NEWS

A familiar flavour that makes somewhere new feel like home. This is the nostalgia behind Oui Oui Gelateria, opening in Al Zeina, Abu Dhabi, this October.

Founded by Caterina Bernal and Manue Marescia, Oui Oui is a homegrown, female-led gelateria and café built around one non-negotiable: really good gelato. Quality ingredients, careful craftsmanship and a genuine love of food sit at the heart of the menu, while the space itself is playful, easygoing and designed to feel as welcoming as someone’s living room.
Everyone is invited to come as they are.

For both founders, food has always brought people together. With Oui Oui, they want to create a neighbourhood spot where a quick scoop becomes a catch-up, friends settle in over coffee, and families start traditions of their own.

Two stories, one shared feeling

How do two women from different generations and different parts of the world end up opening a gelateria together? Like many good stories, Oui Oui started around a dinner table.

Manue often jokes that she could almost be Caterina’s mum, but perhaps that difference is part of why it works. Somewhere between conversations about childhood, family and the flavours they missed from home, they discovered a shared love of really good gelato and the memories that come with it.

For Manue, those memories go back to afternoons in Spain with her grandparents. After siesta, she would head out with money in hand, excited to choose an ice cream. It was a simple ritual, but one that stayed with her. Today, she brings more than 15 years of management and retail experience to Oui Oui, alongside the desire to create somewhere other families can build little traditions of their own.

For Caterina, the story started in Argentina. Raised in a family of chefs, she grew up making bread, growing vegetables and cooking together. Later as a teenager she found herself working in an ice cream shop, never imagining that years later she would open a gelateria of her own in Abu Dhabi. After training at Le Cordon Bleu Madrid and working across kitchens and pastry, gelato has found its way back into her story.

Different generations, different backgrounds and different strengths: Manue brings years of experience in management and building teams; Caterina brings her culinary background, creativity and obsession with the product. What connects them is considerably simpler: good food, good gelato and a tendency to say yes.

Yes, we can. Yes, we want to. Yes, let’s do it. Oui, Oui.

A favourite scoop, and something new

That same playful spirit carries into the gelato, but when it comes to the product itself, Oui Oui takes things seriously. Quality sits at the core of every scoop, with carefully selected ingredients, thoughtful craftsmanship and a focus on getting the classics right while leaving room for something unexpected.

Dulce de leche takes centre stage on the gelato menu. A personal favourite of Caterina’s, it brings a little of her Argentinian home to Abu Dhabi and shares a flavour that holds plenty of memories of its own. Alongside it, chocolate, pistachio and Madagascar vanilla offer familiar favourites, while popcorn, quark cheesecake and crème brûlée show Oui Oui’s more playful side. Rotating specials, sorbets and vegan options will keep the cabinet changing and give guests something new to discover.

And Oui Oui isn’t only about the scoop. The menu also makes room for Argentinian butter medialunas, waffles and pancakes, alongside coffee and milkshakes made using guests’ favourite gelato flavours.

At home in Al Zeina

The same playfulness carries into the space. Butter yellow, burgundy and pink set the palette for an interior that feels warm, bright and easy to settle into. Oui Oui is designed for staying, whether that means five minutes for a scoop, an afternoon over coffee or a catch-up that lasts a little longer than planned.

For Caterina and Manue, becoming part of the Al Zeina community is as important as what goes into the gelato cabinet. The hope is that guests leave with more than a new favourite flavour: a familiar face to greet next time, a moment worth remembering and a place they feel part of.

“Oui Oui is our way of bringing people together and sharing a little of what made our childhoods special. We hope it becomes a place where others make happy memories of their own.”
– Manue Marescia & Caterina Bernal (Co-founders of Oui Oui)