Fishmarket Abu Dhabi: The Market-to-Table Seafood Ritual That Endures

The market is the menu

Fishmarket at InterContinental Abu Dhabi has survived changing dining fashions because its central idea was strong in the first place. Open since 1989, the restaurant turns ordering dinner into a market ritual: walk the display, choose seafood and vegetables, decide how you want them cooked, then let the Thai kitchen take over. InterContinental says there is no conventional menu for the core experience, only the chilled seafood counter and produce selection, with rice and noodle dishes available alongside. More than three decades later, that interactive format still feels more personal than scrolling through another oversized hotel menu.

Thai flavour gives the seafood its direction

The Thai influence is what stops the concept becoming a simple grill. The kitchen works with herbs, spices, curries and different cooking styles, so the same sea bass, lobster, crab or prawns can produce a very different meal depending on the diner’s choices. Recent 2026 guests continue to praise the freshness of the seafood, Thai curry sauces and the pleasure of selecting ingredients directly from the display. They also repeatedly mention the terrace and beachside outlook. Those details matter because Fishmarket’s appeal is sensory: the ice counter, the colour of the vegetables, the decision-making at the display and then the change of pace once the food arrives at the table.

Why the formula still works after more than 35 years

InterContinental currently lists Fishmarket open daily from noon until 11pm, with last orders at 10.30pm and reservations on +971 56 990 8317. It sits on Marina Walk at InterContinental Abu Dhabi, overlooking the water. For Simply Abu Dhabi, this is one of the city’s genuine dining institutions, but it should be described through the experience rather than through age alone. Ask the team what is best on the counter that day, choose cooking styles that suit each catch and resist the urge to order everything the same way. The restaurant’s longevity makes sense once you do that: freshness, choice and a little theatre have proved far more durable than trend-driven restaurant design.

Practical details

Location: Marina Walk, InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cuisine: Thai-style seafood / market-to-table
Telephone: +971 56 990 8317
Hours: Daily, 12:00pm-11:00pm; last order 10:30pm
Editorial status: Open