Abu Dhabi
You're flying out of Abu Dhabi Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Abu Dhabi Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Abu Dhabi's airports.
Corniche · $$$$
62nd-floor skybar inside the Etihad Towers.
Corniche · $$$$
Revolving rooftop bar inside Le Royal Meridien.
Yas Island · $$$$
Cocktail bar attached to the Hakkasan restaurant inside the Emirates Palace.
Saadiyat Island · $$$
Beach-club bar inside the Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Abu Dhabi proper at the end.
Plays for Abu Dhabi Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Abu Dhabi? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.