< PreviousAL AIN EATS 40 October 2023 timeoutabudhabi.com O Open Mon-Thu noon-11.30pm; Fri-Sun noon- 11.30pm. Al Ain Mall, Al Murabaa, Al Ain (050 805 3398). LUCERNE RESTAURANT & CAFÉ If you’re looking for Italian food in a gorgeous setting, look no further than Lucerne. Kick off your meal with the burrata salad before diving into classic pizza or pasta dishes like the tartufo pizza or the cacio e pepe, and be sure to leave room for either the dark chocolate mousse cake or the pistachio milk cake. O Open daily noon-midnight. Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Stadium, Al Qattara, @lucerne.ae (056 668 2760). MAIA RESTAURANT Another spot set to transport you out of Al Ain, Maia Restaurant offers a taste of Greece in the Garden City. The space is Àlled with pops of blue that will no doubt remind you of Santorini, and you can order everything from Greek salad and eggplant parmesan to chicken gyro and lamb souvlaki. O Open daily 8am-midnight. Bida Bin Ammar, Asharej, Al Ain, @maiarestaurant (03 767 7332). NUMERO UNO Italian restaurant Numero Uno is deÀnitely one of the top options for those craving perfect pies. Made in a wood-Àred oven, you can order drool-worthy options including classics like the quattro fromaggi or the capricciosa. O Open daily 7am-midnight. Asharej, Al Ain, @numerouno.ae (03 754 9048). PICKL Award-winning burger joint Pickl (which we named as the home of the capital’s best burgers at our Restaurant Awards earlier this year) opened its Àrst outlet in Al Ain in June. Found at Zakher Drive Thru Park, you can order the famed fried chicken sandos and more for takeaway, or dine-in. O Open daily noon-2am. Zakher Drive Thru Park, Al Ain, eatpickl.com (03 734 4639). BARS MCGETTIGAN’S The Al Ain branch of McGettigan’s is a popular choice for those on the hunt for solid pub grub and cold pints of hops. Catch the sportsball, listen to live music and dig into burgers, Àsh and chips and chicken wings here. O Open Mon-Fri 1pm-1am; Sat-Sun noon-1am. Danat Al Ain Resort, mcgettigans.com (03 704 6174). MOODZ Another option for those looking to catch the game, sports bar Moodz is located at Al Ain Rotana Hotel. The basement bar has plenty of screens, an indoor garden area, as well as darts boards where you can show off your skills (or, more likely embarrass yourself). O Open daily noon-3am. Al Ain Rotana, Al Jahili, Al Ain, @moodz.alain (03 703 1086). PACO’S Got a craving for Mexican mixed drinks and sizzling fajitas? Then be sure to try out Paco’s at the Radisson Blu. O Open Sun-Wed 3pm-2am; Thu-Sat 1pm-3am. Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort, Al Sarouj, Al Ain (056 685 3832). THE ROOFTOP As you may have guessed from the name, the aptly named The Rooftop is found on the rooftop of the Aloft Al Ain. There are lots of great offers going on throughout the week, including a ladies’ and gents’ night with night swimming on Thursdays, and buy-one-get-one-free on beverages during happy hour. O Open Mon-Fri 9am-3am; Sat-Sun 9am-4am. Aloft Al Ain Hotel, Al Tiwayya (056 188 6340). TRADER VIC’S The thing with Trader Vic’s is it doesn’t matter where you are in the world: They look exactly the same. So on the assumption you’ve been to Trader Vic’s in the city, you can expect the same vibe, an extensive mixed drinks menu and French-Polynesian bites. O Open Mon-Thu 12.30pm-1am; Fri-Sun 12.30pm-2am. Al Ain Rotana, Al Jahili, tradervics.com (03 703 1079). McGettigan’sAL AIN EATS timeoutabudhabi.com October 2023 41 The RooftopINDEPENDENT LABELS 42 October 2023 timeoutabudhabi.com FountINDEPENDENT LABELS timeoutabudhabi.com October 2023 43 Upgrade your wardrobe and home by shopping these independent labels and small businesses high street on the NotINDEPENDENT LABELS 44 October 2023 timeoutabudhabi.com Malls in the UAE are brilliant, to the point where shopping might as well be the national sport, but sometimes you want something a