Abu Dhabi's craft-beer scene runs deeper than the tourist taps. These ten are where locals drink. The craft beer bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — Corniche, Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, Al Maryah Island all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

What unites the ten? The bartenders care. The rooms feel right at the time of night they are designed for. The drinks list reads clearly without showing off. We rate rotating taps and house-brewed pints and the small things that turn a one-and-done visit into a regular's habit: an unhurried welcome, a warm room temperature in winter, a cool one in summer, and a bartender who remembers your name on the second visit.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Abu Dhabi or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten craft beer bars that any serious drinker in Abu Dhabi would tell you to put on the list.

The list

01

Ray's Bar

CORNICHE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

62nd-floor skybar inside the Etihad Towers. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
02

Stratos

CORNICHE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Revolving rooftop bar inside Le Royal Meridien. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →
03

Hakkasan

YAS ISLAND · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Cocktail bar attached to the Hakkasan restaurant inside the Emirates Palace. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Full review →
04

Cyan Bar

SAADIYAT ISLAND · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Beach-club bar inside the Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Full review →
05

Yacht Club

AL MARYAH ISLAND · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Marina-side cocktail terrace inside the Rosewood. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
06

Buddha-Bar Beach

SAADIYAT ISLAND · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Beach lounge with a Buddha-Bar branded cocktail menu and DJs from sunset onward. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →
07

Saxon & Sons Brewery

KHALIFA CITY · $$ · CRAFT BEER

Craft brewery taproom in Khalifa City pouring twelve house taps and the city's most adventurous local beers. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for beer-knowledgeable drinkers and casual after-work pints. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Full review →
08

Common Ground Beer

CORNICHE · $ · CRAFT BEER

Microbrewery in Corniche with a long communal-tables hall and a young engaged crowd. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for beer-knowledgeable drinkers and casual after-work pints. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Full review →
09

Mainline Taproom

SAADIYAT ISLAND · $$ · CRAFT BEER

Beer hall in Saadiyat Island with thirty rotating taps including the city's best local craft brewers. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for beer-knowledgeable drinkers and casual after-work pints. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
10

The Gilded Lily

CORNICHE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Polished cocktail room in Corniche with a tight rotating menu and a thirty-something local crowd. Order: Saffron-rose Negroni. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →

By neighbourhood at a glance

Al Maryah Island: Yacht Club. Corniche: Ray's Bar, Stratos, Common Ground Beer, The Gilded Lily. Khalifa City: Saxon & Sons Brewery. Saadiyat Island: Cyan Bar, Buddha-Bar Beach, Mainline Taproom. Yas Island: Hakkasan. Most of these bars sit walking distance from each other within their districts. Abu Dhabi's drinking neighbourhoods are compact — plan two or three bars in a single evening rather than racing across town.

Before you go

Reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday evenings at any of the higher-priced rooms above. Mid-week before 8pm, walk-ins are usually fine. Tipping in UAE is appreciated; check our city guide for local norms. Cards are accepted everywhere on this list except where the bar specifies cash only — usually the older heritage rooms. Abu Dhabi's last-call laws vary by district; plan your route from the strictest to the most relaxed.

"You'll know which of these ten craft beer bars matches your night within the first sip."

Want more Abu Dhabi? Our full Abu Dhabi bar guide covers every neighbourhood and every category. For the broader category index, see all craft beer bars worldwide. And if you have a recommendation we missed, tell us — our editors review every reader submission.