Kamoon is a beautiful high-end Arabic restaurant located in Abu Dhabi at Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana. We had a dinner scheduled there during one of the nights that we were staying at the hotel. We walked over to Kamoon in the evening, and the setting is absolutely beautiful. There is indoor and outdoor seating, but since the weather is so incredible, practically all of the diners chose to sit outside, and we were no different. The outdoor view is really unbeatable. It’s a waterfront restaurant that has unobstructed views of the beautiful skyscrapers nearby. As you sit, you can watch the yachts sail by, take in the view, smoke a shisha; and there’s plenty of space, including a small grass area for kids to play around in.

Service started off quite quick, as they brought us food and drink menus. Since this is an Arabic restaurant, our resident Arab (aka my husband, Mohamed) did the ordering for us. Along with the food that was ordered, we also got a couple of delicious drinks– the Kamoon Exotica and the Passion Fruit Mojito. The mojito was a fresh, zesty typical virgin mojito, but sweetened with a fruity flavor. The Kamoon Exotica is a typical strawberry banana juice, with a special hint of cumin! By the way, “kamoon” in Arabic means cumin, so they add bits of a cumin to certain drinks and dishes to enhance the flavor. I loved by mojito and our little Khalifa and Mohamed both enjoyed the Kamoon Exotica drink. Along with the drinks, they served traditional arabic bread, olives and pickeled vegetables.

Our appetizers came out quite quickly. We had Batata Harra, Kibbeh and Rubiyan Mtafayeh. Khalifa had french fries, like always. The Batata Harra, which is spicy diced potatoes was very well-seasoned and delicious, and definitely not spicy as the name suggests so don’t be weary of ordering it! The Rubiyan Mtafayeh is shrimps with lemon, garlic and coriander. It comes in a light, tangy sauce, and is so delicious that I would happily even have it as a light main dish. The Kibbeh, a traditional arabic deep fried minced meat starter, was my favorite of all the appetizers. It’s not your typical kibbeh– first of all, the size is very generous and you can get full off of just a couple. It’s the best tasting kibbeh that I’ve had, the quality is amazing, and the ingredients and spices are just on point. The little bits of pine nuts mixed in with the ground meat gives it that extra kick.

For mains we both ordered mixed grills. My husband got the Meshawi Meshakeleh and I got the Maakoulat Bahriya Meshwiya. If that’s got your tongue twisted, what that means is: he got meat and I got seafood mixed grills. By the time we were done with our starters, the restaurant was becoming more and more packed, so our mains did take a little while longer to get to us. However, it was worth the wait.

The meat mixed grill came with kebab halabi, lamb, shish tawouk with kamoon, a delicious crispy arayes bread, and herbed arabic bread. He said that all of the meat was so well cooked and very delicious, and he should know what good meshawi tastes like, after all, he has it a couple of times a week at least. My seafood mixed grill was beautifully presented with 3 butterflied large prawns, a filet of hammour fish, breaded and deep fried calamari rings, arabic spiced bread and crispy thin french fries served with a light tahina sauce. I loved my dish, but they are so generous with the portion size that I had to wrap up most of it for take away since I so sinfully filled myself up on starters.

After dinner, we debated on whether to stay and enjoy a shisha, but Khalifa was just adamant on wanting to walk around the outdoor dining space that we decided having a shisha would just not be a viable option with our newly walking toddler.

Now, I must admit I don’t get too excited over Arabic food since we are spoiled with so many different Arabic restaurants in this country. However, the food and ambiance at Kamoon really won me over, and I would happy come back.

Ratings (0-5): 

• Staff/Service: 5
• Cleanliness: 5
• Food: 4.5
• Value for money: 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.75

Worth Trying?:  Yes! I think its a great spot to enjoy a nice hearty meal with family and friends, its can also be a lovely dinner date spot, and I would also really recommend it for Abu Dhabi tourists and visitors since the cuisine is authentic Arabic and the view is incredible.

For more information, call Kamoon at +971 (0) 2 657 0111.