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Emirati cuisine since 2011

Al Fanar Emirati Restaurant

Traditional UAE recipes to share with family and guests, at five branches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

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A long wooden table set with Emirati dishes, seen from above
Al Fanar Al Seef, a heritage building on the Dubai Creek waterfront
The Al Fanar dining room at Yas Mall, with lanterns and a wooden ceiling

A table of Emirati dishes, and Al Fanar Al Seef by Dubai Creek.

  • Family-run beginnings
  • Kids and families welcome
  • Walk in, or book for weekends

Why Al Fanar

Emirati food, not the buffet version

Many visitors meet Emirati cooking as one tray on a hotel buffet. Families who live here want more: room for everyone, dishes to share, and a place to bring guests from abroad.

The Al Fanar dining room at Al Barsha, with lanterns over wooden tables

  • Cooked from UAE recipes

    Machboos, jesheed and seafood trays from traditional UAE recipes, with luqaimat in date syrup and karak tea to finish.

  • Room for the whole table

    Every branch is family- and kids-friendly, and the dishes are made to go in the middle and be shared.

  • Rooms that remember old Dubai

    Festival City recreates the charm of old Dubai, the Yas Mall dining room is inspired by 1960s Dubai and the Al Ain dining room by the 1960s.

  • A place to take guests

    Al Seef stands on the heritage waterfront by Dubai Creek, and Al Barsha sits inside Al Barsha Pond Park.

A dining corner at Al Fanar: round tables under hanging bulbs, and framed black-and-white photographs on the wall

About

The lantern, lit in 2011

Al Fanar means “the lantern”. The restaurant began as a family-run eatery and has served authentic Emirati cuisine since 2011. Today there are five branches across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Each has its own setting, and all five cook from traditional UAE recipes.

Read on

Plan the visit in English or Arabic

One guide to the branches, the dishes and booking, written for each language, then the restaurant's own site.

How to book

From choosing a branch to the first dish

A table for the family, or for guests from abroad, in three steps.

  1. Choose a branch

    Five branches, each with its own setting and its own phone number, listed below.

  2. Book, or walk in

    Walk-ins are welcome. Booking is recommended on weekends and holidays: use the restaurant's reservations page or call the branch.

  3. Order for the table

    Pick a few dishes to share, rice machboos and a seafood tray for a start, and leave room for the luqaimat.

Branches

Call the branch you choose

Tap a number to call that branch. For a table on a weekend or a holiday, the reservations page works too.

  • Dubai Festival City Mall

    Mall parking, and tables on the ground floor facing the fountain.

    +971 4 232 9966

  • Al Seef, Dubai Creek

    Parking and valet on the creek front, and a menu that is seafood-focused.

    +971 4 396 6669

  • Al Barsha Pond Park

    Free parking, and a park-side family setting with seafood.

    +971 4 353 3733

  • Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi

    The Abu Dhabi branch, by the Ferrari World entrance in the mall.

    +971 2 877 2272

  • Al Ain

    Set menus and private areas for family gatherings and corporate groups, with free parking, in Al Jimi near Souq Al Zafarana.

    +971 3 766 5200