Jones the Grocer

Grocery shopping, did you ask? Well, why not? If it’s as chic as Jones the Grocer! For those who may not know, Jones the Grocer is not your regular grocery store. It’s not really even a grocery store. It’s actually one of my favourite restaurants in Abu Dhabi. Serving top quality food that is unpretentious yet delicious, it’s not difficult to see why it has become one of the best places to eat in this city. So are we here to eat or shop? Let’s try to do both (you can see why I am loving this already).

First, the shopping. Besides serving up some mean dishes, the shelves at Jones the Grocer are filled with a amazing selection of food products like olive and truffle oils, cheeses, home made sauces, pasta, tea, chocolates, marmalades etc.  I think the concept of incorporating a restaurant with a finefoods section is rather a smart one – if you’re going to use top notch ingredients for the food you cook, why not sell them too to customers who appreciate them and want to have a try at cooking at home with those ingredients. After all, the flavour of food depends so much upon the quality of the ingredients that go into them.

Jars of home made sauces to delight the after meal shopper

It is somewhat similar in concept and is perhaps the Australian answer to the Italian Carluccio’s restaurants and the American Dean & Deluca cafes that are in Dubai. All have a finefoods shopping area that allows customers to enjoy not just a gourmet dining experience but a shopping one as well. But only Jones the Grocer has its own walk-in cheese room that is impressively stocked with cheeses of all sorts!

Olive oil and other products on the shelves

More premium food products

Jones the Grocer is located on the ground floor of the Al Mamoura Building B, which is off the Muroor Road (4th Street) at the Mohammed bin Khalifa Street (15th Street) intersection (see location map below) in the capital. With many government departments and related offices in the building, the crowd is a hip mix of westerners and urban Emiratis. The restaurant is usually packed during lunch, when you can also see a queue of smartly dressed executives in their office suits standing in line to buy sandwiches, drinks and coffee at the side deli section (presumeably to eat at their desks while ploughing away at their multi million dirhams government deals).

A second Jones the Grocer is now open in the Pearl Plaza Tower, next to ORYX hotel at the Khalidiyah area, with a third one opening very soon in Al Raha Gardens. For Dubai folks, be patient as an outlet is coming to you soon too at Al Manara (directly opposite Times Square on Sheikh Zayed Road).

Simple and stylish interior

The bakery and deli section

Now, let’s move on to eating. I ordered a Wagyu beef burger as I’ve never been able to resist anything wagyu if I can afford it. Apparently it is one of the must-try items here, oh well, that’s killing two birds with one stone, isn’t it? There is also a daily express lunch menu, where both an entree and a main course are served quickly and simultaneously, so that you do not have to keep the boss waiting at the office. One of my favourite express lunch is the caprese salad (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil) and shrimp linguini, a simple combination that is light, yet full of flavour and freshness.

Wagyu beef burger served on a wooden chopping board

My favourite part of the day is, of course, leaving with those lovely take-home ingredients that will surely make tonight’s dinner a tantalising affair.

More about Jones the Grocer:

• Cooking lessons at Jones the Grocer – you’ve tasted the food and probably eaten there too often, so now it’s time to learn how to whip up the food yourself!
• Abu Dhabi’s best breakfasts – see how Jones the Grocer ranks on Time Out Abu Dhabi’s list of best breakfast places in town.

Destination: Jones the Grocer
Location: Al Mamoura Building B, off Muroor Road, at the intersection of Mohammed bin Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi.
Web: http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/

Entrance to Jones the Grocer

Location map (Al Mamoura outlet)

Updated on 4 August 2011-

Directions to newly opened Jones the Grocer in Dubai – For those of you planning to drop by the new place in Dubai, it’s fairly easy to get there. It’s located on the Sheikh Zayed Rood (travelling toward Abu Dhabi side of the road), directly opposite Times Square. If you are coming from the Dubai Marina or from Abu Dhabi, drive along the SZR until you’ve passed Mall of the Emirates on your right. Go straight pass Times Square on your right and find the next exit to Al Manara. You need to make a big u-turn at this intersection so that you can get back to the direction towards Abu Dhabi. Just follow the sign to Sheikh Zayed Road South and you will be fine. When you are coming back in the Abu Dhabi direction, you will see a new standalone glass building on your right after a short drive.  This is actually where Jones the Grocer is located but you may not notice it because it has only a small sign. No worries, keep driving until you see Reem Al Bawadi a little further down the road at the next building. It’s a big arabic restaurant and you will not miss it. Exit on the right at the Emarat petrol station and turn right again so that you are on the slip road parallel to SZR. Drive past Al Amiri, Dar Al Ber and Reem Al Bawadi until you reach a standalone building where the restaurant is. The entrance to the restaurant is on the ground floor facing the main road. Park your car by the side of the road (no parking fee required) and enter to have a good meal!

We’d love to hear from you!
Have you visited Jones the Grocer lately? Share your stories, experiences and comments with us below or ask a question about Jones the Grocer.