Top 10 homegrown bars in Dubai

The Cocktail Dandy is a man on a quest to find the best cocktail bars in Dubai. So far, he has visited more than 200 bars in this city alone, and reviewed more than 100 on his Instagram page. Here is a FooDiva guide to his top 10 homegrown cocktail bars in Dubai. In alphabetical order. You may not agree, or you may think he’s absolutely bang on. Either way, please let him know.

Bar Buci, Jumeirah Al Qasr: When Covid hit Dubai like a menace in early 2020, totally decimating the very foundation of customers for all F&B businesses, Jumeirah Hotels did what every company with a budget should have done. They said, “Let’s refurbish our way out of this crisis; close everything down for as long as it takes; and then hope we’re back in business”. 18 months later, Jumeirah Al Qasr re-opened with Bar Buci (pronounded bu-see) as a signature venue. Every single detail is of the highest class – from the outdoor terrace with a giant olive tree, to the menu (event the printed paper), and the complete bar interior. This place demands, nay – cries out for – a visit.

• Atmosphere 8/8: A masterpiece in its own right. Everything has been refurbished and renovated to the finest standard. A pure joy to visit a bar like this one.
• Cocktails 6/8: Some seriously advanced cocktails on the menu, with short one-liner quotes and anecdotes as descriptors.
• Bartenders 5/8: The team members are all highly skilled, with a core Ukrainian crew. The high footfall puts pressure on the team in the shape of tote tickets though, so the social interaction is lacking at times.
• Glassware 5/8: Nothing special, but nothing wrong either. The Old Fashioned is dutifully served in – yes, you guessed it – an Old Fashioned glass.
• Ice 6/8: Clear ice – check. Big ice cubes – check. Next level requirement – an ice stamp.

Basko & Sauve, The Opus by Omniyat: Basko is something so rare as a restaurant that opened up during the pandemic, and still made it. It’s a real treat for the eyes to come here – with a 60s-style design paired with Mediterranean food drawing influences from Spain, France and Lebanon. From a cocktail perspective, it ranks amongst the very top layer in Dubai. Definitely come here for the food, stay for the decor, while sipping well-crafted cocktails, and nest your way into the upstairs nightclub Suave for the late hours.

• Atmosphere 7/8: Photogenic angles and frames everywhere. For intimate seeking souls, try to make your way up to Suave, which is worth the hassle of talking your way in.
• Cocktails 6/8: The cocktail list has undergone a makeover recently, with an exciting mix of well known classics and signature interpretations. 
• Bartenders 6/8: The recent upswing after hiring Cameron James Boyd as bar manager has played out very well. 
• Glassware 7/8: Crystal glass that’s easy on the eye, with an ornate pattern. This is class.
• Ice 7/8: Good game in the ice section with big, clear ice cubes, and a majestic ‘B’ for an ice stamp.

Blind Tiger, Jumeirah Al Naseem: When Jumeirah decides to open a speakeasy bar in the throng of restaurants around Jumeirah Al Naseem’s Turtle Lagoon, you know it will be good (nay, great!). And they certainly overdelivered in execution. As soon as you set foot, you’re transported to a time and place where you are the only thing existing, and everything is tailored to elevate your experience. Dust off your tuxedo or little black dress, wear the golden cufflinks or the pearl necklace saved for special occasions – and enter Blind Tiger with the confidence of Jay Gatsby, where you won’t necessarily order classic cocktails, but rather new world editions – and for sure, you will imbibe the worldly atmosphere.

• Atmosphere 8/8: Decorous, highbrow and swagger – this is Blind Tiger.
• Cocktails 7/8: Unassuming and sophisticated Asian riffs on the classics. A menu that is perhaps a bit too austere though.
• Bartenders 7/8: Spearheaded by the cocktail prodigy Francesco Florence, this crew is right up there among the elite. 
• Glassware 6/8: Wafer-thin glass, which you’re almost afraid to break when you grip it. But you don’t. Instead, you, almost, don’t feel the glass.
• Ice 7/8: Big, clear ice cubes meet the eye, but the ice carving station centrepiece is so far missing.

