is the evergreen home for the event. Here is how it works, which restaurants take part, and how to make the most of it – plus the current year’s dates.
How Yas Restaurant Week Works
The format is simple. For two weeks, participating restaurants across Yas Bay and Yas Marina roll out exclusive set menus and dining deals you won’t find the rest of the year. You hop from one venue to the next, trying curated menus at a fixed price, without the usual guesswork or the usual bill. It is the closest Abu Dhabi gets to a city-wide restaurant festival – but concentrated on one island with two of its best waterfronts.
Yas Restaurant Week 2026 Dates
2026 was the first-ever edition, split across two waterfronts and two weeks:
- Yas Bay Restaurant Week: 4-10 May 2026
- Yas Marina Restaurant Week: 11-17 May 2026
Given the turnout for the inaugural run, the event is expected back in May 2027. We update this page when the next edition’s dates and participating restaurants are confirmed.
Vibe Check
Two waterfronts, two moods. Yas Bay is the buzzy, stay-out-late energy with the bigger-name venues. Yas Marina is the more social, grab-one-more-drink scene. Restaurant Week is the cheapest week of the year to try the places you’ve been eyeing but never quite justified – the set menus make the fancy spots suddenly reasonable.
Yas Bay Restaurant Week: The Restaurants
Yas Bay Waterfront is the buzzy, stay-out-later side of the island. The 2026 line-up, with location and booking details:
- Asia Asia – Pan-Asian, Pier 71, Yas Bay Waterfront. Reservations +971 2 235 8663
- Bushra by Buddha-Bar – Lebanese and Middle Eastern, The Pier, Yas Bay. Reservations +971 50 601 1195
- Café del Mar Abu Dhabi – Mediterranean beach club, Yas Bay Waterfront. Reservations +971 50 402 2283
- Hunter & Barrel – Australian steakhouse, The Pier, Yas Bay. Reservations +971 2 886 8299
- Paradiso Abu Dhabi – Italian and Mediterranean, The Pier, Yas Bay. Reservations +971 56 553 5346
- Zeera by Buddha-Bar – modern Indian, Pier 71, Yas Bay. Reservations +971 50 601 1193
- Artmarket – cafe and all-day dining, Yas Bay Waterfront. Reservations +971 52 917 1523
- Barbossa – Mexican and Latin American, Yas Bay Waterfront. Reservations +971 50 185 8068
- Bua Thai Café – Thai, Yas Bay Waterfront. Reservations +971 2 575 3158
- The Lighthouse – Mediterranean, Yas Bay Waterfront. Reservations +971 2 236 7831
Yas Marina Restaurant Week: The Restaurants
If Yas Bay is all about the vibe, Yas Marina is where things get a little more social and a lot more “let’s grab one more drink.” The 2026 line-up, with location and booking details:
- Diablito – Spanish and Mediterranean, Building 6A, Yas Marina. Reservations +971 2 565 1175
- Bar du Port – Mediterranean, Yas Marina. Book at barduportabudhabi.com (Abu Dhabi line not publicly listed – reserve online)
- Ishtar – Levantine with live entertainment, rooftop, Yas Marina. Reservations +971 50 402 2293
- Stars ‘N’ Bars – American and sports bar, Emporium Building, Yas Marina. Reservations +971 2 565 0101
- Mika – modern Mediterranean, Yas Marina. Reservations +971 56 433 1422
- Bla Bla Bar – global menu, sushi and cocktails, Yas Marina. Reservations +971 2 639 9078
Phone numbers and participating venues are confirmed for the 2026 edition and can change year to year – we refresh them when the next edition is announced. A quick call ahead never hurts.
How to Book and What to Expect
Set menus are the whole point – each participating restaurant offers a fixed-price menu (often two or three courses) for the week, sometimes with a drinks pairing add-on. You book directly with the restaurant, and the waterfront-view tables go fast on weekend evenings. Walk-ins are possible midweek but a reservation is the safer bet, especially at the bigger Yas Bay names.
WOW Expert Tip: The set menu is the value play, but check whether soft drinks and water are included before you order à la carte extras – that is where the bill creeps back up. Midweek bookings (Tuesday and Wednesday) get you the same menu with far better table availability and a quieter waterfront.
One Island, Two Experiences
What makes Yas Restaurant Week worth planning around is that you get two completely different dining moods in one event. One week you are soaking in the stylish energy of Yas Bay, the next you are living your best waterfront life at Yas Marina. Date night, a friends catch-up, or a “we are not cooking this week” family plan – it covers all of them.
Yas Restaurant Week is an annual dining event on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, run across two consecutive weeks each May – one for Yas Bay Waterfront and one for Yas Marina. Participating restaurants offer exclusive fixed-price set menus and dining deals for the duration.
In 2026, the first edition, Yas Bay Restaurant Week ran 4-10 May and Yas Marina Restaurant Week ran 11-17 May. The event is expected to return in May 2027 with dates typically confirmed in spring.
The 2026 Yas Bay line-up included Asia Asia, Bushra by Buddha-Bar, Café del Mar, Hunter and Barrel, Paradiso, Zeera by Buddha-Bar, Artmarket, Barbossa, Bua Thai Café and The Lighthouse. Yas Marina featured Diablito, Bar du Port, Ishtar, Stars ‘N’ Bars, Mika and Bla Bla Bar. The exact list is confirmed each year.
Book directly with the participating restaurant by phone or their website. Weekend evening tables, especially the waterfront-view spots at Yas Bay, fill quickly, so reserve ahead. Midweek bookings get the same set menu with better availability.
They run in consecutive weeks at different waterfronts. Yas Bay leans buzzy and big-name, Yas Marina is more social and bar-led. Both offer set menus, so the choice comes down to the mood and the specific restaurants you want to try.
