Madinat Zayed Shopping Center
Madinat Zayed Shopping Center
Madinat Zayed Shopping Center
3.5
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
About
If you're souvenir hunting in Abu Dhabi, you're bound to stumble into this shopping center where shops peddle various goods to stuff your luggage with. Gold shops abound for those looking for jewelry.
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- UAE Exchange • 9 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
226 reviews
Excellent
62
Very good
74
Average
62
Poor
17
Terrible
11
Waza28
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates2,149 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
Madinat Zayed Shopping Center Abu Dhabi. One of the oldest malls in Abu Dhabi. Good place to get souvenirs and gifts. Plenty of shops. Gold market. Abaya. Perfumes. Jewelry. Clothing. Toys. Bags. Shoes. Food court offering variety of cuisines. Make sure to haggle and negotiate to get the best price for your shopping. Lulu Hypermarket on the ground floor. Always so much rush and lots of people.
Parking space is limited and you must pay for parking.
Definitely bring your guests here. Totally different shopping experience.
Parking space is limited and you must pay for parking.
Definitely bring your guests here. Totally different shopping experience.
Written August 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
00JaneSmith1957
Lancaster, UK20 contributions
Jan 2021 • Couples
We have often eaten here. The Chana Masala is so tasty & hearty. The masala dosa we ordered was made in front of us and simply delicious. We shared these two dishes with one of their spectacular garlic naan.
The staff are attentive and observant, they care that all is well for you. This is not posh dining it is simple, soul food.
Thank you once again for our scrumptious lunch.
The staff are attentive and observant, they care that all is well for you. This is not posh dining it is simple, soul food.
Thank you once again for our scrumptious lunch.
Written January 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Trehan Allabdeen
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates112 contributions
Mar 2020
Not bad. Like a bazzar. Lot of low prices items are available. Lulu is big as well. Food options are nice. Main thing is the Gold Souq as it's the main Gold Souq in Abu Dhabi.
Written May 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JBATrojan
Seattle, WA175 contributions
Mar 2012 • Couples
Madinat Zayed Shopping Center is by no means extravagant, or even welcoming to the common tourist in Abu Dhabi...which probably means you've stumbled upon a local gem! Well, maybe. My girlfriend and I visited late on a Thursday afternoon. There were basically two types of shops: clothing shops and electronics shops. About half the shops were closed and the ones that were open seemed deserted. Frankly, that's how the whole shopping center seemed, so we were stymied that a family member had recommended visiting as part of our tourist experience.
When I called that family member to say, "Where did you send us?" his reply was, "The gold market! Keep looking." Once we knew what we were looking for, we started following the overhead signs directing us to the gold market, which led us to...Homes R Us? At the center of the Homes R Us store was a glass door with an escalator leading down to the gold market, but it took us a while to figure out this is what it was. There were external entrances to the gold market but I'm not sure I could describe or identify them if asked. Seems like you should do what we didn't: ask for directions.
The market itself opened at 4:00 and contained tons of shops...which were all closed at 4:00 but started to open one by one as the shopkeepers arrived. By 4:30 they had all opened and the amount and variety of gold put the Dubai market to shame. It feels less authentic than Dubai because the shops are all basically units in the mall, but the quality and selection were undeniable. We found the merchants to be present but not pushy. They will follow you around as you peruse their wares, but we did not find them to be aggressive. When we were interested in pieces, they were willing to negotiate with us to achieve what we believe were fair prices.
Please note: The merchants will not sell their merchandise for less than the value of the gold itself; this just isn't good business. They still need to make a profit and gold is expensive stuff. They DO CHARGE MAKERS' FEES, which are assessed on either a per-gram basis or an absolute basis, depending on the piece. Inquire about these, as the makers' fees are your haggling points. If you want to buy a 5g piece, be prepared to pay for 5g of gold plus a small maker's fee for profit, but do not blindly agree to the list price.
Another note: The margins on gold are much smaller than they are on diamonds. If you are in the market for diamond jewelry, you have more bargaining power. We were able to negotiate on a 3g gold, 0.3 carat diamond piece down from $1400 USD to $300 (it took about half an hour, but we did it). Be savvy about the value of the material and the margins involved, and use this to your advantage.
Happy shopping!
When I called that family member to say, "Where did you send us?" his reply was, "The gold market! Keep looking." Once we knew what we were looking for, we started following the overhead signs directing us to the gold market, which led us to...Homes R Us? At the center of the Homes R Us store was a glass door with an escalator leading down to the gold market, but it took us a while to figure out this is what it was. There were external entrances to the gold market but I'm not sure I could describe or identify them if asked. Seems like you should do what we didn't: ask for directions.
The market itself opened at 4:00 and contained tons of shops...which were all closed at 4:00 but started to open one by one as the shopkeepers arrived. By 4:30 they had all opened and the amount and variety of gold put the Dubai market to shame. It feels less authentic than Dubai because the shops are all basically units in the mall, but the quality and selection were undeniable. We found the merchants to be present but not pushy. They will follow you around as you peruse their wares, but we did not find them to be aggressive. When we were interested in pieces, they were willing to negotiate with us to achieve what we believe were fair prices.
Please note: The merchants will not sell their merchandise for less than the value of the gold itself; this just isn't good business. They still need to make a profit and gold is expensive stuff. They DO CHARGE MAKERS' FEES, which are assessed on either a per-gram basis or an absolute basis, depending on the piece. Inquire about these, as the makers' fees are your haggling points. If you want to buy a 5g piece, be prepared to pay for 5g of gold plus a small maker's fee for profit, but do not blindly agree to the list price.
