Hanging Out
Cafes, bars, cool locations to wander about in
Updated: April 2010
A must-see are the dancing fountains in the Souq al Bahar, which “perform” to classical Western and Arab music from 7pm-10pm, every half hour – truly extraordinary! Get a prime view from the restaurants across from the Dubai Mall – avoid the ones directly outside it, as the fountains’ spray will soak you while you watch.
Check out the bar on the 63rd floor of the Address Hotel in the Burj al Khalifa, on Burj Boulevard – the highest building in the region (giving a new meaning to “higher than a kite”). Forget the service – go for the view over the old town, the décor, and the Burj itself. (Confusingly, there are several Address hotels in Dubai, two of which are in the Burj area – make sure you get the right one, in the tower itself).
The glitzy cavernous lobby of the Grand Hyatt for delicious mint tea and apricot cookies
• The Samovar Room of the Royal Mirage hotel, which you can also book
for a private tea or coffee party, with its over-stuffed cushions and
wonderful Orientalist feel
• Pan Quotidien in the Mall of the Emirates –the hazelnut flute bread sticks
are divine, and the café au lait is served in a bowl like in Paris
• Shakespeare’s, for brunches, light “ladies lunches”, patisseries, tea and
coffee stops. Many outlets – opposite MacGrudy’s on the Jumeirah Beach
Road, as well as in Emirates Hills….just ask for the one nearest to you.
• Zaatar o Zeit – youthful contemporary Beirut café on Shaikh Zayed Road
• Paul, in the Mall of the Emirates (MoE) next to the ski slope, for Parisian
pastries and recovery time (from the impact of the monument to
consumerism that is the Mall).
• Sezzam in the MoE, for super-fresh dim sum and Thai papaya salads, and
a great gourmet deli section for take-homes - (even open behind darkened
curtains at lunchtime during Ramadhan)
• The Four Seasons Golf Club’s terrace overlooking the creek is a great
place to be at sunset as well as for a visit to the Spikes Bar, which has
great views, and a great atmosphere.
• Bar 44 at Grosvenor House Hotel which has a fine collection of
champagnes and a great view of the Marina area
• The Sky Bar of the 7-star totally “OTT” (over the top) Burj al Arab for a
full-on champagne tea – (check out the leaping “fish” in the fountain
alongside the main escalator to the first floor) but remember – you have to
reserve at least a month in advance (seriously). Or go for drinks – reserve
for that, too!
Photo by Azlin Ahmed
• The C-Bar in Al Murooj Rotana Hotel, owned by the same people who
brought the fabulous Cristal bar to Beirut. Tel 04 307 3482
• The Buddha Bar in the Grosvenor House Hotel, Marina area.. Fantastic
cocktails, gorgeous two-tiered bar, great ambiance and food. Tel (971)(4)
3998888
• The 1897 bar in the Kempinski Hotel in the Mall of the Emirates
• The Bahri Bar in the Mina a’Salam Hotel (one of the three that comprise
Madinat Jumeirah), for Arabian tapas and innovative cocktails
• Vu’s Cocktail Bar on the 51st floor of the Emirates Towers, with
staggering views of the Gulf. Go there late. (Great food, too if you go
earlier). Tel 04 319 8088
And of course Emirates Business Class Lounge in the new terminal, where you always bump into every other globetrotter you know.
(Actually THE hangout joints in Dubai are the Malls – more a way of life than a shopping expedition - but ChI prefers targeted shopping expos to Mall marathons.)
UPDATE: January 2010
Bars & Restaurants
Hot spots for end of the year celebrations include sunset drinks at the still-great coastal bar “360°” at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which has great views of the Burj al Arab at the close of the day. The short walk around the Marina out to the bar provides a 360 degree view of the coast and the Arabian Gulf. Pass the time flag-spotting on the yachts parked in the Marina as an indicator of who is weathering the financial crisis!
After sunset drinks, move on to the Atlantis Hotel on the trunk of the Palm. Among its many award winning restaurants is Rostang, a Parisian Restaurant with famous French chef Michel Rostang. www.atlantisthepalm.com
Try the fresh oysters, steak tartare, and for wines, ask the extremely knowledgeable staff who really know their stuff. ChI tried an Australian Shiraz that was a nice and spicy but did not overpower the steak.
After dinner and any last-minute gift-buying in the malls, head on to more drinks at Cru Bar in the Souk al Bahar. If you are lucky, you may even catch a wine tasting of the likes of Lebanese Musar vintage wines from 1966 onward. Try and catch the fountain show (every 20 minutes between 6pm and 11pm) in the sprawling lake at the base of the towering monolith of the new Downtown Burj Dubai. (Cru is located near Meat & Co., which is a South African steak house, very lively with South African waiters who serve great steaks and provide lively dances at varying intervals!) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dubai/Cru-Wine-Bar/150497475640?v=feed&story_fbid=287926530640