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Media Lounge
This hip café-bar is one of Dubai's coolest with its contemporary eclectic style and retro touches like gilt-edged mirrors and cow hide cube ottomans. A regular crowd of Mac-book-clutching creative types from Media City make it their second home, using the funky space for coffee-meetings and after-work drinks.
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Mix
Big with the Middle Eastern crowd, Mix was Dubai's first super-club and it's still going strong. Every night is different, but you can generally expect hip-hop, R&B, house, and Arabic pop, made better when a top international DJ spins. We like the raised bar, huge dance floor, podium dancers, bongo players and stellar people-watching. Cover charge for DJ events. Ask about all-you-can-drink nights.
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Movies Under The Stars
Settle into a beanbag on a balmy winter's night with a bucket of beers and watch a themed double-feature of vintage-modern films. Even if you don't appreciate, say, Tom Cruise night, it's hard to argue when admission is free.
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New Asia Bar & Club
High atop the pyramid of the ultra-plush Raffles hotel, dynamic New Asia draws a slick crowd for its fancy Asian-inspired cocktails and drop-dead views. We like the outdoor terrace, but the black-marble-and-leather interiors make a better backdrop for that hot little Betsy Johnson dress you just bought. Stay late to shimmy to high-energy house.
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Peanut Butter Jam
You never know what you're going to hear at PBJ. Sink into a beanbag in the rooftop gardens of Wafi City Mall and munch on barbecue while you take in that night's acts. The thing is, anyone can walk up to the mic and perform. Much of it is amateurish, a couple steps up from karaoke, but you may be surprised. Go ahead and sing - we dare you.
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Peppermint Club
If you're a serious dancer, seek out the location of Dubai's ultimate Friday-night party. Promoter Fluid Production imports some of the biggest international DJs (Paul Van Dyk, Steve Lawler, James Lavelle etc) to wear out the insatiable, sweaty throngs. A mixed crowd of over 2000 clubbers packs the democratised dance floor. If you don't dance, don't come.
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Qd's
Smoke beneath the stars at this always-fun outdoor Creekside bar, and watch the ballet of lighted dhows floating by. Shaped in a giant circle, the main action is on the (very public) raised centre ring, where Oriental carpet and cushions set an inviting mood. For privacy, score a table on the vast wooden deck jutting over the water, or book a cabana. Avoid tables by the bar: ugly fluorescent light bleeds from the kitchen, ruining the aesthetic. Highly recommended for sheesha, but skip the food.
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Rock Bottom Café
It's with reservation that we mention this Dubai institution, but since you may wind up in the back of a taxi with your new best friends insisting you simply must end the night here, we figured we should fill you in. US GIs on leave from Iraq - and the women who hope to love them - pack the ersatz-American roadhouse, while a cheesy cover band blares top-40 hits and scantily clad women dance.
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Rooftop Bar
The fabric-draped nooks, cushioned banquettes, Moroccan lanterns and Oriental carpets make this candle-lit outdoor rooftop bar one of Dubai's most sublime spots. Come at sunset to watch the sky change colours - but not earlier; the bar doesn't pick up till evening. The new Palm Jumeirah diminishes the views, but the moody lighting and romantic vibe make it easy to overlook any unsightliness. An ideal spot to present a gift-wrapped jewellery box.
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Shakespeare & Company
Linger long and puff sheesha under a big outdoor tent at this woman- and child-friendly hangout with mismatched velvet sofas, wicker chairs and big wooden tables. Perfect for a game of backgammon. The Lebanese-French menu is good for a nosh between smokes - think croque monsieur, crepes and pizzas, all around Dh30 . Good breakfasts, too.
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Sheesha Courtyard
The Royal Mirage does it right. Reclining on beaded cushions and Oriental carpets in an Arabian palm courtyard is the ultimate way to enjoy a sheesha. Though it would take a connoisseur to appreciate the 20 different flavours on offer, you can't go wrong with the sweet aroma of apple. Highly recommended.
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Sho Cho
The cool minimalist interior, with its blue lights and wall-mounted fish tanks, may draw you in, but the beachside deck is where it's at. Join the white-pants-wearing Lebanese party people for sunset martinis. The sushi is merely average, but the cocktails are awesome. Great on Mondays and Wednesday, when you can reserve an outdoor table. Sundays and Tuesdays it's packed.
