Social

Have you ever lost your car in a parking lot (panicking, frazzled, and more than a little frizzy)… And found a new restaurant instead?

If so, you probably stumbled across Social: a glass-walled oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle of an Al Nahyan lot.

We have to admit: this is one of the most unusually placed restaurants we’ve been to in the capital.

But don’t let that deter you from a visit. High ceilings, glass walls and surrounding shrubbery give the impression that you’ve walked into someone’s greenhouse, albeit one they’ve just decided to turn into café.

The food is unexpected too, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Sitting inside is a must during the summer months, but the patio seems set to be a popping place to hang out with friends when things cool down.

Is it weird to be surrounded by parked cars while you eat? A little, but it also provides constant entertainment as people bike, drive, walk by and chat outside while they wait for their takeaway. The restaurant is a flurry of activity as the sun goes down, with staff ferrying food to people waiting in their cars as well as around the dining room.

You might expect such a small and quirky place to focus more on experience than cuisine, but not so.

On the menu you’ll find all kinds of gourmet burgers and fresh twists on classic favourites. Start with the crispy dynamite shrimp, which is spicy, soft, served on a bed of cabbage, and loaded with enough dynamite sauce to make every other iteration of the dish in Abu Dhabi wilt with envy.

For mains we recommend the wagyu double cheeseburger, which is the kind of bite that makes you want to close your eyes to stay in that sweet, savoury moment. Top fries on the side, too.

Onwards and truffle mac ‘n’ cheese-wards, which arrives oozing out of a glass jar that’s reminiscent of the restaurant’s surroundings. It’s topped with fried mac ‘n’ cheese balls for good measure.

And if that wasn’t enough cheese, don’t swerve the classic cheesecake when dessert comes around. A fluffy, berry-topped, honeycomb-crumbed killer of an ending.

Considering the location, the prices might surprise a seasoned Abu Dhabi resident at first, but once you’ve got your teeth into a few dishes you’ll find there’s little here not to love.

Quality ingredients, fresh tastes, and a quirky new spot that seems like it fell from the sky? We’ve never been so pleased to get lost.

Unlicensed. Sat-Wed noon-midnight; Thu-Fri noon-1am. socialuae.com/ (02 309 0080)