Enter Barbassi…

Marmellata, the multi-award winning, feel-good, family-owned eat and What’s On Abu Dhabi’s Homegrown Restaurant of the Year 2024 located in Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed, never fails to dazzle residents, visitors and loyalists with their incredible selection of mouthwatering pizzas and bite-into-me focaccia. Now, owner and head chef Raj Dagstani and team are bringing a slice of Marmellata brilliance to Madar39 in January, with Barbassi, a brand new, sandwich-focused, canteen-style offering that looks set to be Abu Dhabi’s next bustling eat.

With a limited menu of best selling creations, the Marmellata family’s made their way to the top of the capital’s favourite dining destinations, something you’ll be reminded of every time you see that queue on a seemingly modest corner of Mina Zayed.

But like we say, all good things…must get better. In that spirit, the minds behind Marmellata have decided to expand on their current winning restaurant with Barbassi. And here’s what we hear it will look like:

Media: supplied, @muj_the_barber

The new store will debut as a snack bar attached to Abu Dhabi’s cool, creative, Madar39 (M39) neighbourhood, which is known for being a thriving ecosystem of makers, builders, designers, and entrepreneurs, all in the heart of Mina Zayed.  It’s pretty ingenious that Raj and Co. would open a quick-bite store in a space that caters to creative professionals, because Barbassi is where you’ll want to head to when you’re craving that flavour-packed sandwich to go, a little pick-me-up stuffed with fresh ingredients and Marmellata-style goodness, or just for a quick coffee or cold drink catch-up before you’re back on the fast lane, getting on with work, life and family in the capital.

Their philosophy is simple: to extend their promise at Marmellata to serve simple, authentic and delicious foods, mostly in the form of sandwiches, snacks, salads and coffee – all made with ethically-sourced ingredients and quality local produce.

Marmellata’s winning sandwich selection includes focaccia that seem like quite the handful, but are soft and delicate such that you feel like you’re sinking your teeth into a delicate cloud, with ingredients like tomato, olives, mushrooms, turkey and more shifting your appetite into high gear from the get-go.

Can’t wait for this one…

Barbassi, M39, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, opening late January. @marmellatalove