Tanjore

Tanjore is the long-running North Indian restaurant at the Danat Al Ain Resort and, at over 25 years on the same spot, the city's original fine-dining Indian address. The entrance is designed as a romantic evocation of a Mughal-era doorway, giving way to a room of white walls, red upholstery, hanging torans and a glass window onto the tandoor kitchen where the naans are shaped and baked in full view. The result is an intimate, low-lit room that works equally well for a quiet couple's dinner, a family occasion or a business meal. Despite the south Indian name, the menu is firmly Mughlai and Punjabi-leaning. The tandoor is the kitchen's strongest suit: the Tanjore vegetarian kebab platter and the mixed non-veg platter with fish, chicken and prawn are both well-judged orders, and the chicken reshmi kebabs are a house signature. For mains, butter chicken and dal makhani (served in a small brass pail) are the safe and reliable picks, the rogan josh shows real depth, and the lamb chops and aloo methi each have their loyalists. The Murgh Ki Yakhini shorba is an unexpectedly strong soup course. Chef Suman's kitchen calibrates spice properly on request - the vindaloo in particular now arrives genuinely fiery rather than the softened version it once was - and will accommodate gluten-free and dietary requests with evident care. Finish with the rasmalai. Portions run generous, and the Peshawari naan and garlic naan are worth ordering in addition to one basic bread. Service is measured and professional; restaurant captain Deepak is the name returning guests single out, remembering orders and preferences across years. It is one of the few Indian restaurants in Al Ain that serves alcohol. Honest caveats: pricing sits at fine-dining levels and is meaningfully higher than neighbourhood Indian options in the city, and on slow nights the room can feel quieter than the reputation suggests. Book ahead for weekends and come hungry.