Ergo, The Dubai Edition: Ergo is the star of the F&B programme at The Dubai Edition hotel. Jimmy Barrat, with his 15+ years of Zuma experience, has handpicked and curated a team of unicorn-talented bartenders – so coming here, you’re in for a show.

• Atmosphere 6/8: Two things are in focus here – the cocktails and the music. With a majestic bar as the statement piece, the next thing that will catch your eye is the glorious DJ booth.
• Cocktails 8/8: Clean, bold and valiant flavours, with simple, flawless presentations.
• Bartenders 7/8: Quite a few of the bartenders moved across from Zuma, making the bar team trustworthy, professional and sharp, through and through.
• Glassware 6/8: Leaning towards the too simple end of the spectrum – it’s what’s in the glass that plays the lead role here. But also – why this fixation with serving a Dry Martini in a Nick&Nora glass?
• Ice 8/8: Finally someone who gets it – a big block of clear ice, true ice artisanship, and the all-omnipresent ice stamp. Take note, rest of Dubai.

Galaxy Bar, DIFC: With a focus on the brandy-like Metaxa, given the Greek mothership neighbour, Avli by Tashas, the bartenders have done a good job keeping the cocktails interesting and on point. The bar definitely sets the bar, pun intended, for the rest – something that the World’s 50 Best Bars agrees on, having placed Galaxy in 45th place. Come here for the fantastic speakeasy-style bar, drink solid cocktails, and dream away gazing into the star-spangled ceiling.

• Atmosphere 7/8: A speakeasy bar-type atmosphere with flawless design, the only thing at fault is the too loud music, at times.
• Cocktails 7/8: A serious, stellar cocktail list, centred around star constellations. Visit at least once, if you’re in Dubai. You won’t regret it.
• Bartenders 6/8: A few gems in the line-up of bartenders that all pass the bar.
• Glassware 7/8: Some of the best glassware in town, but it seems to be a little hit-or-miss, because, sometimes, the cocktail is served in an absolutely bog-standard, lowball glass.
• Ice 7/8: Big clear ice cubes vouch for cold cocktails that don’t get diluted. Now just place a big ice block in the bar, and it’s bullseye.

Gohan, Jumeirah Emirates Towers: With a firm focus on cocktails and sushi, it’s deceptively easy to tuck into a (delicious) light meal, and then linger for a few more cocktails than originally planned – which is definitely a good mistake to make. The entrance is hidden behind a curtain next to the wine fridges of La Cantine, and the transition from the bright, airy and hip French restaurant, to the atmospheric mise-en-scène of a dimly lit speakeasy couldn’t be more powerful. The expression “it’s like stepping into another world” has never been more appropriate.

• Atmosphere 8/8: A mix of an izakaya in Tokyo’s back alleys with the kind of speakeasy aesthetic one would stumble upon in New York’s Flatiron district.
• Cocktails 7/8: The bar offers a slim but intriguing cocktail list, based on the seven lucky Gods of Japanese mythology. 
• Bartenders 6/8: Some of the bona fide conversation goes amiss without traditional bar seating, but these bartenders have got some good game.
• Glassware 6/8: Somewhat standard, but they also mix it up, serving some cocktails in bowls. Interesting, and, perhaps, innovative.
• Ice 7/8: Big, clear ice cubes with the signature ice stamp – just what should be expected from a bar with ambitions.

Honeycomb Hi-Fi, Pullman Dubai Downtown: Hidden behind a door in what looks like a well-assorted boutique vinyl record shop, Honeycomb Hi-Fi is a real treat for the speakeasy crowd. The atmosphere brings fond memories of Japanese izakayas with great food and cocktails, mixed with LA back alley vibes, thanks to the brilliant DJ and abundance of old-school vinyl records. In short, this is a lump of coal waiting to be put under pressure to change molecular structure, and become a shining diamond. But never mind, in the meantime – walk in, dance out!

• Atmosphere 8/8: Completely unvanquished when it comes to the atmosphere – and what must be one of the best DJs in Dubai with a veritable soundmat of quality music.
• Cocktails 5/8: Straightforward cocktails executed with the absolute minimum of flair and grace. Perhaps too straightforward and minimum though.
• Bartenders 6/8: Reliable bartending with fair execution of the cocktails, but the interaction with the guests sometimes goes amiss.
• Glassware 6/8: The differentiator here is definitely the delicacy of the glasses. You could almost measure the thickness in atoms. A serious nod to minimalism in glassware.
• Ice 6/8: Big, clear ice cubes with the seemly honeycomb ice stamp – well done.

