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Royals: They like to dine out just like the rest of us. Next time you find yourself overwhelmed with the thousands of restaurant choices the UAE has to offer, why not take a regal cue from the country’s royal family? Their Highnesses have given the royal seal of approval to a number of local eateries in the past year, and are often snapped enjoying a bite or posing with the staff and fellow customers. Below, we round up five restaurants where the UAE royals love to eat and drink — who knows, you might just bump into one of them.
Urth Caffe
City Walk, Dubai
Over the weekend, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, was spotted visiting a newly-opened cafe in Dubai’s City Walk, along with several other leaders. Entitled Urth Caffe, the Los Angeles export specializes in health-conscious coffees. Though Urth is renowned for its high-quality beverages, the cafe also boasts a menu filled with organic, clean dishes and desserts such as vegan chocolate cake, matcha pancakes, and wood-fire pizza to choose from.
Baku Cafê
City Walk, Dubai
Last year, HH Sheikh Mohammed and his wife, HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, were spotted enjoying an authentic Azerbaijani meal together at City Walk’s Baku café. The eatery was newly-opened at the time, meaning that the royals were among its first visitors. “HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has graced us with his presence,” the restaurant wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of the couple. While we’re not exactly sure what the royals ordered, the restaurant boasts some seriously delectable chicken tabaka, baku rolls, and lamb ribs kabab.
Jones The Grocer
Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, popped into Jones The Grocer unannounced for a visit in August, and it’s safe to say that staff and fellow customers were pleasantly surprised. The Australian cafe, known for its fresh and healthy menu, shared a photo to Instagram of the royal posing with the clearly ecstatic staff. “No Monday blues when HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walks into our store,” they captioned the image.
Crab Market
DIFC, Dubai
Nestled in the heart of DIFC, Crab Market is a royal-approved spot frequented by HH Sheikh Hamdan that’s worth checking out. The restaurant opened its doors in March with a tantalizing seafood menu by prize-winning chef Vladimir Mukhin (he of White Rabbit). Taking to its social media pages, the restaurant posted a picture of its staff posing with the young royal, alongside a caption that read “Such an honor to have HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in @crabmarketdxb today!”
BB Social Dining
DIFC, Dubai
BB Social Dining can officially count Dubai’s Crown Prince among their regular customers. Sheikh Hamdan was spotted at the stylish DIFC eatery not once, but twice over the past year. The royal first visited the restaurant when it just launched, taking to his Instagram Stories to share mouth-watering snaps of his meal, including the BB bao, cauliflower popcorn, crispy sprouts, and edamame hummus. According to the owner, Shabnum Stumpf, Sheikh Hamdan’s brother HH Sheikh Maktoum was dining at the restaurant the day before, and sent a picture of the menu to Fazza to convince him to visit.
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