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5 Best Seafood Restaurants in Abu Dhabi (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

Thorne Savarin
By Thorne Savarin, Culinary Explorer · ✓ Data verified July 2026 · 8 min read

Abu Dhabi's fish market restaurants let you pick your own catch and have it grilled minutes later, and that fresh-off-the-boat model has built some of the most reviewed seafood restaurants in Abu Dhabi. Between them, the venues on this page have logged over 40,000 Google reviews, with the top name alone accounting for nearly half that total.

Short answer: The most-reviewed seafood restaurant in Abu Dhabi is Gandofly Seafood Restaurant on Defence Road (4.8 stars across 18,174 Google reviews), followed closely by Dampa Seafood Grill (4.8, 7,110 reviews) and Phsphorus Kadoura Seafood Restaurant (4.8, 6,525 reviews) at the Fish Market. Expect to spend roughly AED 100 to 200 per person for a full seafood meal.
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Abu Dhabi's Top Seafood Spots, Side by Side

# Business Rating Reviews Best for
1 مطعم جندوفلي للمأكولات البحرية شارع الدفاع _Gandofly Seafood Restaurant defence road 4.8 ★ 18,174 Sheer volume, mixed seafood platters View ›
2 Dampa Seafood Grill - Abu Dhabi 4.8 ★ 7,110 Cajun-style seafood, groups View ›
3 مطعم فسفور قدورة للمأكولات البحرية - Phsphorus Kadoura Seafood Restaurant 4.8 ★ 6,525 Fish market, pick-your-own catch View ›
4 مرسي جندوفلي للمأكولات البحرية الميناء - Marsa Gandofly seafood restaurant Almina 4.8 ★ 5,197 Fish market location, terrace dining View ›
5 Seafood Express Restaurant 4.9 ★ 3,195 Seafood buckets, casual dining View ›
5 Best Seafood Restaurants in Abu Dhabi (2026)

Our top picks, reviewed

مطعم جندوفلي للمأكولات البحرية شارع الدفاع _Gandofly Seafood Restaurant defence road logo
#1 Overall🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

مطعم جندوفلي للمأكولات البحرية شارع الدفاع _Gandofly Seafood Restaurant defence road

4.818,174 Google reviews

Gandofly Seafood Restaurant on Defence Road serves grilled and fried seafood dishes with a focus on mixed platters and rice, staying open nearly around the clock from 9am to 3am daily. It has become one of the most-reviewed seafood restaurants in Abu Dhabi, with reviewers repeatedly praising both portion sizes and the freshness of the catch across thousands of visits.

What people praise

  • By far the largest review base on this list, over 18,000 ratings
  • Portions on mixed seafood platters described as generous enough for two to three people
  • Consistent praise for freshness and flavour across hundreds of recent reviews
  • Long daily hours, open into the early morning most nights

Worth knowing

  • A restaurant this large and busy can mean a wait during peak dinner hours
Reputation scorecardrank in Abu Dhabi
Rating4.8 / 5
Review volume18,174 · 98th
Confidencevery high
Recency2 months ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown91% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The most-reviewed seafood restaurant in the city by a wide margin, and the volume behind its 4.8 rating is hard to argue with. A safe first call for a mixed seafood platter any night of the week.

Website Book now+97124911501 Directions

شارع الدفاع defense road - Abu Dhabi

Dampa Seafood Grill - Abu Dhabi logo
#2🕑 Open 7 days

Dampa Seafood Grill - Abu Dhabi

4.87,110 Google reviews

Dampa Seafood Grill in Al Danah brings a Filipino-style seafood boil concept to Abu Dhabi, best known for its Cajun-sauced seafood buckets served with shrimp, crab and grilled fish. The restaurant leans into a lively, hands-on dining format, complete with bibs and no-cutlery-required seafood boils, and draws large groups on weekend evenings.

