Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi

Verdict

Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi earns its back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) and sits at the more serious end of Abu Dhabi's Indian dining options. At $$$ per head, it occupies a credible middle ground: more polished than the city's mid-market subcontinental options, and considerably more affordable than Abu Dhabi's top-tier tasting-menu rooms. If you want refined Indian cooking on West Corniche Road without committing to a $$$$ bill, this is the right call. If you've already been once, there's enough range in the menu to justify coming back with a different order strategy.

The Space

Martabaan sits on West Corniche Road in Al Ras Al Akhdar, one of Abu Dhabi's better dining corridors with water views and relative calm compared to the downtown cluster. The name itself references the large earthenware jars historically used to store and transport spices across the subcontinent — a signal of the culinary register the kitchen is aiming for. The room reads as composed rather than casual: expect a setting that suits a business dinner or a celebratory meal with family more naturally than it suits a quick weeknight bite. It is not a loud room, which makes it a better choice for conversation than many of its Abu Dhabi competitors at the same price point.

A Multi-Visit Strategy

If you came once and ordered safe — a tandoor selection, a familiar curry, a bread basket , you've seen only part of what Martabaan offers. The kitchen draws on a broad regional canvas, so the most effective approach across two or three visits is to work through different parts of the menu rather than returning to the same dishes. On a first return, focus on the sections of the menu you skipped: the kitchen's treatment of slower-cooked preparations tends to reward attention, and the spice calibration at this price tier is more considered than you'll find at Moksh or Namak. On a third visit, bring a larger group: Indian menus at this level are built for sharing, and a table of four or more can cover substantially more ground than a pair.

For comparison with what Indian fine dining looks like at the Michelin-starred tier internationally, Trèsind Studio in Dubai operates at a higher price point and tasting-menu format, while Opheem in Birmingham and Trishna in London show what the Plate-to-Star progression looks like in Europe. Martabaan holds its own at the Plate level, and for Abu Dhabi specifically, it represents the clearest Indian dining option at the $$$ price range. If you want to see what Indian cooking looks like at the destination-dining level elsewhere, Haoma in Bangkok and Musaafer in Houston are worth knowing.

Booking and Timing

Booking difficulty here is moderate. You won't need to plan six weeks out as you would for Abu Dhabi's most competitive tables, but don't treat this as a walk-in venue on a weekend evening. Aim to book at least one to two weeks ahead for Friday or Saturday dinner, and a few days ahead for midweek slots. West Corniche Road sees consistent traffic from hotel guests and residents alike, which keeps the dining room reasonably full without creating the reservation scramble you'd encounter at, say, Hakkasan ($$$$ · Chinese) during peak periods. Lunch on weekdays is your leading window for flexibility if your schedule allows it.

Value Assessment

Two consecutive Michelin Plates are a meaningful signal. The Plate designation indicates Michelin inspectors found cooking worth noting , it sits below Star level but above the noise of the general market. For Abu Dhabi's Indian dining tier, that credential matters: it separates Martabaan from the substantial number of competent but undistinguished Indian restaurants across the city. At $$$, you are paying for that consistency and the room, not just the food volume. If you are price-sensitive, Punjab Grill offers an alternative at a lower spend. If you want the full fine-dining register for Indian food, Erth (Modern Cuisine) covers different ground but shows what Abu Dhabi's more ambitious kitchen projects look like.

Google reviewers rate Martabaan at 4.4 from 188 reviews , a solid signal of consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. That score suggests the kitchen delivers reliably across services, which matters more for a multi-visit strategy than a single exceptional meal would.

Who Should Book

Martabaan works well for: business dinners where the cuisine won't alienate mixed groups; families celebrating an occasion; returning visitors to Abu Dhabi who want Indian cooking at a notch above the mid-market; and anyone building a multi-night dining itinerary who wants one Michelin-acknowledged Indian option without the full tasting-menu commitment. It is less suited to solo diners on a budget or anyone expecting the experimental modernist Indian format , for the latter, INDDEE in Bangkok or Rania in Washington D.C. show what that register looks like. For a broader view of where Martabaan sits in the city's overall dining picture, see our full Abu Dhabi restaurants guide. If you are planning a longer stay, our Abu Dhabi hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide round out the picture. For Indian dining in London as a comparative reference point, Amaya operates in a similar register at a higher price tier.