Where to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

The occasion is a time for people to gather and enjoy festive treats

Mooncakes are a popular dessert during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: Dai Pai Dong

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, will begin on Tuesday. It began as a celebration of the Moon in the hope of bountiful harvests and is celebrated across many East Asian countries, from China to Vietnam.

Today, it also serves as a time for family reunions and giving thanks, as people gather to appreciate the full moon and enjoy festive treats.

A key tradition is enjoying mooncakes, which are delicate pastries with sweet fillings. Classic varieties often include salted egg yolks to symbolise the Moon, paired with lotus seeds or red bean paste. Modern twists feature flavours like pineapple, coconut, or honey melon.

There are also other special foods to eat, such as duck, taro, pumpkin and lotus roots. Here are three restaurants that will be celebrating with a special menu.

Dai Pai Dong

The Cantonese restaurant at Rosewood Abu Dhabi has a specially curated family-set menu and a weekend brunch.

The set menu is Dh328 and comes with an array of starters, such as Sichuan chilli chicken and crispy curd skin roll, as well as a trio of dim sum (Abalone sui mai, scallop dumplings and crispy shrimp rice rolls). Mains include wok-fried gulf prawn with truffle sauce, braised beef short ribs and broccolini and seafood fried wild rice. For dessert, there are special mooncakes crafted by the restaurant’s pastry chef.

There is also a three-hour Mid-Autumn weekend brunch, from noon to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. There will be an array of soups and salads, dim sum and beef wantons, as well as barbecued meats. Mooncakes will be available for dessert. Brunch packages start at Dh388. There are also mooncake gift boxes available for Dh368.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi; 02 813 5550

Shang Palace

The Chinese restaurant will have a special dim sum lunch for the occasion that comes with its Yum Cha menu, which has a variety of dim sum, alongside signature Sichuan and Cantonese dishes. Desserts include fresh mango soup with sago and pomelo, as well as classic egg tarts. There will also be an ancient Gongfu Tea ceremony by the resident Tea Master at 1pm. Lunch is from noon to 3pm.

Shang Palace will also have a special set menu for dinner that includes a selection of appetisers, mains and desserts, featuring a mix of traditional and contemporary Chinese dishes. There will be a lantern release ceremony at the infinity pool and a fan dance performance from 8pm onwards. The dinner is from 6pm to 11pm.

Tuesday; Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi; 02 509 8555

Hakkasan Dubai

This one Michelin-starred restaurant has an eight-course set menu curated by executive chef Andy Toh at Dh598. In celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, menu highlights include dim sum duo, featuring roasted duck and wild mushroom and seafood xiao long bao with Sichuan chilli, followed by a lotus root and mizuna salad.

Mains include osmanthus-glazed wild corvina, grilled silver hill duck breast, and wok-seared rib-eye beef, accompanied by sautéed pak choi and truffle fried rice with hand-picked crabmeat. To finish, there is a decadent mooncake dessert and a pandan and mango creation, also available a la carte.

Until Tuesday; Dh598; 6pm to 11pm; Atlantis the Palm, Dubai; 04 426 2626