Dubai's cocktail scene now sits among the world's best, with bars on The World's 50 Best Bars list year after year. Most of the best are in DIFC's Gate Village, in the hotels of Downtown and Business Bay, with more along the coast in Jumeirah and JBR. This guide covers 18 bars. Cocktail bars come first, from a bar behind a record shop to Dubai's highest-ranked bar, then the wine bars and one of the city's oldest pubs, with our top picks, a map and a walking route in DIFC.
Last checked 14 November 2026. No bar paid to be included.
If you only have one night, start here.
No. 42 in the world, 1920s Osaka style.
JumeirahA sapphire bar behind a hidden door.
DIFCThe sister of a former World's Best Bar.
JBR and Dubai MarinaA World's 50 Best Bars name in Gate Village.
DIFCNeon and comic-book cocktails.
Downtown, Business Bay and Sheikh Zayed RoadThrough the record shop.
Downtown, Business Bay and Sheikh Zayed RoadA former best bar in the Middle East.
DIFCArt deco over the Turtle Lagoon.
JumeirahTap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Gate Village in the financial centre has the city's densest cluster of serious bars, a few steps apart.
Swipe to see all 4 bars →
Cocktail bar
Ranked on The World's 50 Best Bars
Hidden behind a discreet door in Gate Village, a sapphire-blue bar inspired by the stars, with a starry ceiling, velvet seats and a marble bar. Opened in 2019 and a regular on The World's 50 Best Bars lists.
📍 Gate Village, DIFC, Dubai
Lounge bar
The lounge at the Dubai branch of the Japanese izakaya, once named the best bar in the Middle East, with a wooden cube bar and a DJ setting the pace late into the night.
📍 Gate Village 06, DIFC, Dubai
Restaurant and bar
No. 60, The World's 50 Best Bars 2025
The Dubai home of La Petite Maison, in Gate Village, No. 60 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 and recognised by Star Wine List.
📍 Gate Village, DIFC, Dubai
Restaurant and bar
Maximalist jungle interiors over three floors with a rooftop. Latin American-style drinks come in monkey-head and tiki tumblers.
📍 Gate Village 11, DIFC Pavilion, DIFC, Dubai
Hotel bars, rooftops and hidden rooms around the Burj Khalifa, Business Bay and Sheikh Zayed Road.
Swipe to see all 7 bars →
Cocktail bar
From the team behind the Madrid original: intimate, neon-lit and comic-book styled, with bartenders who make drinks to order in unusual vessels.
📍 The Opus by Omniyat, Business Bay, Dubai
Rooftop bar
A rooftop at the 25hours Hotel One Central with a terrace of gold cages and plants in the cooler months and a colourful tiki room in summer. Try the Pandan Colada.
📍 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central, Trade Centre, Dubai
Cocktail bar and restaurant
A branch of a Beirut original with gothic decor, an organ for a DJ booth and a spiral staircase, serving cocktails dressed with edible flowers and even caviar.
📍 Address Sky View, Downtown Dubai
Listening bar
A speakeasy-style listening bar entered through a vinyl record shop, with a bespoke sound system, wood panels, sake, Japanese craft beer and cocktails such as the Manga Rita.
📍 Pullman Dubai Downtown, Business Bay, Dubai
Underground bar
An underground bar in neon red, themed on 1970s New York Chinatown, with local and international DJs and a bestselling Night Rider Negroni.
📍 The H Hotel, One Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
Wine bar
A wine bar on a floor of Zaha Hadid's Opus tower, with an Art Deco bar counter and vinyl records, recognised by Star Wine List in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
📍 ME Dubai, Opus Tower, Business Bay
Wine bar
An enoteca-style wine bar with more than 350 labels (over 55 by the glass) and sharing plates.
📍 JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, Business Bay
Along the beach road, from the Four Seasons to the Burj Al Arab and Madinat Jumeirah.
Swipe to see all 2 bars →
Cocktail bar
Art deco styling, low light and a mirrored ceiling, with a terrace over the Turtle Lagoon at Jumeirah Al Naseem.
📍 Jumeirah Al Naseem, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai
Japanese restaurant and bar
No. 42, The World's 50 Best Bars 2026
Dubai's highest-ranked bar: No. 42 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2026 and named the best bar in the Middle East in 2025. Inspired by 1920s Osaka, with art deco interiors and a bar and lounge before the restaurant. Look for the Kori Kakushi Martini, encased in ice.
📍 Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai
🕒 Mon to Thu 6pm to 2am; Fri to Sun noon to 4pm and 6pm to 2am (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
At the western end of the coast, by the beach at Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Swipe to see all 4 bars →
Cocktail bar
50 Best Discovery, 2026
The Dubai sister of Barcelona's Paradiso, named The World's Best Bar in 2022, with theatrical cocktails and an otherworldly setting. Added to 50 Best Discovery in July 2026.
📍 FIVE LUXE JBR, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai
Beach club and bars
A sprawling venue at The Beach in JBR, with a beach club and pool, more than 20 bars and views across the water to Ain Dubai.
📍 The Beach, JBR, Dubai Marina
Beach club
A beach club at La Vie in JBR built around sunbeds and cocktails, back for the new beach season since September 2026.
📍 La Vie, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai
Beach club
One of the livelier waterfront beach clubs, at Dubai Harbour, open again after a summer break.
📍 Dubai Harbour, Dubai
Inland by Dubai Creek, near the airport, for one of the city's oldest pubs.
Irish pub
One of Dubai's oldest bars, beside the Dubai Tennis Stadium, with a big outdoor area, concerts through the year and quiz nights. There is a second branch at Studio City.
📍 31A Street, Al Garhoud
Dubai is spread out, so this short route covers the bars of DIFC, which are a few minutes apart on foot. Take a taxi between areas. See them all on a map.
4 bars · about 17 minutes on foot in total
Start with Mimi Kakushi and Galaxy Bar, then Paradiso Dubai. Our top 8 above covers the rest.
Mimi Kakushi at the Four Seasons Jumeirah, No. 42 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2026 and the best bar in the Middle East in 2025.
DIFC's Gate Village, where Galaxy Bar, Zuma and LPM are a few steps apart.
21. Alcohol is served in licensed venues such as hotels and bars, so bring photo ID.
Yes. Galaxy Bar is behind a discreet door in Gate Village. Honeycomb Hi-Fi is entered through a record shop.
This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run cocktail festivals in more than 20 towns and cities across the UK and Ireland and have worked with hundreds of bars since 2022. We put this guide together from our own research, The World's 50 Best Bars lists and trusted local guides.
No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.
Run a bar in Dubai that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.
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