What people praise

  • Cajun seafood buckets get repeated, specific praise as the signature order
  • Strong for groups, with reviewers describing five to nine-person tables regularly
  • Attentive named staff mentioned across multiple reviews
  • Reasonable price-per-person for the portion size, per reviewer highlights

Worth knowing

  • Limited street parking near the Al Danah location on busy nights
Reputation scorecardrank in Abu Dhabi
Rating4.8 / 5
Review volume7,110 · 93th
Confidencevery high
Recency8 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown86% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The pick for a messy, hands-on group dinner built around Cajun-style seafood boils rather than a formal sit-down meal.

Website+97126220096 Directions

Fatma Bint Mubarak Street - Al Danah - Zone 1 - Abu Dhabi

مطعم فسفور قدورة للمأكولات البحرية - Phsphorus Kadoura Seafood Restaurant logo
#3🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

مطعم فسفور قدورة للمأكولات البحرية - Phsphorus Kadoura Seafood Restaurant

4.86,525 Google reviews

Phsphorus Kadoura Seafood Restaurant sits inside Abu Dhabi's Fish Market at Mina Zayed, letting diners buy their catch directly from the market stalls before having it grilled or fried to order at the attached restaurant. Reviewers describe it as one of the most authentic fish-market dining experiences in the city, with fresh crab, seabass, mussels and shrimp cooked exactly to request.

What people praise

  • Genuine pick-your-own-catch experience straight from the adjoining fish market
  • Reviewers repeatedly describe the seafood as tasting freshly caught, not frozen
  • Affordable pricing according to multiple reviews
  • Friendly, attentive waitstaff named across several reviews

Worth knowing

  • Can get busy during peak fish market hours
Reputation scorecardrank in Abu Dhabi
Rating4.8 / 5
Review volume6,525 · 88th
Confidencevery high
Recency6 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown92% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The most authentic fish-market experience on this list, worth the trip if you want to choose your own seafood before it's cooked.

Website Book now+97125838449 Directions

Fish Market - Mina Zayed - Ground Floor - Al Doum St - Abu Dhabi

مرسي جندوفلي للمأكولات البحرية الميناء - Marsa Gandofly seafood restaurant Almina logo
#4🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

مرسي جندوفلي للمأكولات البحرية الميناء - Marsa Gandofly seafood restaurant Almina

4.85,197 Google reviews

Marsa Gandofly Seafood Restaurant is a second Gandofly location inside the Mina Zayed Fish Market, offering fresh grilled and fried seafood with terrace seating overlooking the harbour. Like its Defence Road sibling, it runs a fish-market model where customers can buy fresh catch and have it prepared on the spot, with a table charge and per-kilogram cooking fee applied separately.

What people praise

  • Terrace seating overlooking the harbour, praised for a relaxing atmosphere
  • Complimentary bread and tea served alongside the meal, per multiple reviews
  • Free parking lot available on site, unusual for the area
  • Reviewers highlight friendly named staff across visits

Worth knowing

  • A few reviewers mention staff encouraging larger orders than needed, worth being clear about quantities upfront
  • One reviewer reported a long wait during a particularly busy evening
Reputation scorecardrank in Abu Dhabi
Rating4.8 / 5
Review volume5,197 · 83th
Confidencevery high
Recency4 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown87% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A good pick if you want the fish-market experience with a calmer, terrace setting. Be specific about portion sizes when ordering to avoid over-ordering.

Website Book now+971507053590 Directions

Fish Market - Ground Floor - Al Teelah St - Mina Zayed - Harbour - Abu Dhabi

Seafood Express Restaurant | مطعم سي فود اكسبرس logo
#5🕑 Open 7 days

Seafood Express Restaurant | مطعم سي فود اكسبرس

4.93,195 Google reviews

Seafood Express Restaurant in Al Nahyan specialises in seafood buckets served with a choice of house sauces, aimed at a casual, no-fuss seafood boil format complete with gloves and aprons provided at the table. It holds the highest rating on this list and reviewers consistently praise the absence of the strong seafood smell common at similar restaurants.

