Li Jiang: Grand Mosque Views, Open-Kitchen Energy and a Tour Across Asia

Asia through a Ritz-Carlton lens

Li Jiang is one of those hotel restaurants where the architecture immediately tells you how the evening should feel. Set on the promenade level of The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, it combines an open kitchen with views towards Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the canal. The restaurant describes its food as modern interpretations of traditional Asian cuisine rather than tying itself to one national repertoire. That breadth is intentional: the kitchen moves comfortably through Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian reference points, while the setting keeps the experience coherent. Watching the chefs work helps; the room feels animated rather than hushed, even when the service and presentation are firmly in luxury-hotel territory.

Themed nights reveal the range

Li Jiang’s current programme is unusually useful for understanding the kitchen. The restaurant promotes themed evenings that move from dim sum extravaganzas and sushi boats to Vietnamese feasts, Thai curries and Malaysian soups. An Art of Asia experience menu sits alongside the a la carte offer, giving diners a route through the restaurant without having to build the sequence themselves. That variety could easily become unfocused, yet the strongest dishes tend to share the same principles: bright aromatics, careful textures and enough heat or acidity to keep richer sauces alive. The restaurant’s non-alcoholic drinks are treated with similar care, with combinations built around yuzu, shiso, sencha, lychee and ginger rather than generic sweet mocktails.

Current, busy and still recognised

Li Jiang remains MICHELIN Selected and is open daily for dinner, with the official site listing service from 5pm to 11pm and the Ritz-Carlton hotel page extending that to 11:30pm. The safest current reservation contact is +971 2 818 8203. Recent August 2026 guest reviews confirm a restaurant very much in active operation, repeatedly highlighting the Asian range, service and atmosphere. For Simply Abu Dhabi, this is a strong evening choice when the setting matters as much as the menu. Ask for a table with the mosque in view if available, then let the meal move across regions rather than ordering everything from one corner of Asia. Li Jiang is at its best when its breadth becomes the point.

Practical details

Location: Promenade level, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Khor Al Maqta, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cuisine: Modern Asian
Telephone: +971 2 818 8203
Hours: Daily from 5pm; official sources list closing between 11pm and 11:30pm
Recognition: MICHELIN Guide Abu Dhabi – Selected
Editorial status: Open
EMAIL: abudhabi.restaurants@ritzcarlton.com