Namak: Regional India, Royal Platters and Michelin Recognition at Dusit Thani

India by region, not by shorthand

Namak’s strongest idea is simple: Indian cuisine is too large to be flattened into one restaurant style. Dusit Thani describes the dining room as a journey through different regions of India, built around aromatic flavours, traditional combinations and recognisable cooking techniques, then presented with a more contemporary visual confidence. That approach gives the menu room to move between street-food memories, tandoor cooking, biryani and richer family-style dishes without feeling scattered. The restaurant sits in the hotel lobby but has developed an identity independent of the usual all-day hotel formula. MICHELIN continues to include Namak in the Abu Dhabi guide for 2026, and current diners still describe the cooking as both authentic and polished – a useful combination in a city where Indian food ranges from everyday cafeteria staples to elaborate fine dining.

The sharing platters explain the kitchen

Namak’s current offers reveal more about the kitchen than generic tasting notes ever could. Its Royal Platters pair tandoori cooking with dum biryani, curry and naan: Samundary Khazana centres on seafood including lobster, Maharaja ki Peshkash brings together meat and prawn grills, while Maharani ki Pasand gives vegetarian cooking equal weight. There is also a weekday vegetarian thali and a weekend Ghar Ka Khana family feast built around rotating regional menus. These formats tell you how to eat here. Namak rewards a table willing to share, compare textures and move between smoke, spice, rice and sauce. Recent 2026 guests also highlight dishes such as Dilli 6, samosa chole and butter chicken, but the broader appeal lies in tasting several regions in one sitting rather than ordering one familiar curry each.

A Michelin-selected restaurant that still feeds families

The restaurant’s current schedule is unusual enough to check before travelling: Namak is open Saturday and Sunday from 12:30pm to 11:30pm, Wednesday to Friday for dinner from 7pm to 11:30pm, and closed Monday and Tuesday. Reservations are on +971 2 698 8137. The 2026 MICHELIN selection matters, but Namak’s more interesting achievement is keeping that recognition alongside family feasts and generous sharing platters. For Simply Abu Dhabi, it is best approached with curiosity rather than ceremony. Choose one tandoori element, one rice or curry-led dish and something from a different regional tradition, then let the table build its own progression. The result is more revealing than ordering by category and far closer to the restaurant’s stated purpose: showing how varied Indian cooking really is.

Practical details

Location: Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, 925 Sultan Bin Zayed The First Street, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cuisine: Regional Indian
Telephone: +971 2 698 8137
Hours: Wed-Fri 7pm-11:30pm; Sat-Sun 12:30pm-11:30pm; closed Mon-Tue
Recognition: MICHELIN Guide Abu Dhabi 2026 – Selected
Editorial status: Open