How a No Menu Pizzeria Became Abu Dhabi’s Hottest Dining Spot?

Raj Dagstani never wanted to be a chef and never was one. However, he is the driving force behind the father and son pizza Marmellata Bakery in Abu Dhabi which has become a popular spot for dining in recent days. 

With the straightforward goal of providing his son’s with their first after-school job, the restaurant has been started and now it is nominated as one of MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2025. 

What started off as a tiny pizza restaurant that was only open on Thursdays has grown into a culinary treasure. With its quaint furnishings, welcoming ambiance and infamously short working hours, Marmellata enchants guests and is nominated as one of MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2025.

From No Menu to Hottest Dining Spot:

At first, Marmellata was only available on Thursday evenings. They just used anything they could find at the market that day, there was no menu. People stood in queue for hours but why? Because of the pizza that is cooked with the freshest ingredients. People adored it, despite its small size and chaotic nature.

Despite the name “Marmellata Bakery” they always focused on pizza. The owner Raj Dagstani told Khaleej Times that “the pizza was such a hit that I didn’t need to make anything else. It’s about listening to what the business wants to be and letting it grow.”

Marmellata’s hours of operation grew over time. The pizza expanded from being open one day a week to five days a week from 5 p.m to 9.30 p.m. Long lines of eager diners are now part of the restaurant’s appeal and its popularity has made bookings difficult.

Regarding Marmellata’s limited hours, there have been criticisms that it’s a cunning marketing tactic but the truth is that the limitation isn’t a strategy, it’s just reality as they can only make 450 pizzas a night in their tiny kitchen.

Although Dagstani and his younger son Sebastian used to manage the kitchen alone, the restaurant now has 25 employees and a big line waiting outside the restaurant.