Black Tap Abu Dhabi
An American-diner burger spot on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island: craft burgers including vegan and falafel options, plus the spectacular CrazyShake.
Black Tap brings a slice of New York diner culture to Saadiyat Island, and makes no apology for the volume. Graffiti-splashed walls, a hip-hop soundtrack and a laid-back room set the tone: this is fun food, served loud.
The format is craft burgers and crispy fries, and the kitchen takes its vegan diners seriously rather than as an afterthought. Alongside the classics sit a proper vegan burger and a falafel option: plant-forward choices built to hold their own against the rest of the menu, not to sit quietly in a corner of it.
Portions are, in true American style, gargantuan, and the presentation is unashamedly photogenic. The headline act is the CrazyShake: a milkshake engineered as much for spectacle as for flavour, towering and excessive in the best possible spirit.
It is worth being clear about what Black Tap is and is not. This is not a quiet, considered dinner; it is a high-energy, generous-portioned spot for a relaxed meal with friends. The charm is in the lack of pretension.
The only thing missing, as the room itself seems to admit, is roller-skating waitstaff, but you cannot have everything.
For a traveller in Abu Dhabi who wants a casual, vegan-friendly bite with personality, somewhere the plant-based options are genuinely good rather than tolerated, Black Tap is an easy call. Bring an appetite, and budget for a CrazyShake.