Jun’s, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard: When chef Kelvin Cheung decided to move from bustling New Delhi to a Dubai virtually on fire with new restaurant ventures, more than a few of us had high expectations. Jun’s does nothing to disappoint, but rather lines up the superlatives – even when it comes to cocktails. Food-wise, it’s a fusion of North American and Asian cuisine, but don’t let the f-word fool you – this is not “boring, we’ve seen it before fusion”, this is exciting and progressive fusion cuisine. And the very same excitement is contagious enough for the bar to take on the same fusion challenge – which it does, with honour.

• Atmosphere 7/8: Metropolitan and avant-garde. A place you are keen to explore, time after time.
• Cocktails 8/8: The signature cocktails all aspire to surprise, without losing too much originality. Clever cocktails at their best. And of course, the classics are crafted to near perfection too.
• Bartenders 8/8: A bar team, that to a great extent, has been poached from Kelvin’s Indian adventures, with the addition of some real gems from other parts of the world.
• Glassware 7/8: Some of the cocktails are served in standard glasses, but, once you understand that it’s specifically for the clarified cocktails, where the team wants to showcase the purity (and the ice!), you smile. Also, absolute showstoppers of crystal glass are paraded.
• Ice 7/8: Big, clear ice cubes, with the traditional ice stamp.

Mimi Kakushi, Four Seasons Jumeirah Beach: One aperitif before dinner at Mimi Kakushi will often turn into two, maybe three – and even though the meal will most surely be the pinnacle of your visit – it is an absolute must to stay on for many a digestif. This is a place you want to be seen in, but luckily even more, it’s a place you want to go to for the drinks. With a smaller bar counter than some of its competitors, the experience is a lot more intimate, and if you feel like deep diving into the inspiration behind the menu’s different cocktails – no one is better suited in letting you take that dive, than the bar manager Manja Stankovic himself.

• Atmosphere 8/8: Let this be said: London-based interior design firm, Pirajean Lees, has seriously outdone itself with this absolute masterpiece of a venue that has you stepping into 1920s Tokyo.
  Cocktails 8/8: A brilliant example of how to allow regional flavours (in this case obviously Japanese) to influence cocktails, without overpowering the original gangster.
• Bartenders 7/8: A solid team led by the most gentlemanly bartender out there – Manja. You will always feel welcome here.
• Glassware 7/8: “Money spent on glassware is always well-spent.” This is a rule that everyone in the business should adhere to. At Mimi Kakushi, they take this to heart. Now, let’s start serving all the classics in appropriate glasses, and the full score is achieved.
• Ice 7/8: Of course the ice is clear, with large cubes and even some ice artistry when the bartender is in the mood. It only lacks the centrepiece ice block for the top score.

The Maine Land Brasserie, The Opus by Omniyat: Being the epitome, and one of the best examples of a great restaurant bar, The Maine Land Brasserie parades one massive bar counter, stretching through the lion’s share of the restaurant – for sure worth a visit before dinner, and most definitely after, as well. Or sit at the bar just to enjoy the classics done right, and with very little craziness in its own versions.

• Atmosphere 6/8: The chandeliers, ladies and gentlemen – the chandeliers! A triumph that sets the tone for the whole venue. It’s very much a happy place, with respect to the bar team for staying true to the concept. 
• Cocktails 6/8: The cocktails are solid in the sense that they seldom set a foot wrong. There’s no extravaganza, just classic cocktails done right. Sometimes that’s all you need, eh?
• Bartenders 6/8: Strong bartenders that seldom get challenged. But when they do get challenged, the imagination and passion are woken to life.
• Glassware 8/8: When you’re not trying that hard, it’s actually quite easy. Focusing on the classics, and serving them in bona fide elegant glassware. Crystal through and through.
• Ice 6/8:  Big, clear ice cubes do a great job keeping the cocktails chilled.
  

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