Alfresco arrivals
Looking to make the most of the balmy weather before temperatures head towards volcanic once more? Pull up a seat on one of the city’s best new terraces and order yourself something cold…
The Irish Village, Riverland
OK, it’s safe to say that the terrace outside The Irish Village at Riverland is a pretty distant stranger to the average Irish scene but everything else about this place has true Celtic flavour. Try the new Friday and Saturday special, which includes a two-course meal and five drinks for Dhs229 – it’s a taste of the Emerald Isle without the hail.
Riverland, Dubai Parks And Resorts, Dubai, Sat to Wed 10am to midnight, Thur and Fri 10am to 1am. Tel: (04) 8862525. Taxi: Riverland. dubaiparksandresorts.com
Grapeskin
One of the first licensed premises to open its doors within the ever-greater City Walk development, this upmarket wine bar has an extensive outdoor terrace where you can sip, snack or shisha to your heart’s content. Wines are largely organic and from small-scale producers, making the list an unusual and interesting one, while the sharing platters offer a good excuse to ditch the diet.
La Ville Hotel And Suites, City Walk, Dubai, Sun to Thur 4pm to 1am, Fri and Sat 3pm to 1am. Tel: (04) 4033111. Taxi: City Walk. livelaville.com
McGettigan’s
The Irish pub might be a Dubai stalwart, but it’s the company’s most scenic venue that is exciting us at the moment, thanks to its huge terrace overlooking the waterways of the Souk Madinat. As you’d expect from McGettigan’s, it also offers a host of pub grub favourites and a drinks list that extends way beyond Guinness.
Souk Madinat, Al Sufouh, Dubai, Sun to Thur noon to 3am, Fri and Sat 9am to 3pm. Tel: (04) 4470219. Taxi: Souk Madinat. mcgettigans.com
Folly By Nick And Scott
Folly might just be the perfect place to watch the sunset, with a huge range of spectacular terrace spaces and sweeping views over the Arabian Gulf. The food is fabulous, as you’d expect from this duo, while the drinks list is fun and intriguing, with a focus on biodynamically produced wines.
Souk Madinat, Al Sufouh, Dubai, daily noon to 2am. Tel: (04) 4308535. Taxi: Souk Madinat. folly.ae
Bridgewater Tavern
Quirky is the word that sums up Bridgewater Tavern. Chicken wings come in a cocktail shaker, the tables have built-in ice buckets and if you order the signature burger, you’ll be given a bib. Thankfully, it all comes across as fun, rather than gimmicky.
JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai, daily 4pm to 2am. Tel: (04) 4140000. Taxi: JW Marriott Marquis. jwmarriottmarquisdubailife.com
Jekyll & Hyde
Located in DIFC, this new gastropub could become your second home in good weather and bad. Why? The indoor terrace has expanding doors that they open to create an urban-orchard feel. Add to that a solid curry night, real ales and epic roasts, and this might become the city’s best year-round pub.
Al Fattan Currency House, DIFC, Dubai, daily 8am to 2am. Tel: (04) 3335518. Metro: Financial Centre. jekyllandhydedubai.com
Black Tap
The New York export has hipster written all over it, but you shouldn’t hold that against it – there’s more to Black Tap than monster milkshakes. It’s actually a craft beer and burger joint and it gets those things very right indeed. So right, in fact, that you may have to queue for a terrace spot on the weekend – though for a cold brew and a steak au poivre burger overlooking the water, we’ll wait.
Jumeirah Al Naseem, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Al Sufouh, Dubai, daily 11am to 12.30am. Tel: (04) 4229904. Taxi: Jumeirah Al Naseem. jumeirah.com
The Backyard
Boasting a spacious terrace overlooking the Dubai Water Canal, this Business Bay arrival is offering something a little bit different for the city’s nightlife scene. With a resident Southeast Asianinspired food truck, live band and DJ nights and film screenings under the stars, it’s definitely got our interest…
Steigenberger Hotel, Business Bay, Dubai, daily 5pm to 3am. Tel: (04) 3690000. Taxi: Steigenberger Hotel. steigenberger.com