The location
A curveball and no mistake. Having personally lived in the Oryx Hotel, just behind Premier Motors in Khalidiya, when I first moved to Abu Dhabi, I can confirm it’s not the most obvious location for Fadó. During its relatively lengthy history in the capital, it perhaps hasn’t enjoyed a reputation as the hippest, happening or, indeed, salubrious destination. But once you have clambered up the stairs from its separate ground-floor entrance – no need to enter the main lobby, here – the hotel where the self-contained bar resides is of little consequence.
The atmosphere
Continuing a trend in the UAE for Irish bar chains with complicated Emerald Isle origins (see also: the ever-popular McGettigan’s), Fadó’s headquarters are actually in Atlanta. I once frequented the Fadó in Austin, Texas, without even realising it was a chain, assuming instead it was just a local Irish bar, so this new Abu Dhabi incarnation is nothing if not educational. The general clientele is western, including plenty of Irish, and when it’s at its busiest, it has life without being overly noisy – aside from one night I previously visited when a one-woman band was playing at earsplitting volume.
The food
Aiming firmly at the gastropub market, with smatterings of traditional Irish-influenced innovations, the menu more than holds its own against similar competitors in the city. A sampling platter of a range of Fadó’s appetisers featured BBQ wings, fried calamari and (slightly undercooked) chicken tenders (full helpings cost from Dh40 to Dh60). My entree was the highlight, however: the blackened chicken and shrimp boxty (Dh95) broadly resembled a burrito, wrapping rice, tomatoes, mushroom, and the aforementioned meat and seafood in an Irish potato cake wrap, topped with spicy cheese sauce.
Who is it best for?
Those searching for a local in this part of the capital, any Irish (or American-Irish) looking for a little taste of home and folks looking for a night out that doesn’t involve the rowdiness of certain similarly nationally themed bars in the city.
The verdict
A somewhat different Irish bar option that has plenty going for it, especially in an area of town not exactly overrun with such outlets.
The National was a guest of the restaurant.
Fadó, Oryx Hotel, Zayed the First Street, Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi. For more information, visit www.fadoirishpub.com/abu-dhabi or call 02 627 9009
aworkman@thenational.ae
