Nolu’s Café
Leave it to Nolu’s Café, known across the city for its unique take on healthy fare, to devise a whole new way to eat. Packing all your health needs into one fat bowl, the pick-it-yourself concept on the menu means you can devise a dish that’s catered exactly to your tastes. Marrying Afghan cuisine and a Middle Eastern food culture, Nolu’s is all about family, tradition and hospitality. And fortunately for us, they deliver.
Daily 10am-11pm. Al Bandar and The Galleria (02 5579500).
Urban Bites
Urban Bites is a community based, customer-driven restaurant chain in the capital. A favourite with the business crowd, Urban Bites caters for lunch on the go, with fresh salads, sandwiches, soups and pastas that are tasty and seemingly healthy. The best part is that you can easily order online, without hassle, and expect speedy delivery. You can also track your order, so you know that it has been received. They use the best and freshest ingredients, sourced locally when available, to offer a range of meals, snacks and refreshments that deliver on health, nutrition, taste and value. The menu is also constantly refreshed to keep things interesting, mixing traditional classics with modern twists. Healthy food aside, they also take their coffee as seriously as we do.
Sat-Thu 8am-11pm. Various locations including Al Khalidiyah and Airport Road, www.urbanbites.me (800 87226).
Shawarma Time
Yes, we hear you, shawarmas still have carbs, but you’ll still be able to find some super healthy meals on the Shawarma Time menu. Its mission is to provide healthy and tasty meals in record time. Their food contains organic produce, the healthiest cuts of meat and the freshest breads (hello cheat day). They also care about our environment, which is why they ensure minimal waste and use only recyclable packaging. We love their super healthy grain salad. It’s a steal at just Dhs25.
Daily noon-3pm, 6pm-midnight. Various outlets, www.shawarmatime.com (02 633 6633).
Barbacoa
Barbacoa uses fresh, local vegetables and sources dry ingredients from Mexico. Everything is cooked in small batches to replicate a home-cooked meal. Nothing is deep-fried, and all dishes are cooked in front of you and made only for you. The name Barbacoa is inspired by the word “barbecue”, and is a way of slow-cooking meat over hot coals which originated in the Caribbean. Traditionally, barbacoa is eaten by serving grilled meat on warm corn tortillas.
Daily 10am-10pm. Masdar City, between Khalifa City A and Abu Dhabi International Airport, www.barbacoa.ae (02 639 4226).
Soulfull
Think salads are boring? Then you haven’t tried Soulfull yet. This healthy takeaway joint conveniently provides you with fresh, healthy and creative food at your desk, home or their various outlets. Based on a healthier way of living, its menu’s items are deliciously high in essential nutrients per calorie. Food here is rated from 0 to 5 stars based on the balance of calories per nutrient, and it only offers food that is rated at least 3 out of 5 stars. And while they serve up a variety to suit every taste, it’s most famous for its salads. Our favourite dish has to be the newly added kale, chicken and halloumi salad. With kale and chia seeds, this might as well be called a “super food salad”. Then topped with lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, halloumi cubes and a drizzle of balsamic, the dish is taken to the next level of taste and offers the perfect balance of flavour, protein, nutrients and minerals to make it a good choice for dieting diners. We can’t get enough of it.
Delivers weekdays 8am-11pm, weekends 10am-11pm. Various outlets, www.soulfull.ae (800 SOUL).
Shabby Chic Café
Offering all your favourite lunchtime staples and more, Shabby Chic is a great takeaway option for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Guests can opt for the full English breakfast or something altogether more Emirati-inspired in the morning, or a choice of soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps in the afternoon. The food is healthy and freshly prepared, but it also has a selection of comfort foods for your meal plan’s day off.
Sun-Thu 8am-10.45pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10.45pm. Al Nahyan (02 445 3890).
Circle Café
Circle Café was founded in 2003 specialising in New York bagels made by two mums. Since then the menu has evolved from a focus on bagels to a diverse offering of breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner options that appeal to the palates and lifestyles of all age groups. They’ve got a huge selection of unique salads and meaty grills for mains which are all available online.
Daily 10am-11pm. Al Raha Gardens Plaza, Khalifa City A, www.circle-cafe.com (02 556 1550).
Basiligo
Bored of the canteen? Basiligo delivers fresh, gourmet office lunches in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to an innovative online ordering system, their food delivery in Abu Dhabi is healthier and more convenient than ever. The healthy meals are made from scratch, according to a rotating weekly menu, that you can have delivered directly to your desk. This means you won’t find yourself in a rut eating the same thing day in and day out. Have a craving? Not to worry – they also reserve a list of customer favourites that are readily available for lunch delivery. An easy filtering system allows you to order food online according to your specific dietary needs, whether it be vegetarian meals, dairy-free food, organic food, low-carb diets, nut-free dishes, vegan meals or even gluten-free cuisine. Phew!
Sat-Thu 9am-6pm. www.basiligo.ae (02 553 0049).
Kcal
Kcal, an innovative food and lifestyle company, finally delivers in Abu Dhabi. Dedicated to changing the fast-food industry as we know it, Kcal is all about healthy, wholesome, fast, tasty food. It has an extensive menu, inspired by firm favourites from throughout the world, including Thai curries, meatballs with courgette noodles and Korean barbecue tenderloin. They don’t sacrifice on taste and quality and use only the freshest ingredients, as close to their whole and natural state as possible. Every meal has a convenient nutritional facts breakdown so you’ll know exactly what will work for your particular meal plan. The website works wonderfully, and you’ll gather points on your account every time you order online. After seven main meals you get the next for free.
Daily 8am-11pm (Fridays 10am-11pm). Al Mamoura Building B, www.kcalhealthyfastfood.com (02 884 9476).
