Antonia Trattoria: Al Zeina Gets the Neighbourhood Version of an Abu Dhabi Favourite

Antonia moves into the neighbourhood

When Antonia Trattoria opened in Al Zeina in October 2023, it gave the homegrown Italian brand a different kind of address. Mamsha has the beach and Antonia Chic has The Galleria’s polished city energy; Al Zeina feels more like a restaurant designed to become part of the weekly routine.

The fundamentals remain familiar. Roman pizza al taglio, long-fermented sourdough, handmade pasta and straightforward Italian flavours still anchor the menu. But Trattoria stretches the brand into breakfast and recurring neighbourhood rituals, which changes how people use it. On most weekdays and at weekends the kitchen opens early for breakfast, with Monday deliberately treated differently. That makes it as plausible for coffee and a morning plate as it is for a bowl of pasta later in the day.

Weekly rituals, with an Abruzzo accent

The branch’s specials are where its personality becomes clearest. Monday evenings bring unlimited pizza slices, while Tuesday is built around porchetta. On Wednesdays, Arrosticini Night introduces one of Abruzzo’s most recognisable foods: small lamb skewers, cooked over charcoal and served with the directness of a regional trattoria rather than the ceremony of fine dining.

That Abruzzo connection is more than decorative. Chef-owner Simone Federici grew up in the region, and the Antonia story begins with his grandmother’s kitchen there. At Al Zeina, those references feel especially natural because the restaurant is pitched as a community trattoria rather than a destination dining room.

The branch to make your regular

Antonia Trattoria works because it understands repetition. A neighbourhood restaurant needs reasons to return, not just reasons to visit once. Breakfast, pizza nights, porchetta and arrosticini build that rhythm, while the core menu remains broad enough for a spontaneous family dinner.

For Simply Abu Dhabi, Al Zeina is arguably the most revealing Antonia after the Mamsha original. It shows how the brand can preserve the same sourdough-and-pasta DNA while becoming more informal, more habitual and more closely tied to the people who live around it. This is Antonia less as an occasion and more as a very good local.

Practical details

Location: Al Zeina, Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cuisine: Italian
Telephone: +971 2 622 0480
Editorial status: Open