{
  "id": 3430708,
  "title": "Onam 2026: Where to eat sadhya in the UAE",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/onam-2026-where-to-eat-sadhya-in-the-uae-3430708",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T04:32:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/food/2026/08/26/onam-2026-where-to-eat-sadhya-in-the-uae/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Onam, Kerala's most important harvest festival, is celebrated over ten days, uniting people of all religions and communities. This year's festivities commence on August 16 and reach a peak on Thiruvonam, August 26. The elaborate vegetarian feast known as sadhya, traditionally served on a banana leaf, is a staple of the celebration, with nine to 30-plus dishes. Despite its association with Thiruvonam, restaurants across the UAE serve sadhya throughout the Onam period, often extending celebrations across weekends. Many of these meals require reservations.\n\nThe Kitchen by Lulu, available UAE-wide, offers a sadhya in a box with 24 ready-to-eat items, including boiled palakkadan matta rice, sambar, khichdi, pachadi, thoran, koottu curry, and rasam. It is priced at Dh38.90 and available online and at Lulu Hypermarkets across the UAE, with pre-orders closing on August 25 for delivery between August 26 and 30. Calicut Notebook, also UAE-wide, will serve a 26-item sadhya for one day only on August 26, with branches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman. For those who prefer to celebrate at home, the restaurant offers a sadhya kit with the same price of Dh49.\n\nIn Abu Dhabi, Payyannur Restaurant, named after a town in northern Kerala, offers a 26-item sadhya at its three branches. The meals, priced at Dh44 for dine-in and takeaway or Dh46 for delivery, are served across Madinat Zayed, Mussaffah, and Electra Street. Vineyard Restobar, an upscale dining destination and nightlife spot, offers an Onam sadhya featuring 31 traditional items for Dh110 per person or Dh450 for a family of five. Coconut Lagoon, a multi-cuisine restaurant specializing in Keralan dishes, will serve its sadhya special with 28 items for Dh34 for dine-in or Dh38 for takeaway. Thamburu Indian Restaurant & Lounge, popular for its lively pub-style atmosphere, will offer a sadhya with 31 dishes for Dh50 for dine-in or Dh55 for takeaway. Mina Hotel, Al Zahiyah, and Food Junction, Abu Dhabi, offer 28-item sadhas with Dh45 for dine-in or takeaway. Punjab Grill in Dubai offers a sadhya menu with over 33 traditional items for Dh99, and Anantara Downtown in Business Bay offers the Grand Paragon Sadhya with 25 dishes for Dh99.",
  "summary": "For many Malayalis, no Onam celebration is complete without sadhya – the elaborate vegetarian feast traditionally served on a banana leaf, with nine to 30-plus dishes including curries, dal, pickles, poppadoms, banana chips and payasam. And in the UAE, where the Malayali community is nearly one million strong, there is no shortage of places to enjoy one. When is Onam? Onam , Kerala's most…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "What's in an Onam sadhya? From avial to payasam, all the dishes explained",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/whats-in-an-onam-sadhya-from-avial-to-payasam-all-the-dishes-explained",
        "published": "2026-08-26T04:32:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}