Guide · Choosing a caterer
Picking an Indian caterer for a party at home in Abu Dhabi.
What to check before you hand over a booking amount, and how we answer each point ourselves.
Abu Dhabi hosts tend to find caterers by asking friends, and the names that come back range from a restaurant with a van to companies that cater full time. The cooking is usually fine. What separates them is everything around it: food that is still hot after the drive across the bridges, a team that knows the island gates, and a final bill that matches the written quote.
Below is the checklist we would use ourselves, with our own answer beside each line. Gaurav Varma, our Chief Executive Officer, runs Abu Dhabi from the head office at ADGM, so any of these points can be put to the Abu Dhabi team directly.
At a glance
- Caterer
- Cater Inc., cooking for UAE events since 1985 in its own HACCP-certified kitchens and serving the food at your venue.
- Where
- Homes, villas, offices and venues across Abu Dhabi.
- Guests
- From 20 guests at home to banquets of 3,500.
- Food
- Indian from every region and pan-Asian, with live counters cooked in front of guests, and Jain, vegetarian and vegan menus cooked on a separate line.
- Menus
- Classic at AED 140, Premium at AED 180 and Luxury at AED 210 a guest, or a menu built dish by dish. Minimum 20 guests and AED 2,500.
- On top
- One AED 500 catering setup covers transport, setting up, clearing, chafing dishes, plates and cutlery. Waiters come only when food is passed around or served at the table, one for every 10 guests. 5% VAT goes on the total.
- To book
- Compose the menu at caterinc.ae/book and see the itemised total, or message the Abu Dhabi team on WhatsApp. A 50% booking amount confirms the date.
Prices and policies on this page are the ones our booking engine uses. Page last updated .
The checklist
Ten things to check with any caterer.
| Check | What it protects | How we answer |
|---|---|---|
| The kitchen | Food safety starts with a licensed, inspected kitchen | Our own HACCP-certified kitchens, 6,500 sq ft in all |
| A tasting | It is the one chance to judge the food before the party | Ask on WhatsApp and the Abu Dhabi team comes back to you about it |
| The written quote | Totals grow through staff, transport, crockery and VAT | A single itemised quote shows food, counters, chefs, waiters, setup and 5% VAT before you pay |
| Staff | Some caterers leave staff off the quote; others add waiters a buffet does not need | A buffet needs none. Passed or served food brings one waiter for each 10 guests at AED 150 |
| Setup and clearing | Chafing dishes, crockery and the clear-down are easily forgotten | The AED 500 catering setup includes transport, setup, clearing, chafing dishes, plates and cutlery |
| Live counters indoors | Apartments and villas treat flames and gas differently | Chaat, dosa, wok and dessert counters run on butane indoors; tandoor and charcoal stay outside |
| Jain and vegan cooking | A Jain dish needs its own pans and utensils | Cooked on a separate line, with no onion, garlic or root vegetables |
| Your community or tower | Island communities and towers need the vehicle cleared and the service lift booked | Tell us the community or building and we send security what it asks for |
| The minimum | Many caterers only start at 50 or 100 guests | 20 guests and AED 2,500 |
| Payment and cancellation | This is what you stand to lose if plans change | 50% to book and the balance by bank transfer before the event; final numbers 72 hours ahead; no refund inside 48 hours |
Warning signs
When to ask more questions.
- A price per guest that does not say what it covers.
- A request for money before you have a written quote.
- Waiters, transport or VAT that appear only after you have agreed.
- Vague answers about which kitchen cooks the food.
- Reviews that exist only on the caterer's own site. Look them up on Google Maps as well.
Size of party
The right caterer for the size of the party.
- Fewer than twenty: a private chef cooking in your own kitchen is usually the better fit.
- Twenty to fifty in a villa or apartment: a full-service caterer with a low minimum, a buffet and one live counter. We start at 20.
- Fifty to two hundred: two live counters set well apart, and a caterer who already knows the gate at your community.
- A vegetarian or Jain household: a kitchen that keeps vegetarian cooking on its own line.
- A mixed group where some friends skip Indian food: a caterer that also cooks Thai, dim sum and a live wok from the same kitchen.
About us in Abu Dhabi
Where we fit in Abu Dhabi.
