In a city filled with fantastic street food, it’s not just shawarma that we all turn to when in need of a quick feed. In fact, one of the most popular street foods in Abu Dhabi (and indeed, the whole region) is the magnificent manakish (or man’oushe if manage to limit yourself to just one).
Perfect for breakfast or keeping hunger pangs away until dinner, the staple of Levantine street food, the humble yet heroic manakish, holds legend status for good reason.
And having eaten our way through (much) more than our fair share of these flatbread favourites, here’s our definitive list of Abu Dhabi’s best manakish.
Al Farah
The scene of many a late scoffing in the capital, this petite (and we mean small) Lebanese joint at the back of the Crowne Plaza Hotel offers a weird and wonderful range of manakish. A little bit more expensive that other entries on the list, Al Farah dishes out staple choices like shawarma beef manakish for Dhs19 and chicken for Dhs17. In the mood for something sweet? There is a Nutella manakish for Dhs16 to keep those sweet taste buds happy.
Open daily 6.30pm-2am. Hamdan St, Al Markaziya (02 633 3777).
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Start your day with freshly baked Manousha from Alfarah & make your…
Posted by AlFarah Restaurant on Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Al Sham Pastries & Grills
While this venue might not win any awards when it comes to outside appearances, diners won’t be turning their noses up at the pastry choices on offer. There are plenty of manakish options to munch down on including the standard cheese and zaatar options for a cost effective Dhs8 and Dhs7 respectively. But if you’re feeling little more fancy, try the cheese and hotdog man’oushe for Dhs13.
Open daily 9am-midnight. Behind ADCP Building, Tourist Club Area, Al Zahiyah (02 644 4653).
Al Sultan Bakeries & Markets
If the simple cheese man’oushe isn’t exciting enough then a trip to Al Sultan Bakeries & Markets might be in order. There are close on 40 different manakish from which to choose including tuna, Nutella and banana, labneh and cucumber. Of course, if you need your dairy hit, then there are loads of cheese choices as well to get those lips smacking together.
Various locations including Nadja, Al Khalidiya and Al Dhafrah.
Lebanese Flower Bakery & Sweets
Stacked with an impressive range of pastries and sweets, visitors can be forgiven for being sidetracked from their man’oushe quest. However, we’re saying that with prices as low as Dhs6 and ingredients including eggs, spinach, labneh, meat, olives, and honey, it would be a wasted journey not to plump for the Lebanese traditional flatbread.
Open daily 8.30am-1am. Near Union National Bank, 11th Street, Al Dhafrah (02 641 1622).
Man’oushe Street
It’s pretty obvious why this spot will satisfy our hankering for tasty manakish. With three locations dotted throughout the capital, manakish hunters can get their fill on some fabulous flatbread in bright, colourful surrounds. Open from 6am to 3am every day, the only issue is what do we do if we get a craving between 3am and 6am…
Various locations including Nadja and Al Khalidiyah, manoushestreet.com.
Zaatar w Zeit
Chances are you have come across one of these restaurants, with more than 20 outlets in the UAE alone. The manakish selection here is great and although it’s pricey compared to the rest of the competition, guests can get their mitts on crowd-pleasing creations including the large kashkawan and the wild zaatar.
Various location including NBAD Building, Corniche Road, Al Khalidiya and Al Salam Street, zaatarwzeit.net/UAE/home.
