We debate and agonise over this award, but context is everything.
Who should win Restaurant of the Year? Is it the place with white linen and mirror service or the local neighbourhood favourite? What does Restaurant of the Year mean in Abu Dhabi, a city where tastes change with the wind?
In the capital, homegrown talent competes with international chefs in one of the region’s most competitive dining markets. Centuries of Emirati hospitality and–let’s be honest—a taste for the finer things in life set the groundwork for what Abu Dhabi has become.
International chefs and global culinary concepts landed en masse in 2025 with big openings, bringing their voice, vision and capability of exceptional dining to a city that–at times–feels like it has seen it all. This intense market separates the good from the great, and the competition could not be more fierce. Therefore, the FACT Dining Awards Abu Dhabi Restaurant of the Year 2025 needs to be a heavy hitter. A world-class restaurant synonymous with innovative cuisine. A groundbreaker and pacesetter by which other restaurants are measured both here and abroad.
FACT’s Restaurant of the Year 2025 in the capital is NIRI Restaurant & Bar, a homegrown success story that takes home the accolade for the third year in a row.
NIRI Restaurant & Bar can be found towards the end of the Mamsga Al Saadiyat promenade, close to FACT favourites Antonia and LOCAL. Yet this Japanese izakaya is probably the most elevated dining concept on the strip and one that offers instant appeal from the moment you enter into the stylish, minimalist interior.
Here, guests are met with a well-stocked bar and bi-fold doors that open onto the stunning beachfront. The interiors are simple, enhanced by neutral tones and earthen materials such as wood and stone. As a result, the place has an instant likeability, which is only heightened by NIRI’s kimono-clad affable front-of-house team.
Led by Managing Director Imad Obeid (formally of La Petite Maison Abu Dhabi and Zuma Abu Dhabi), Head Chef and sushi master Yasuyuki Takemoto, and Chef Omaka Orubu, this winning trifecta of talent provides a recipe for success at what remains the capital’s most talked about restaurant.
Anchored around the spirit of Japanese cuisine, diners are welcome to indulge in the expected sushi and sake, but delve a little deeper into the menu, and you’ll be rewarded with dishes that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else in the county, let alone the capital. Whilst popular choices such as miso-marinated black cod and dynamite shrimp would be an easy sell, NIRI purposefully deviates away from these choices to offer diners something altogether more exciting. Instead, we suggest you expand your culinary horizons with piping-hot Softshell Crab, generously seasoned and served with a punchy miso mustard dipping sauce. Or perhaps the Toro Sakusaku Nori, which presents fatty tuna tartare with nikiri soy and crisp seaweed crackers, or the Wagyu Tataki submerged in aromatic truffle oil.
With tuna imported from Spain, yellowtail and red snapper from Japan and wagyu from Australia, NIRI ensures that premium ingredients are used in the composition of its dishes. This is evident with the Hokkaido Scallop, served in its shell amidst an alluring butter sauce. However, items are also sourced locally, and the Asari Sakamushi may be NIRI’s unexpected signature. The resulting dish is simply constructed yet full of complex aromatic flavours, prepared using Abu Dhabi clams steamed with lemongrass and fresh ginger.
One visit to NIRI Restaurant & Bar is simply not enough. It’s the type of place that encourages repeat visits to explore the food and beverages fully. For example, delving into the restaurant’s Kinako Pistachio Cheesecake, we’re impressed by the silky texture of the filling, complemented by the crunch of the nuts and a hint of sourness from the accompanying cherry compote.
With space for 70 covers and a private dining room, NIRI Restaurant & Bar offers intimacy and inclusivity. It’s licensed, it’s casual, but tables can be hard to get. So if you want to expand your culinary horizons, you know where to go.
It’s Japanese dining but not as you expect.
GO: Visit www.nirirestaurant.com for reservations and more information.