Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
With a wicked assortment of carefully crafted mocktails and cocktails, this classy bar-restaurant attracts a well-dressed clientele. Sit outside on the…
Must-see nightlife in Arabian Peninsula
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
In the cooler months, this is the place to be. Cool cucumber mojitos, passion-fruit Collins, and kiwi gin and tonics are just some of the signature…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
The Four Season's lobby lounge comes into its own during the cooler months when you can sit outside with a drink on the terrace and take in the city…
Yas Island
One of Abu Dhabi's see-and-be-seen party haunts, dress up and bring your ID (over 21s only) to hang with the beautiful people partying to RnB, hip-hop,…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Home-grown Atelier M delivers a double treat atop the circular Pier 7 building. The lift drops you at the restaurant, which serves respectable French…
Downtown Dubai
If you ever wanted to find out how to milk a camel (and who doesn't?), watch the video on the interactive iPad menu of this pretty cafe while sipping a…
Marina Breakwater
An international/Tex-Mex/Irish cantina popular with long-term foreign residents, Hemingway's is the place to lounge in front of the big screen with beer,…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
A hugely popular cafe that has nothing to write home about other than the sense of participating in a beloved local ritual. Come here for shisha and tea…
Abu Dhabi
It's pricey, but this organic, cold-pressed-juice chain churns out some seriously tasty bevvies fashioned from all manner of fresh fruits, vegetables and…
Yas Island
With live entertainment and the longest bar in Abu Dhabi, this is a happening spot for beer (17 taps), cocktails and a satisfying selection of upmarket…
Marina Breakwater
Serving a variety of fruit juices, mocktails and hot drinks, this simple cafe has a great outdoor terrace overlooking the marina for an evening of shisha …
Abu Dhabi
Sitting in the cafe part of this establishment, beside the pond in comfortable armchairs, is a pleasant and sociable experience, especially on warm nights…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
Saunter down a dramatic candlelit staircase to this cellar-like hideaway in the Rosewood hotel, probably Abu Dhabi's best destination for oenophiles in…
Dubai
With a minimum spend of Dhs370 for cocktails and afternoon tea running at Dhs590 (Dhs720 for window seating), the tab at Burj Al Arab's Skyview Bar is as…
Yas Island
Voted Abu Dhabi's best sports bar, this wildly popular and rowdy bar and grill is unapologetically American. With 24 taps, including craft selections from…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
With a huge marble-topped bar as its centrepiece and a daily happy hour (5pm to 8pm), the New Orleans–inspired Nola is popular with the after-work crowd…
Bur Dubai
This been-here-forever Western expat fave has a '70s-era American roadhouse feel, with a cover band blaring out Top 40 hits and a DJ filling in the breaks…
Abu Dhabi
This pool and beach party, beloved by Abu Dhabi's buffed and toned set, is an all-day affair. Boats leave frequently from the dock near the Khalidiya…
Kuwait City
Run by the Sheraton Kuwait, this plush tea lounge, with chandeliers and dark wooden panelling, could be straight out of a stately manor house. The English…
Mecca
The trendy baristas of the Western hemisphere have arrived in Mecca, and Abak, with its quirky branding and hipster interior, is leading the way. Popular…
Kuwait City
Inside the Sultan Center in Sharq Marina mall, Bluezone is run by a Kuwaiti health coach named Khalidah Alessa. Her fresh cold-pressed juices and…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
This UK import features private karaoke pods where groups of six to 25 people can belt out tunes from a huge playlist without (much) fear of embarrassment…
Abu Dhabi
Have a beer (Dhs34 to Dhs40) or wine (glass from Dhs35) with high-rises as your neighbours at this bar on the roof of the World Trade Center; entry is…
Doha
The spectacular bar on the 27th floor of the Mondrian Doha has stunning views out onto the artificial waterways and buzzing highways in the distance. Like…
Marina Breakwater
Radisson Blu Beach Club's bar and shisha cafe – open to the public – sits on prime beachside real estate with outstanding skyline views to accompany…
Yas Island
Healthy vegan-friendly cafe offering homemade almond milk, avocado smoothies and green vegetable juices along with karak chai (spicy tea) and a caboodle…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
With metal-plated stools, palette tables and oversized artwork in a warehouse-style setting, this place works hard to channel New York but still manages…
Dubai
This Ibiza-style beachside 'meet' market is one of Dubai's top day-to-night dance clubs and worth the trek out of town at weekends, especially when big…
Yas Island
This rectangular den of decadence literally occupies a bridge directly over Yas Island's Formula One track. It's flush with the city's party-hard, moneyed…
Sur
This modern coffeeshop, in front of the trendsetting Zaki Hotel Apartments, is attractively decked out with homely tables and chairs and specialises in…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
Coya's colourful Pisco Lounge is a destination in itself, particularly if you're partial to a pisco sour (Dhs65) or two – and with creative infusions of…
Muscat
This stylish cafe overlooking the marina has brought a touch of class to the new esplanade that is slowly expanding around the fashionable Al Mouj complex…
Al Bateen & Al Mushrif
This rooftop bar at the Aloft Abu Dhabi hotel indeed puts you in the mood for relaxing, with mellow sounds, comfy seating and an extensive drinks menu…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
When it comes to glorious views over The Beach at JBR and Palm Jumeirah, this chic indoor-outdoor lounge is in a lofty league on the 35th floor of the…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
This place is exclusive with a capital E. Entry is via fingerprint recognition, and minimum spend at a table for four is Dhs5000. If you want to drive…
Sharjah
Caffeine nerds rejoice: this hipster coffee house digs deep with single-origin beans sourced from El Salvador, Ethiopia and Indonesia, among others, and…
Muscat
If you sit sipping tea long enough in the extravagant foyer of this sumptuous hotel, chances are you’ll worry that the tea was laced: the statue of the…
Yas Island
Ignore the tacky faux-Tiki totems on entry. In cooler months, the outdoor terrace of this curvy timber bar-restaurant, jutting right out onto the water at…
Hajar Mountains
With repro–art nouveau touches, a polished brass bar rail, sitting areas semi-hidden with glass partitions and music videos showing brazen images, this…
Al Ashkara Beach Resort Coffeeshop
Oman
You don't have to stay at the Al Ashkara Beach Resort to stop by its tiny coffeeshop. Alongside a windswept stretch of coast, it makes the perfect place…
