Devoted fans of Pickl begged, pleaded, crossed borders and sent countless DMs (the brand counted them all), for a Pickl in Abu Dhabi, and now the UAE-born burger brand officially has a home in trendy Mamsha Al Saadiyat.
Some could call Pickl’s arrival the battle of the Mamsha burgers with Black Tap just down the promenade, but these are actually two different sorts with Black Tap bringing a grittier downtown NYC vibe whereas Pickl has fully embraced the Soul Beach vibes with branded hot pink pool floats, T-shirts and volleyballs.
Yes, Pickl has shakes, too, but it also has ice cream for the first time at the location the capital.
But, hungry dinners aren’t (yet) coming for the merch. They’re coming to sink their teeth into a proper good burger in a potato bun, to dig into mountains of messy fries, or to see if they can handle the fire from that Nashville chicken sando. And that is what we queue up to do.
If you didn’t have a countdown to Pickl’s Abu Dhabi launch on your Instagram, you wouldn’t know that it’s the new kid in Mamsha. During the busy dinner rush on our visit, everything is running like a well-greased machine. Young staff are directing the flow of customers, taking orders, answering questions, handing out buzzers and making sure there is plenty of mayo and tomato ketchup to go around. The speed of orders is perfect for those who come with grumbling stomachs, but this is not fast food. Burgers start at Dhs30 and a meal at Dhs55.
As for the “Pickl” part, pick your pickles – or none if you want to be controversial and miss out on the house-made signature. (We’re not here to judge.) Select from house-made dill, onion or jalapeño pickles and even bring home a jar.
But, can you really taste the difference in a Dhs30 burger? We pretty much inhale our hot burgers, which live up to the “simple, not basic” promise, with a chuck patty, potato bun, house pickles and secret sauce. There’s a reason why our colleagues at Time Out Dubai picked Pickl to represent the best of the city in the Time Out Market Dubai line-up.
Abu Dhabi doesn’t have many upmarket burger places (yet), but Pickl highlights why it’s worth paying a few more dirhams for a banging burger.
Looking to spice up your life? The chicken sando is another elevated offering, with five levels of heat, from plain to reaper, if you dare. And fries don’t take a back seat, with the messier varieties rivaling the mains.
Get yourself round to Pickl to see what all the fuss is about. And if you want to be part of the fan club, there’s a T-shirt, cap and jar of pickles waiting for you. Pickl is set to become a full-fledged lifestyle brand. We’re calling it now.