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Skyview Bar
Cocktails or afternoon tea on the 27th floor of the Burj Al Arab tops most tourists' must-do lists, and with good reason: the views are breathtaking, plus you gain access to the world's most garish hotel lobby. Arrive before sunset or don't bother. But you must book ahead. The per-person minimum is around Dh250 . As for the Liberace-meets- Star Trek interiors, all we can say is, welcome to the Burj.
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Tamanya Terrace
The spectacular views at sunset as the lights from the skyscrapers of New Dubai go on are sufficient reason to settle in here for a drink, but locals love Friday's 'Favela Chic' night when Dubai's Latino community turn this rooftop lounge bar into a salsa club.
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Tché Tché
If you're over the Arabian Nights tourist trip, hit this plain-Jane neighbourhood sheesha café with Arabian pop and a blaring TV reverberating off too many hard surfaces. We like it because it's frequented mostly by Emiratis and other Arabs, along with the occasional expat. Good place to bone up on your Arabic.
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The Agency
This stylish wine bar is a good choice anytime, with comfy low leather seats for couples who want to get cosy and high tables for the groups who like to mingle. There's an excellent list of wines by the glass and tasty tapas-sized snacks - we can never get enough of the chorizo mash.
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The Rooftop
With its Persian carpets, cushioned banquettes and Moroccan lanterns, The Rooftop Bar is everyone's Arabian Nights' fantasy. Add to that a soundtrack of Oriental chill-out music and some of Dubai's best cocktails, and you have one of the city's most atmospheric bars. Book the romantic corner seat for special occasions.
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The Terrace
Specialising in French oysters, caviar, champagne and vodka, the Terrace is one of Dubai's smartest waterside lounge bars. Resident British DJ Lady Red sets just the right mood with sexy chill-out beats. The dramatically lit interior is stylin', but it doesn't compare with sitting on the outdoor deck and watching the bobbing boats moored in the marina.
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Trilogy
Dubai's hottest dance club, hip Trilogy has dance floors and bars catering to different tastes over several levels. Visiting DJs fly in from around the globe. Get there early and head to Trilogy's Rooftop Bar for a drink first or buy tickets in advance to avoid the sometimes outrageous queues.
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Ushna
The Indian fusion restaurant may be glam (fuchsia interior, hanging seats and chandeliers) but the funky candle-lit bar outside is sublime. Settle into a lounge, listen to some chilled vibes, and savour the Madinat Jumeirah views and buzzy crowd below on weekends.
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Velvet Lounge
Miles from the glam-slam New Dubai scene, in an unfashionable hotel, the accidentally fabulous Velvet Lounge is stuck in a baroque-1970s time warp with smoked-mirror ceilings, velour sofas and red-velvet draperies. And it's often empty, making it a top spot for a tête-à-tête with your paramour.
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Vintage
A favourite of Dubai wine aficionados for its impressive wine list and wide-ranging of varietals, Vintage also serves superb fondue, cheeses, charcuterie meats and fantastic cheesecake. The living-room-like interior is well-lit - a boon if your eyesight is failing - but its small size means tables fill up fast. Arrive early.
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Vu's Bar
The tower-top views over Sheikh Zayed Rd are as breathtaking as the prices at this sophisticated restaurant-bar, 51 storeys in the sky. If conversation lags, bury your nose in the encyclopaedic cocktail list. Look sharp: no jeans or sneakers allowed.
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Zinc
Once you're past the metal detector, old reliable Zinc plays crowd-pleasing popular tunes everyone knows. Though some uppity expats call it trashy, we like Zinc because people don't seem to care who you are; they're here to dance and drink, not show off.
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Zyara
Puff in the shadow of giant skyscrapers at this convivial bo-ho-cool Lebanese café. The colourful dollhouse-like interior is great for booze-free socializing over a game of cards or backgammon. The sheesha is presented outdoors at living-room-like clusters of bright-orange sofas on a palm-lined patio, where you can gaze up at the impossibly tall towers.
