blue grill - yas island rotana

the blue grill at the yas island rotana is one of those classic old school steakhouses of abu dhabi that quietly and consistently delivers a superb dining experience.

from the time they opened around 2009 we have been regular visitors and glad to say each visit was a memorable experience.

recently we got word of a new chef taking over and a new menu, so we had to go and try.

we were over last week and tried chef mokhtar tasting menu and are really happy to see he has improved on the menu and added his signature touches, making the food amazing.

it's a five-course sharing menu that can be had for lunch or dinner.

there are three starters, and we got to try them all the caesar salad is stunning with chunks of smoked chicken adding a great flavour, the tuna & crab tartar is another masterpiece, fresh and delicious and the crab balls absolutely blew us away.

the soup is next, a classic clam chowder that's assembled in front of you, the soup is light and the flavours excellent.

there are three mains to choose from, we tried the short ribs and are speechless, the meat just falls apart, and the root vegetables are perfectly braised, loved it.

there are two choices of steak, rib eye and tenderloin, both were delivered perfectly cooked to our liking, they were so juicy that no sauce was needed. absolutely amazing.

there are two desserts in the chef's surprise and both were simply divine, the highlight was the crème brûlée with the sesame tweal, the flavours are absolutely remarkable.

as we hoped it was an absolutely amazing meal, great food, superb ambiance and faultless service,

keep up the good work, and we will be back soon.

last eve we attended tasting event @bluegrill_yasisland of their newly launched menu prepared by chef mokhtar and it was incredible experience. nestled on yas plaza, @bluegrill_yasisland at @yasislandrotana has built a reputation for quality steaks from around the globe.

@bluegrill_yasisland new menu offers variety of juicy, thick meats which are too good to turn down.

we tried slow cooked short ribs along with two chunks of beef – tenderloin and rib-eye that were cooked to absolute perfection, meaning our knives slice through the tender meat with consummate ease.

i personally loved their clam chowder soup,short ribs,both ribeye and tenderloin steaks and ofcourse yummiest desserts so next time when you are there don’t forget to try these dishes.

it’s a laid-back venue, thanks to the lighting and an outstanding service that was all what you expect from a fine dining restaurant.

check out @bluegrill_yasisland for business lunches, family time or a catch-up dinner - it’s the perfect place to meet and greet with your friends and families while enjoying a meaty feast 🥩

location : yas island plaza - abu dhabi - united arab emirates

one of the best steakhouse for us. place is posh but unfortunately kids are not allowed in as it is also a bar. food is excellent. service is good. it is a bit pricey but worth it.
will i recommend it? yes for a romantic dinner

my husband and i were invited to enjoy a lovely meal at blue grill on thursday evening. located on yas island it’s a convenient location for tourists and residents from its close proximity to ferrari world, yas beach and not to mention the f1 yas marina circuit across the street. we arrived for a 6pm meal, actually i specially requested an early reservation and they were gracious enough to accommodate us. we were the first to arrive and was greeted by evann, our friendly and helpful server for the night.

omg, what an amazing dinner we had! everything from the beginning to the complimentary dessert was simply perfect! the staff and the manager were all super friendly and the steak was cooked to perfection! we will definitely come back very soon!!

since we love to eat steak, we have tried and visit most of the steakhouses ...this is the best steakhouse here in abu dhabi, great service, ambience and amazing food.

i can't wait to go back to this restaurant. a friend and i decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner a few weeks ago (with an entertainer coupon, of course), and i have not stopped raving about the food since we left.

as an appetizer, i had the crabcakes. as far as crabcakes go, they were decent but i don't expect much from crabcakes in abu dhabi. my friend had the lobster bisque, which she wasn't in love with but it too was decent.

on to the good stuff...for a main course, we both had the same thing: the reef and beef for 230dhs. worth every penny, or fil. i usually don't order a rib-eye steak, but i think this restaurant may have changed my favorite cut. they served it with a choice of sauce and i chose the red wine sauce. when i say it didn't need a sauce, salt, pepper, or anything else, i mean it. the steak was so perfectly seasoned. i fell in love. the shrimp were grilled perfectly, not too tough and overcooked like most restaurants here. and the calamari...i don't know what they season it with but it was awesome. oh, and the whipped cheddar mash as my side, so good! i can't say enough positive things about that main course.

unfortunately, i was too full for dessert but they had one or two options that sounded great. maybe next time...and there will definitely be a next time.

oh yeah, in remembering the food, i forgot about the service. it was good too. no complaints and that's pretty hard to get from me on service. the restaurant's ambiance is also quite nice. i think it would make for a good date night. all in all, a great night out.

the beef is way too dry for medium rare and the staff insisted that the meat itself is dry. if it is, why bother serving it in the first place?

we dined at the fine dining option which is blue grill and ordered dinner for 15 people including steaks and other meals. the steak was less than average (though expensive) and the place was clearly understaffed, and not ready to cater for an increase in visitors. we waited long for the food, service. complimentary salad bar with steak was no refilled, lacked ingredients...not recommended for what it offers.

they first did not have our confirmed reservation through zomato. then they searched in emails and could not find. but thanks they arranged a table finally.
service is very bad. it takes a lot of time to serve food. even when we asked for bill, we had to ask number of staff members to bring it. they have turned down many customers as spaces were full. if they were efficient enough to serve food or at least to present bill when asked, they could have had earned more.
also, rib eye steak i had was horrible. meat was not fresh, i asked medium well but they made well done instead. mushroom soup was also horrible.

the food is amazing and the service was great. sam and athena both were awesome servers, they made sure we left happy from the restaurant.

had a good experience dining at blue grill.
the service is excellent, the ambiance is so classy. and the server (forget his name ) is very energetic, he knows how to deal with the guest properly and he recommend yummy steak so we order it and it was freshly delivered on our table, delicious, super!!yuummm yummmm i will recommend this restaurant in my workmates as well.. definitely worth coming back..

although, i was under the impression that i can use zomato gold here, turns out that’s only for drinks (my bad), and yet i did not leave disappointed. the food is well served, the staff was polite and extremely accommodating and so very detailed when presenting each dish making it an experience. the salts and relishes were introduced one after the other. and the steak itself was cooked, ❤️ to perfection as i like it medium-rare. all of this didn’t burn a hole in our pockets either. so definitely a must visit.

the minute we stick a cartoon video in front of our 4 year old’s face, you can be sure we love your food. we love the ambience, service and the look and smell of the food so much that we want to give our complete attention to it and just pretend as if the brat at the table is not ours. so we dig up peppa pig or the like, distract the little one with it and sink back into the cushions smiling into a beautiful dinner ahead. that’s when you know we think mighty big of your restaurant. the dinner at blue grill steakhouse in yas island rotana evoked those feelings in us and thus, we hereby endorse the place for the fantastic food they serve to its unsuspecting diners.

very nice place with great tasty food and beverages! we visited as two families with kids and were quite happy. the only issue we faced was that servant was not clearly aware about the combination of zomato and adcb offers. big thanks to the restaurant manager, who sorted this out in a very professional manner.