Editorial
Dubai's bar scene operates at the high-end almost exclusively. Bars must be inside hotels (alcohol licensing rule), which has produced some of the most polished hotel-bar drinking on the planet. The 10 below cover DIFC, Downtown and Dubai Marina — the three drinking quadrants. Reservations are essential everywhere; smart-casual minimum dress code applies to most.
An open-air lounge in the gardens of the Sheraton on JBR, with views of Jumeirah Beach and Ain Dubai. Time Out Dubai notes nightly DJs and a daily early-evening happy hour from 5pm.
Every serious bar in Dubai sits inside a hotel — that's the licensing reality. Zuma's bar is Dubai's most consistently excellent room. Gold on 27 (Burj Al Arab rooftop) is the iconic-view experience. The new generation (Cin Cin, Soho Garden) brings world-class cocktail technique. Most bars peak between 9 and 11 PM; weekend brunches pour through to 5 PM.
Global Cities Editor — Bangkok to Buenos Aires. Cultural context, not just cocktail tourism.