EVA will open at Mamsha Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.
The modern Greek restaurant was founded in Moscow in 2020.
Signature dishes include Greek salad, grilled octopus, lamb, halloumi and Greek pie.
The popular Lucky Group restaurant will make its UAE debut at Mamsha Al Saadiyat.
The capital’s dining scene is preparing to welcome another international name. Moscow-born modern Greek restaurant EVA Abu Dhabi is heading to Mamsha Al Saadiyat, adding a new Mediterranean address to one of the capital’s busiest beachfront dining destinations.
EVA began in Moscow in January 2020, when Lucky Group founders Ivan Kukarskikh and Bogdan Panchenko opened the original restaurant on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya with Australian chef Glen Ballis and restaurateur Alexander Sysoev. The concept was personal for Ballis, whose mother is Greek, and drew inspiration from the food he grew up eating at home. The restaurant was also named after his daughter, Eva.
The original restaurant established a format centred on modern Greek cooking rather than rigid tradition. Mezze and dips sit at the heart of the experience, supported by vegetables, seafood and meat cooked over open flames or in a wood-burning oven. Freshly baked breads, including pita and koulouri, were also part of the early identity.
EVA subsequently expanded across Moscow, opening in Khamovniki, followed by Mosfilm and Prime Park. Bakhtiyar Shamsiev, who joined the original EVA team as a sous chef, has since risen to become the brand chef.
While the Abu Dhabi menu has yet to be revealed, EVA’s Moscow restaurants provide a strong indication of the food that could make the journey to Saadiyat Island. Current menus feature tzatziki, hummus, zucchini croquettes and halloumi with honey and truffle, alongside Greek salad and baked aubergine with tomatoes and feta. Seafood also plays a significant role, with seafood soup, seafood orzo, salmon with spinach and tzatziki, grilled halibut with asparagus and grilled octopus appearing across its Russian restaurants.
There is plenty for meat eaters too. Early EVA signatures included slow-cooked lamb leg with tomatoes and potatoes, while the wider menu continues to showcase dishes prepared over fire. Pasta receives a Mediterranean treatment through combinations such as homemade pasta with tomatoes, feta and chilli.
Desserts take an equally contemporary approach. Moscow menus have featured carrot pie with blueberry, Greek pie with olive ice cream and condensed milk mousse with raspberry, while previous signatures have included halva paired with olive ice cream.
At Mamsha Al Saadiyat, EVA will enter an already competitive dining neighbourhood, sitting beside FACT award-winners such as Antonia and NIRI Bar & Restaurant. An opening date has not yet been announced. Stay tuned for further details.
Where: EVA Abu Dhabi, Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: https://eva-gruzinskaya.rest