Cater Inc. has cooked for parties in the UAE since 1985, and our head office is at ADGM on Al Maryah Island. Indian food from every region is the heart of the menu, from live chaat, dosa and tandoor counters to Jain menus on their own line, and our Thai, dim sum, sushi and wok cooking looks after the guests who want something else.
Across Abu Dhabi
Where we cater in Abu Dhabi.
We cater across the emirate: villas on Saadiyat, Yas, Al Raha, Khalifa City, Mohammed Bin Zayed City and Al Bateen; towers on Al Reem, Al Maryah and the Corniche; and offices from ADGM to Mussafah. Our head office is at ADGM on Al Maryah Island.
Island and gated communities clear our vehicle with security before the day, and towers usually book the service lift for us. Tell us the community or building when you book and we send what security asks for.
Parties we have catered in Abu Dhabi this year include a forty-guest party in Al Shamkha, a dinner for thirty in a tower apartment, a staff lunch for thirty in Mussafah and a dinner for twenty at a villa in Al Seef.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- Who are the best Indian caterers in Abu Dhabi for a party at home?
- Judge any caterer on the ten checks above against your own guest count, food and building: a licensed kitchen of its own, a tasting, a written all-in quote and reviews on Google Maps. Cater Inc. has cooked Indian food for UAE parties since 1985 and takes home parties across Abu Dhabi from 20 guests, with live chaat, dosa and tandoor counters and Jain food cooked apart.
- What does Indian catering for a home party in Abu Dhabi cost?
- Our packages are AED 140, 180 and 210 a guest, the same as in Dubai, with the AED 500 catering setup and 5% VAT added once. Twenty-five guests on Classic as a buffet comes to about AED 4,200.
- Is there an Indian caterer in Abu Dhabi that cooks Jain food?
- Yes, we cook it on a separate line with no onion, garlic or root vegetables, and a Jain menu can run beside a non-vegetarian one at the same party. Ask any caterer whether its Jain food has its own pans.
- Do I need waiters for an Indian buffet at home?
- A buffet does not. Waiters are for food passed around or served at the table, roughly one for every 10 guests, and it is worth asking whether a caterer's rate already includes them.
- Who looks after Abu Dhabi parties at Cater Inc.?
- Gaurav Varma, our Chief Executive Officer, from the head office at ADGM on Al Maryah Island.
- Do you charge more for Saadiyat, Yas or Al Reem?
- No. The AED 500 catering setup is the same across the emirate, islands included. Gated island communities need our vehicle cleared with security, so tell us the community when you book.
- Can you cater in an Abu Dhabi apartment or tower?
- Yes. A dinner for thirty in a tower apartment is one of our recent parties. Live counters run on butane indoors, and tandoor and charcoal need a garden or terrace.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
- GuidesChoosing an Indian caterer in DubaiTen questions to ask an Indian caterer in Dubai before you book a party at home: where the food is cooked, a tasting, an all-in quote, staff, live counters, Jain food and payment terms.
- CuisinesIndian catering in Abu DhabiIndian caterers in Abu Dhabi since 1985. Dum biryani, live tandoor and chaat, curries and Indian sweets for home parties and weddings, from AED 140 per head.
- CateringPrivate & home party catering in Abu DhabiCatering for small parties and private dinners at home in Abu Dhabi, from twenty guests: birthdays, Diwali, majlis evenings and villa gatherings, laid out and cleared.
- GuidesCatering for 100 guestsPlanning a party of 100 in Abu Dhabi: dishes on each package, where the buffet and counters go, the chefs and seating, and the total from AED 15,488.
- GuidesWhat catering costs per person in Abu DhabiWhat catering in Abu Dhabi includes and costs: AED 140 to 210 a guest, about AED 9,975 for 50 guests and AED 19,950 for 100, with setup, counter chefs and VAT.
- CuisinesJain & vegan cateringJain and vegan catering in Abu Dhabi, cooked on a separate line. No onion, no garlic, no root, and fully plant-based menus for weddings, festivals and corporate events.
Ready when you are
Compose your menu, course by course.
No commitment and no phone call. Choose every course yourself in about two minutes, then send it over and we'll take it from there.