What people praise

  • Highest rating on this list at 4.9
  • Reviewers specifically note the restaurant avoids the strong seafood odour common elsewhere
  • Generous portions, with the seafood soup described as large enough to share
  • Gloves and aprons provided so diners can eat without worrying about mess

Worth knowing

  • Smaller review base than the fish-market names on this list, though the rating is the highest here
Reputation scorecardrank in Abu Dhabi
Rating4.9 / 5
Review volume3,195 · 73th
Confidencevery high
Recency6 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown92% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The highest-rated name here and a strong choice for a casual, fuss-free seafood bucket dinner. Reviewers keep coming back specifically for the flavour and the clean, comfortable dining room.

Website Book now+97125656707 Directions

Al abtal st - Al Nahyan - E25 - Abu Dhabi

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Watch: 5 Best Seafood Restaurants in Abu Dhabi (2026)

How we score

Every number on this page comes from public Google data on the date shown, not opinion or payment. Rating is the restaurant’s live Google star average. Review volume is how many diners have rated them, measured against other seafood restaurants in Abu Dhabi. Confidence weighs the rating by that volume, so a 4.8 from thousands of reviews carries more weight than a 4.9 from a few hundred. Recency reflects how recently diners are still leaving reviews. No business can pay to change these numbers.

How much does a seafood meal cost in Abu Dhabi? (2026)

Prices vary depending on whether you’re ordering off a set menu or buying fresh catch by weight at a fish-market restaurant. Here are the ranges reviewers reported directly on Google for the restaurants on this page:

JobTypical price
Casual seafood meal per personAED 50-150
Full sit-down seafood meal per personAED 100-200
Fish-market pricing (per kg, plus table/cooking fee)AED 25-40 table + cooking fee

Ranges compiled July 2026 from price-per-person figures and cost details reviewers reported directly on Google for the restaurants on this page. Fish-market pricing depends on the catch bought and its weight, so confirm the per-kilogram rate before ordering.

Serving all of Abu Dhabi

These seafood restaurants span Defence Road, Al Danah, Mina Zayed’s Fish Market, and Al Nahyan, covering both the downtown core and the harbour district. Searching for a seafood restaurant near me? Every listing below shows a live phone number and directions so you can find the closest option fast.

What to ask before you visit a seafood restaurant in Abu Dhabi

  • Is the seafood sold fresh by weight, or is it a fixed-price menu?
  • Is there a table charge or cooking fee on top of the seafood price?
  • What’s the wait like at peak dinner hours, and do you take reservations?
  • Which dishes are the kitchen’s recommended picks today?
  • Is parking available on site, or is it street parking only?
  • Can portions be adjusted for a smaller group so we don’t over-order?

Frequently asked questions

How did you choose these seafood restaurants?

We started from every seafood restaurant in Abu Dhabi with a public Google presence, then ranked by rating, review volume, consistency, and recency. See How we score above.

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from the public Google data in the scorecard. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner, which adds a badge and top placement, but that never changes another business’s score or position on the underlying data.

How often is this updated?

The data carries a verified date (July 2026 on this page). We refresh listings periodically so ratings and review counts stay current.

Which of these restaurants let you pick your own fish?

Phsphorus Kadoura Seafood Restaurant and Marsa Gandofly Seafood Restaurant both sit inside the Mina Zayed Fish Market, where you can buy fresh catch directly before having it cooked to order.

Are these restaurants good for groups?

Dampa Seafood Grill is specifically noted by reviewers for handling larger groups well, with its Cajun-style seafood buckets built for sharing.

The bottom line

Gandofly Seafood Restaurant on Defence Road is the safe default given its enormous, consistently strong review record, while Seafood Express edges it out on rating if a casual bucket dinner is more your speed. For the most authentic experience, head to the Fish Market and pick your own catch.

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