Talea by Antonio Guida: One Michelin Star for Italian Family Cooking at Emirates Palace

Family cooking, refined rather than disguised

Talea’s idea is summed up by the phrase ‘Cucina di Famiglia’. Antonio Guida has not built an Abu Dhabi restaurant around theatrical reinvention of Italian food; he has taken dishes associated with family tables and applied the discipline of a Michelin-starred kitchen. Emirates Palace currently highlights ravioli, burrata, ossobuco and vitello tonnato, while the wider menu also keeps recognisable staples such as spaghetti carbonara and truffle bruschetta in view. The result is luxurious without becoming remote. There is technique in the sauces, pasta work and product sourcing, but the emotional reference remains food people in Italy might recognise before they analyse it.

Luigi Stinga gives the restaurant its daily pulse

The name above the door belongs to Guida, but Talea is helmed day to day by his protege Luigi Stinga, himself the recipient of the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Abu Dhabi Young Chef Award. That relationship gives the restaurant continuity rather than the feel of a celebrity-chef licence. Seasonal Italian products, a strong Italian wine emphasis and a room designed with bold colour rather than hushed formality all reinforce the idea that this is supposed to be convivial. The current hotel programme even includes weekend family lunches and summer Italian evenings, a useful reminder that a Michelin star does not require the dining room to behave like a museum.

A star that was retained, not newly borrowed

For 2026, Talea again holds One MICHELIN Star; Michelin’s current Abu Dhabi announcement specifically lists Talea alongside Erth and Hakkasan as the three restaurants that retained their distinctions. That consistency is the strongest reason for the restaurant’s place in a serious Abu Dhabi guide. Current service is dinner from 6:30pm to 10:30pm, with lunch on Saturday and Sunday from 12:30pm to 3pm; the restaurant is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Reservations are handled on +971 2 690 7999. At Emirates Palace, it would be easy for the setting to dominate the meal. Talea succeeds because the opposite is true: the palace supplies the occasion, while the cooking gives diners a reason to remember what was on the plate.

Practical details

Location: Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, West Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cuisine: Contemporary Italian; Cucina di Famiglia
Telephone: +971 2 690 7999
Recognition: One MICHELIN Star – MICHELIN Guide Abu Dhabi 2026
Hours: Sat-Sun lunch 12:30pm-3:00pm; dinner 6:30pm-10:30pm; closed Tue-Wed
Editorial status: Open