Natural Kitchen
Natural Kitchen, as the name suggests, uses natural ingredients and prepares food that is delicious and healthy while avoiding the obscure chemicals, additives, oils and preservatives in today’s modern food. Good, natural food goes off quickly, so Natural Kitchen’s meals have a one-day shelf life.
Sun-Thu 7am-11pm, Fri-Sat 9am-11am. Building 7, Marina Square, Al Reem Island, www.naturalkitchen.ae (02 666 5995).
BiteRite
BiteRite basically does what it says on the tin. It’s a healthy eating community which runs a café (the BiteRite Resto Café), delivers meals across the capital and works to raise awareness about healthy eating through public events, fun activities and monthly cooking classes.
Daily 9am-10.45pm. Various locations, www.biterite.ae (02 641 1660).
Café Mandarina
Most dishes at Café Mandarina are made from scratch using fresh ingredients from local farmers, along with products from their own farm. It preserves as many nutrients as possible in the preparation of dishes and uses hand-cut herbs, mainly grown on its own farm, to enhance the homemade and organic stocks, sauces and dressings. Café Mandarina also source superior ingredients such as pure Swiss honey that substitutes sugar in the preparation of homemade desserts and sweet beverages, and use organic products whenever possible.
Sun-Thu 10am-11pm, Fri 2pm-midnight, Sat 10am-midnight. Mandara Equestrian Club, 991, Rahba Farm, Al Shahama, www.cafemandarina.com (02 564 5770).
Nando’s
If you’re looking for a high-protein meal, nothing beats Nando’s flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. The South African joint has taken the world by storm and now has 14 stores across the UAE. And while we find their spicy potato wedges hard to resist, they’ve also got a variety of healthy veggie sides to go with your tasty chicken.
Daily 11am-10.45pm. Various outlets, www.nandos.ae (600 54 25 25).
Kcal
If you’re already ordering Kcal delivery, you’ll be glad to know they also do healthy meal plans to keep you on track. Once you sign up online, you have a consultation to determine your needs and goals. Packages include weight loss, wellness and athletes, and meals are charged per day.
www.kcalextra.com (04 434 4111).
Slim ‘N’ lite
Meals are delivered every evening and can include everything from steamed fish dishes to healthy burgers. Evening meals arrive warm and your other courses are cold and go in the fridge for the next day. Slim ’n’ Lite can cater for all sorts of intolerances and allergies too, so no excuses.
www.slimandlite.com (02 222 2677).
Right Bite
Meal delivery service Right Bite has launched a new two-week cleanse designed to kick-start a weight-loss mission or put you back on track after a period off the wagon. The cleanse is a combination of meals, snacks and juices, which make up a plan that the company describes as balanced in protein and carbohydrates, and featuring superfoods, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Significantly, the programme is also red meat-, chicken-, dairy-, caffeine- and refined sugar-free. They now deliver in Abu Dhabi.
www.right-bite.com (04 342 5208).
Bite Rite
When you sign up, you’ll be given a full nutritional assessment that takes into account your BMI and level of physical activity. You’re then prescribed a calorie-controlled programme of daily meals and snacks. Great for those with complicated schedules, as Bite Rite delivers to wherever you are, even if it’s somewhere different each day.
www.biterite.ae (02 644 6461).
Live’ly
This company offers all kinds of packages, whether you want all your meals catered for or just a healthy lunch brought to the office each day. You can select diets for rapid weight loss, metabolism boosts or even pregnancy. Vegetarians are catered for, too.
www.lively.ae (02 643 3667).
Cook A Box
This company works a bit differently to other meal plan providers. Every week their chefs create exciting new recipes, and you get to choose your own recipes from the selection. Ingredients are delivered to you free of cost along with the instructions. Just cook, relax and enjoy. They deliver in Abu Dhabi on Mondays and Wednesdays.
www.cookabox.com (04 453 8711).
Essentially UAE
Abu Dhabi is food temptation city. And so Essentially’s cold-pressed juice cleanse aims to give our body a rest and heal our ailing digestive system. Six juices a day will supply all the nutrients we need to bypass certain digestive processes and assimilate right into the bloodstream. Only the freshest fruits and vegetables make the cut at Essentially. The 100 percent raw and unprocessed juice has a three-day shelf life, so it’s full of taste and high in intact nutrients.
Dubai Investment Park, Mayfair Building, Shop No.8, Dubai, delivers to Abu Dhabi on Sat, Mon and Weds between 6pm-9pm (04 889 5753).
Nectar Juice Bar
This juice bar sells fresh, made-to-order juices and smoothies with no additives and sweeteners. They also sell yummy snacks like organic raw kale chips and paleo granola. Goodbye chocolate, hello healthy treats.
Thu-Sat 9am-noon, 4.30pm-8.30pm. Bodytree Studios, Between 26th Street and 11th Street, Al Bateen (02 443 4448).
Organics Foods and Café
Organic Foods and Café is a family run company that operates organic supermarkets and cafés selling fresh organic and biodynamic food, supplements, skincare, cosmetics, baby items and household cleaning products. They also stock smoothies and fully organic juices in the café, which can be home delivered.
Daily 9am-11pm. Nation Tower Galleria, 2nd floor, Corniche, www.organicfoodsandcafe.com (056 329 4631).
The Raw Place
This juicing spot carries the region’s most extensive line-up of juices and superfoods. They have the largest range of unique bottled beverages and superfoods, and their menu is constantly expanding. They don’t use any hidden ingredients or processes to preserve or enhance any of the products. It’s all completely raw and aims to be 100 percent organic. Impressive.
Open Sat-Thu 7am-10.30pm, Fri 9am-10.30pm. Al Muneera, Al Raha Beach, www.therawplace.com (02 444 6618).
