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The best cocktail with tapas is rarely the sweetest or strongest drink on the menu. Salt, smoke, fat and acidity are already present in many Spanish dishes.

Spanish food is at its best when the table is part of the experience. Rather than building a meal around one main course, Spanish dining moves through smaller plates, dishes from the grill, rice for sharing and something sweet at the end. The pleasure comes from variety, contrast and the way each dish changes the pace of the meal.

At Marcella, Sábado Social takes that approach through a progressive sharing menu that moves from fresh, lighter dishes into tapas, paella and dessert.

The Sunday roast in Abu Dhabi is one of the most specific dining formats in existence. It has a structure,

Yas Bay has changed what dining on Yas Island looks like. The waterfront promenade has brought a concentration of restaurants,

Happy hour in Abu Dhabi is not hard to find. What is harder to find is a happy hour that

A menu that rewards exploration is also one that can be hard to navigate on a first visit. Marcella’s is built around Spanish instincts: sharing, layering, drinking alongside eating rather than before or after it.

There are dinner restaurants in Abu Dhabi that do one thing well. Marcella is built to do several things well at the same time: the food, the setting, the drinks, and the pace of the evening.

Yas Island has become one of the most visited destinations in Abu Dhabi, built around entertainment, hospitality, and some of the region’s most recognisable venues. What it has been missing, until recently, is a Spanish restaurant that takes the food as seriously as the setting.

Finding good tapas in Abu Dhabi is harder than it should be. The word gets applied loosely: to any small plate, any vaguely Spanish-sounding menu, any restaurant that wants to suggest a sharing format without committing to the craft behind it.