Abu Dhabi’s Art House Cafe is ‘haven of peace and tranquillity’

If you didn’t know it was there, you could drive straight past it. This is one of the many charming elements of the Art House Café, which opened its doors this summer in Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen neighbourhood.

Adjacent to the Etihad Modern Art Gallery and its sister institution, the Etihad Antiques Gallery, The Art House Café is a haven of peace, tranquillity and, most importantly in the scorching heat of a UAE summer, coolness.

Behind the gates there are wooden tables and stools in a cosy courtyard filled with plants from all over the world; a perfect spot to read, reflect and create during the cooler months.

There is also a metal grille against the wall upon which numerous padlocks bearing the names of their owners have been hung. It is Abu Dhabi’s answer to Paris’s Pont des Arts, the bridge over the river Seine where lovers famously proclaim their feelings with a “love lock”.

This is all before you get inside.

The Art House Café is intended as a place to welcome and inspire, and to encourage its visitors to spend long afternoons exercising their creativity. It is also a spot to come to eat and drink and soak up the atmosphere, which is unlike anything else in the capital.

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Abu Dhabi’s Art House Cafe is ‘haven of peace and tranquillity’