little… different. When the stores are pumping out trends you might not like six months down the line, justifying parting with your cold hard cash can be difÀcult. But luckily for us, and you, there’s a thriving community of small businesses across Abu Dhabi and the rest of the emirates selling one-of-a-kind, unique buys that you’ll love for years to come. Here are all the best independent stores you should be shopping at now. IRL SHOPPING AMONGST FEW Mina Zayed is one of the city’s up-and-coming areas, and it’s home to plenty of small, (up- and-coming) businesses, too. One of these is amongst few – a streetwear-slash-café that was founded in Dubai. The Abu Dhabi branch opened in May, and inside you’ll be able to grab clothes, sneakers and accessories, including some Abu Dhabi exclusives. O Open daily 10am-10pm. New Iranian Market, Mina Zayed, amongstfew.com (02 633 0080). BAUHAUS Another one for streetwear fans, Bauhaus can be found at Yas Mall. The store stocks trendy labels including 8-bit, Boy London and Supreme, with everything from watches and suitcases to hoodies and shoes on offer. O Open Sat-Tue 10am-10pm; Wed-Fri 10am-midnight. The Galleria Al Maryah Island, shopbauhaus.com (02 563 4300). CVRGRM It’s easy enough to Ànd furniture and décor that matches your aesthetic, but when it comes to tech, it’s a different story. Enter: CVRGRM. The electronics store in Rawdhat sells high quality phone and tech accessories. Think beautiful Apple Watch straps, iPhone and iPad cases, and chargers, as well as laptop stands, mini fridges and even blenders. No mojo dojo casa houses here, folks. O Open daily 10am-11.30pm. Rawdhat, cvrgrm.ae (056 989 9433). ETHER BY CLOUD SPACES Co-working brand Cloud Spaces opened its CVRGRMINDEPENDENT LABELS timeoutabudhabi.com October 2023 45 concept store ETHER at Yas Mall back in March. Small- and medium-size businesses can rent different sized spaces for as long or as short as they need, and you’ll be able to shop for homeware, clothing, footwear, skincare and more. Current brands on offer include ClareyP Pours, Flow Fit and Ryok . O Open daily 10am-10pm. ETHER, Yas Mall, Yas Island, etherbycs.com (800 38537). LE RENDEZ-VOUS Pop-up concept store Le Rendez-Vous hosts events around the UAE showcasing unique brands selling clothing, footwear, homeware and more. The next event in Abu Dhabi is at Third Place Café on October 5, and conÀrmed vendors include swimwear and beachwear brand Elle & Elle, and With My Sands footwear. Keep your eyes glued to @lerendezvous_ae for more events. O Various locations, @lerendezvous_ae. LOCAL Popular coffee shop-slash-barber-slash- concept-store Local’s OG branch in Al Zeina recently moved to bigger premises. Which means there’s even more local brands selling apparel, accessories, books, candles and more for you to browse on your next visit. O Open daily 7am-11am. Al Zeina and Mamsha Al Saadiyat, localco.ae (02 555 3339). MIZA Community project MiZa is transforming a series of warehouses in Mina Zayed into spaces that can be rented out by small and medium sized businesses. At its heart is The Alley, and MiZa Library, both of which host pop-up events. During the winter months, The Alley holds pop-up events every weekend, with local vendors selling food and various knickknacks, while MiZa Library most recently played host to Mahliya Marketplace, an online platform for local businesses. Visit @mizaabudhabi for the latest. O Various dates and times. Mina Zayed, miza.ae. SAUCE Take your beachwear to the next level by shopping at Sauce. The Dubai-born multi- brand concept store has a branch at Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort where you’ll be able to browse gorgeous two-piece sets and dresses in colourful prints that will help you stand out from the crowd. O Open daily 10am-7pm. Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort, shopatsauce.com (02 811 4444).INDEPENDENT LABELS 46 October 2023 timeoutabudhabi.com SNEAKER DISTRICT Sneakerheads, this one’s for you. Sneaker District sells the freshest kicks, whether you’re looking for limited edition collabs from Nike and Adidas or want to browse lesser- known brands like Stepney Workers Club and Lusso Cloud. O Open Sun-Thu 10am-10pm; Fri-Sat 10am-midnight. WTC Mall, sneakerdistrict.com (02 645 5678). SOUQ AL MINA As we said, Mina Zayed is home to tonnes of brilliant small businesses, and you can Ànd a number at Souq Al Mina. You can shop homeware at Taste of Home or Hubel Ceramics, unique gifts at Min’na, candles from APS, and much, much more. It’s also home to the legendary Marmellata, so you can shop ‘til you drop, then fuel up with perfect slices of pizza. O Various hours. Mina Zayed, @souqalminaad. THE LIGHTHOUSE Homegrown brand The Lighthouse started out in Dubai before expanding to the capital, with one branch on Yas Bay Waterfront. Inside, you’ll be able to grab coffee and cakes or light meals before browsing the concept store part of the branch, which is home to books, accessories and more. O Open Mon-Thu 8am-midnight; Fri-Sun 8am-1am. Yas Bay Waterfront, Yas Island, thelighthouse.ae (02 236 7831). ONLINE STORES FOUNT For really, really, really beautifully designed pieces for your home, Fount should be your Àrst port of call. The Abu Dhabi-based concept store sells designer brands such as FABRICA, Ishinomaki Lab and Think of Things. Fount has a small gift store at Abrahamic Family House, but for more choice, shop online. O fountconcept.ae. KIMONO BY GLOBAL ART DAILY If you’re looking for truly one-of-a-kind, unique pieces, vintage is the way to go. Kimono by Global Art Daily sources vintage kimonos from Japan, and you can browse them IRL at Kulture House in Dubai’s Jumeirah, or shop online at kimono.globalartdaily.com. O kimono.globalartdaily.com. MAHLIYA App Mahliya connects you with home amongst fewINDEPENDENT LABELS timeoutabudhabi.com October 2023 47 businesses across the UAE. Download it now and browse clothing, arts and crafts and jewellery. O mahliya.ae. MARBL. In a bid to combat overconsumption, marbl. offers seasonless pieces you’ll want to wear again and again. Pieces are made with natural materials such as silk, linen and cotton, with multiple colours offered in every style, and sizing from XXS to 4XL. Prices are very reasonable given the quality, and you’ll feel like a million dollars in these items. O marblapparel.co. MERU Another option for those shopping for slow fashion, Studio Meru designs clothing to last a lifetime. Natural fabrics also feature here, but many pieces feature prints or veer away from neutral colour schemes. Plus, for every piece ordered, money is put towards planting a tree in rural Punjab. O studiomeru.com. MOCHI UAE-born brand Mochi launched back in 2013, and is known for its colourful prints. The showstopping items are made using deadstock materials, so if you fall in love with something, snap it up quickly. O allthingsmochi.com. RBKB Dubai-based concept store RBKB, aka, a Room, a Bathroom, a Kitchen and a Balcony, brings beautiful pieces over from artisans in Lebanon. You can shop for ceramics, glassware, rugs and more. O rbkb.ae. SOLEBEAT Yet another option for streetwear enthusiasts, SOLEBEAT sells sneakers, accessories and graphic tees. You can even take your obsession to the next level with sneaker- shaped candles and prints. O solebeatstore.com. THE GIVING MOVEMENT Okay, so unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll probably already know (and love) The Giving Movement. The activewear and streetwear brand launched during the pandemic and has completely taken over the UAE. The brand now has stores in Dubai, but you can also shop online. O thegivingmovement.com.48 October 2023 timeoutabudhabi.com Everything you need to know about Qasr Al WatanQUICK GUIDE timeoutabudhabi.com October 2023 49 PALACE NATION OF THENext >