Yas Island Guide: Best Restaurants, Bars and Things to Do
The island that built itself around speed, spectacle and a marina full of second homes. What to do when you're there.
Yas Island sits 30 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi, a 25-square-kilometre artificial island where Formula 1 meets family days out, where the race track and three theme parks share space with restaurants that actually matter. It's ordered around water—Yas Marina on one side, Yas Bay Waterfront and Yas Beach on the other—which means you can drift between a midday rollercoaster and a sunset drink without once feeling hurried. The island splits naturally into zones: the theme parks and Ferrari World to the north, the marina and bay action to the south, with Yas Mall in the middle holding the mid-range dining. You need a car or will burn through taxi money fast. This guide moves you through the island's actual rhythms—a morning spent on thrills, afternoons at the waterfront, nights that hinge on where the energy finds you.
Start with speed: Ferrari World
Yas Island · Indoor theme park · Open daily, Formula Rossa requires 30-minute reservation on arrival
The Formula Rossa reaches speeds up to 240 km/h and the park covers 86,000 square meters. It's climate-controlled indoors, open 365 days a year. Arrive early enough to book the coaster before the queue locks you out. Formula Rossa now requires a reservation on arrival—scan the QR code at the entrance and book a 30-minute time slot. The park reads best for first-timers and families who want speed without F1 expertise; if you're keen on racing sims and the actual racing lore, it rewards a full day.
Breakfast over the golf course: Villa Sélène
Yas Links Abu Dhabi · Breakfast and brunch · Daily from opening
The terrace offers breathtaking views over Yas Links and the blue Arabian Gulf, and you'll find here a better full English on Yas. The room catches the morning light right and the crowd runs to residents who know what they're doing, not tourists corralling at a restaurant's stated opening. Go early, sit the side that faces water, order coffee and whatever eggs they're doing today. Skip this if you're rushing to a park by ten.
Korean steakhouse, high-spec meat: Nuri
Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island · Korean steakhouse · Saturday brunch 12:30–3:30 PM, dinner nightly
A sizzling Korean steakhouse offering prime cuts of meat with emphasis on wet-ageing, chic interiors, a stylish bar and karaoke rooms. Saturdays transform into a celebration of flavor from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM with a specially curated set menu, priced from AED 299 for non-alcoholic through AED 599 for champagne packages. Book the karaoke room if your group has eaten too well and someone wants to sing badly. Worth the drive to the Hilton for the meat alone, especially if you're hitting it post-theme-park when adrenaline still runs high.
Mediterranean, Michelin-backed: Mika
Yas Marina · Mediterranean fine dining · Saturday brunch from AED 299
Lively restaurant in Yas Marina offering terrace seating, a well-priced Mediterranean-inspired menu with noteworthy specials and vibrant dishes that are as fresh as they are full of flavour. Breads are freshly baked in-house, they cure their own salmon and even make their own limoncello. A Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi. The room works for lunch when the Yas Marina crowd is still half-sober, better for dinner when the light moves onto the water and the pace slows. Sit outside, order whatever fish they recommend, and linger over limoncello.
Irish pub weekends: McCafferty's
Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island · Irish pub · Saturday brunch 1–5 PM, AED 199 unlimited
Nestled inside the five-star Hilton Yas Island, this much-loved Irish pub provides that cosy Irish pub feel right on one of the most scenic locations on the island. Saturday brunch offers unlimited drinks and dishes from 1–5 PM for AED 199. Live sports on giant LED screens, regular quizzes and games run all week long. The space reads as proper rather than themed, which matters when the crowd gets loud. Go Saturday morning if you want the brunch deal; go any evening if you want to watch the match with people who actually care about the match.
Sunset cocktails on the marina: Diablito
Yas Marina · Spanish-themed rooftop bar · Daily, DJ Tulini daytime, live DJs from 10 PM
Spanish-themed restaurant with shaded outdoor veranda and large rooftop with panoramic marina views, Mediterranean-inspired menu with fresh tapas, pizzas and paellas. In the evening the rooftop transforms into a nightlife venue with live DJs spinning from 10 PM. Book the early slot for sunset or the late one if you want music and movement. The crowd is mixed—locals, tourists, the odd helicopter person—and nobody cares who you are, which is the point.
Late night, beer and wings: Belgian Café
Yas Island · Belgian beer café · Open late, Wing-Down Wednesday 6–10 PM
A late-night Belgian café specialising in Belgium's best hops and ales with 1920s Art Deco sophistication, serving moules-frites, steak and gourmet burgers with culinary promotions, sports screenings and quiz nights. Wing-Down Wednesday runs 6–10 PM with unlimited wings in five flavors—AED 89 for 2 hours unlimited wings, AED 109 with two drinks. The kind of place that gets louder as the night moves on. Sit at the bar if you're alone; sit the long table if you came with people.
Water slides and pearl diving: Yas Waterworld
Yas Island · Water park with 40+ slides · Open daily, ticket pricing from AED 80
Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi is home to over 40 rides and slides, plus a unique pearl diving experience. Yas Beach nearby is popular for its white sand and mangroves, offering sunbathing, watersports like jet skiing and paddleboarding and an outdoor gym. The park works best as a morning visit when the slides aren't queued and the water is still cool. Go if you have kids or if you've spent days on Yas Island already and the novelty of the marina has worn thin. Skip if you're over water slides.
Motorbikes, games and golf simulation: Five Iron Golf
Yas Bay Waterfront · Golf simulation and entertainment venue · Open daily
Five Iron Golf UAE spans nearly 24,000 square feet at Yas Bay Waterfront with Trackman simulators, a tour-level Callaway fitting studio and a lively dining and bar experience, offering competitive play, coaching or casual darts, shuffleboard and multi-sport simulators. A waterfront terrace and curated events round out a social destination for golfers and non-golfers alike. The kind of venue that holds an afternoon or a rainy evening equally well. Book a simulator slot if you golf; book the bar if you don't and just want to watch other people compete.
Shop, eat, breathe: Yas Mall and The Fountains
Yas Island · Shopping center and food court · Shops daily, restaurants vary
The Fountains is a collection of 18 casual restaurants serving authentic Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Italian, Asian, American, seafood, burgers, dessert kiosks and coffee houses. Soraya, from the creators of London's top dining spots like Pachamama, is a Persian-inspired restaurant located at Yas Mall. Yas Mall sits in the island's center and reads as a necessary waypoint rather than a destination, somewhere you stop between the parks and the waterfront. The food court suits families and anyone wanting choice without theatre. Soraya if you want dinner that matters; everywhere else if you need to eat and keep moving.
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