Giornotte: The Ritz-Carlton Brunch Institution with an Italian-Villa Soul
An all-day restaurant that leans into abundance
Giornotte occupies the kind of role every grand resort needs, but it has developed a personality beyond being the place where hotel guests eat breakfast. The Ritz-Carlton describes it as light Mediterranean all-day dining, set in a room inspired by an Italian villa with a wood-and-brick terrace overlooking the gardens. That architecture helps: breakfast feels bright and leisurely, while lunch and dinner can spill outdoors when the weather behaves. The kitchen then scales dramatically for special services. During Ramadan 2026, for example, the Iftar buffet expanded to more than 35 stations, covering everything from shawarma, barbecue and ouzi to seafood, pasta, Asian hot pot and Turkish desserts.
Saturday is the restaurant at full volume
The Chef’s Brunch is where Giornotte becomes an Abu Dhabi destination in its own right. Current 2026 diners describe seafood, sushi, foie gras, grills and a broad sweep of international stations, with an August review calling out the sheer range from Italian and Mexican food to oysters, fish and Asian dishes. That is not the experience for someone seeking a restrained three-course lunch. The pleasure is discovery: walking the room, watching chefs work and returning to the table with something entirely different on the next plate. The setting keeps the excess from feeling like a convention-hotel buffet; the garden-facing terrace and resort service give it a sense of occasion.
Breakfast, brunch or a slower garden meal
Giornotte’s own current site lists breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with Saturday lunch extended from 1pm to 4pm for brunch. The restaurant’s direct contact is +971 2 818 8203 – a useful correction to older directory numbers. For Simply Abu Dhabi, the venue is best recommended according to mood. Choose breakfast if you want the calmest version of the room, Saturday if you want the complete theatrical spread, or a regular lunch when the terrace itself is the attraction. It is not trying to be a niche chef’s counter. Giornotte succeeds by doing the opposite: generous resort dining delivered with enough polish, variety and sense of place to make abundance feel intentional.
Practical details
Location: The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Khor Al Maqta, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cuisine: Mediterranean and international all-day dining
Telephone: +971 2 818 8203
Hours: Breakfast from 6:30am; lunch from 12:30pm; dinner from 6:30pm; Saturday brunch/lunch 1pm-4pm; current official site lists dinner to 11pm
Editorial status: Open