Another note: The margins on gold are much smaller than they are on diamonds. If you are in the market for diamond jewelry, you have more bargaining power. We were able to negotiate on a 3g gold, 0.3 carat diamond piece down from $1400 USD to $300 (it took about half an hour, but we did it). Be savvy about the value of the material and the margins involved, and use this to your advantage.
Happy shopping!
Written April 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sheryll
Carrara, Australia268 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
The shopping and Gold Centre has more of the feel of the Souk, also if you are seeking to buy fabric this is the place to go. We went here as we were told this is where you could buy the "Knock of" handbags and I wanted to get a couple of "Chanel" bags for a friends young daughters. This is not as easy to do as it is in Dubai, but we managed to find some - you need to go into the centre of the market and where they sell the watches etc and then ask them and they will show you them (they are hidden under the tables) or they go and bring back what you want (don't buy off the ones that have handbags hanging off their stalls) go into the centre of the market area and you will see some touts asking about Rolex etc and they are the ones to go to.
I got two very good quality "Chanel" Bags for 320 Dirhams each (about 50 pounds or $117 Australian dollars) and they were good quality.
I got two very good quality "Chanel" Bags for 320 Dirhams each (about 50 pounds or $117 Australian dollars) and they were good quality.
Written October 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
natnoodle11
Atlanta, GA550 contributions
Dec 2016 • Family
I went here to get an affordable Abaya for National Day. It is a more budget, local mall where you can feel more of the local culture as opposed to just the commercial malls. Many jewelry stores here as well. I enjoy going here.
Written February 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
916petej
Tucson, AZ71 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
If you're looking for high end goods, or malls similar in quality and appearance to the US and the UK, then this shopping center is not for you.
However, if you're the more adventurous type, and like exploring the local culture, then this place is great. It is made up of stores selling local goods, as well as a few theme stores such as sports shops etc. One end of the center is all jewelry stores, the quality and different designs are amazing, and the prices are fixed by the Government, so you pay by the weight of the gold. It's very closely controlled so you know you're not getting ripped off which is nice.
There are lot of stalls selling very high end fake watches for about $50. There are lots of very cheap clothing stores which my wife loved, and she even bought some local material from a drapery shop, and had some clothes made there which she was very pleased with.
I would highly recommend checking this place out, I've visited here many times since I've been in Abu Dhabi, it has a great vibe to it, and I really feel like I'm experiencing the culture and not just visiting the country.
Like I said, this is not a US mall, but if you want great quality local goods at really good prices, and you want some adventure to your visit... this is a great place!
However, if you're the more adventurous type, and like exploring the local culture, then this place is great. It is made up of stores selling local goods, as well as a few theme stores such as sports shops etc. One end of the center is all jewelry stores, the quality and different designs are amazing, and the prices are fixed by the Government, so you pay by the weight of the gold. It's very closely controlled so you know you're not getting ripped off which is nice.
There are lot of stalls selling very high end fake watches for about $50. There are lots of very cheap clothing stores which my wife loved, and she even bought some local material from a drapery shop, and had some clothes made there which she was very pleased with.
I would highly recommend checking this place out, I've visited here many times since I've been in Abu Dhabi, it has a great vibe to it, and I really feel like I'm experiencing the culture and not just visiting the country.
Like I said, this is not a US mall, but if you want great quality local goods at really good prices, and you want some adventure to your visit... this is a great place!
Written June 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
landayas
Oakville, Canada21 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
It's a mall with many gold stores. If you are looking for a market like in Sex in the City movie 2, that market does not exist in Abu Dhabi. This is the closest you'll get to a Gold souk. All gold starts at 18k. Great price. Have a minimum of $500 CDN if you wish to get anything.
Written April 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
percyvakil
Mumbai, India2,431 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
I hadn't planned on going here but was in the area looking for a particular bakery so I stopped to have a look around.
Chaotic, uninteresting shopping complex. Nothing interesting in the regular shops. They have a Lulu hypermarket there so I guess it would be convenient for people living nearby to do their grocery shopping. Other than that, not worth visiting.
Chaotic, uninteresting shopping complex. Nothing interesting in the regular shops. They have a Lulu hypermarket there so I guess it would be convenient for people living nearby to do their grocery shopping. Other than that, not worth visiting.
Written March 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M M
Perth, Australia91 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
Best place to buy affordable abaya, sheylas, gold etc. Compared with the other mall in Abu Dhabi, I find this mall has lots to offer for tourist who is looking for a bargain. Don't forget to visit the Red Sea antiques shop. Fahad, the owner is very pleasant to deal with and speak really good English. Would definitely recommend this mall to all my friends.
Written October 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am looking for somewhere like Karama market in Dubai, as i want to buy handbags etc. Is this the place to be in Abu Dhabi and any shop recommendations please
Written April 10, 2019
You maybe lucky in this Mall which is not huge, WTC or Marina Mall maybe better.
Written April 11, 2019
Hi
Are the designer bags on show or do you have to ask to look at them ?
Also are there lots of stalls selling these items ?
Thanks
Written August 21, 2018
if I am reading your question right there are a couple of stalls where the shops are - where the workers shout out ..... do you want any bags or watches
if you get my drift :)
copies but nothing like Dubai
hope this helps
Written August 22, 2018
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