Best bar food in Dubai 2025: 10 highly-rated venues to try next

Time Out Dubai

30-05-2025

What could be better than a bite to eat while you're sipping on a delicious drink?
Luckily enough, there are plenty of amazing venues that serve the best bar food in Dubai.
Check out the full list of Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2025 winners here
But there has to be a winner – and, here at Time Out, we've been hard at work selecting the very best spot to enjoy bar food in Dubai.
Not just that, we've picked the top 10 venues in the whole city – and you can find them below.
Time Out Dubai reviews anonymously and pays for all its meals. For more on the review process click here.
These are the best Bar Food spots in Dubai, as recognised by the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2025.
The best bar food in Dubai 2025
WINNER
Paradiso
Funky interiors including life-sized carousel horses and carnival lights, a spacious rooftop with sweeping views of the Palm and Bluewaters and world-class DJs made Paradiso an instant hit with Dubai's coolest bar crowd.
Add to the mix some seriously flamboyant drinks and fun, flavour-packed bar bites and it's easy to see why this place is so popular. Order a selection of modern tapas, with the crunchy octopus cracker, truffle brioche, wagyu beef meatballs and paella croquettes all very well presented and extremely moreish.
Licensed. FIVE Luxe JBR, The Walk, JBR @paradisodubai (04 275 9999).
Check out our full Paradiso review here
Highly commended
AGORA Cocktail Bar
(Credit: Instagram @agora_dxb)
It may be famed for its exclusive juniper selections and mixology by Simone Caporale, but AGORA is also a bar with a pretty extensive and well thought-out nibbling menu. There's a variety of carpaccios and salads but a good selection of more substantial options too, including pizzetta tartufo, burrata ravioli, braised beef short ribs and Josper tiger prawns.
If you prefer picky bits with your drinks, the croquettes with manchego and chorizo are a very good shout. All this in a chic, elegant spot decked out in rich green velvet that hosts live music and DJs playing house beats.
Licensed. The Dubai EDITION, Downtown Dubai, agora-dxb.com (058 592 5823).
Check out our full AGORA Cocktail Bar review here
Honeycomb Hi-Fi
Credit: Honeycomb Hi-Fi
Honeycomb Hi-Fi is not only the number one place for a brilliant night out, but it also serves some of the best bar food in Dubai. One of the coolest spots in town, Honeycomb Hi-Fi is a hit with music-lovers. With a music listening station, a vinyl record store and roster of top DJs, it's a popular spot for a hip evening with your friends, with creative mixed drinks, too. When it comes to food, it's an izakaya-style idea so try plates such as chicken karaage, lamb gyoza, garlic prawn udon and stuffed wings.
Pullman Dubai Downtown, Business Bay, honeycombhifi.com (04 412 6666).
Check out our full Honeycomb Hi-Fi review here
Shortlisted
7 Tales
Credit: 7 Tales
This cool speakeasy bar comes from renowned British chef Jason Atherton, so it follows that the food here is top-notch. Once you've found your way to this hidden bar, tucked above City Social, take in the views of the Marina, sip on creative mixed drinks and enjoy the cool vibes and music.
On the petite menu there are cool snacks like chicken karaage or crispy togarashi squid, or more high-end nibbles like black truffle arancini and lobster buns.
Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai Marina, 7talesdubai.com (04 402 2222).
Check out our full 7 Tales review here
Above Eleven
Credit: Above Eleven
This trendy bar sits on the rooftop at Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, a prime position for stunning views of Dubai Marina and Ain Dubai. The bar serves creative Peruvian drinks, which are sipped while taking in the vista and toe-tapping to beats from the DJ.
Meanwhile the food menu is Nikkei-themed, so expect tartares, ceviche, bao, tiraditos, anticuchos, sushi, robatayaki and traditional Peruvian plates.
Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, aboveeleven.com/dubai (04 666 1420).
Check out our full Above Eleven review here
Attiko
Credit: Attiko
A previous winner of Time Out Dubai's Best Rooftop Bar, Attiko is an on-trend spot to head for drinks and bar bites. With views out to sea and across to Palm Jumeirah, Ain Dubai and beyond, cool beats, live entertainment and premium sips, it's a brilliant place to take visitors to.
Plus, it serves up some of the best bar food in Dubai – think delicious Asian bites including sushi, gyoza and more to enjoy while taking in the views.
W Dubai – Mina Seyahi, Al Sufouh, theattiko.com (04 350 9983).
Check out our full Attiko review here
High Society by Jean Imbert
(Credit: High Society)
Located on the rooftop of The Lana – Dorchester Collection and home to a gorgeous infinity pool encircling a sunken bar, High Society is quite possibly Dubai's most-photographed new drinks destination.
Pairing well with the creative mixed drinks is an incredibly tempting menu from chef Jean Imbert, including a light and zingy tuna tartare, eggplant miso, Atlantic crab leg, steamed lamb buns and fish goujonnettes. There's also a selection of pizzas, from the classic Burrata di Puglia to the Koji marinated chicken.
It's worth noting that pool access is for hotel guests only and there is a minimum spend on all reservations, starting at Dhs200 per person.
Licensed. The Lana – Dorchester Collection, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, dorchestercollection.com (04 541 7777).
Check out our full High Society by Jean Imbert review here
Iris Dubai
Credit: Iris Dubai
Nestled just in front of Meydan Racecourse Grandstand, Iris has super views of Dubai's skyline – with the glittering Burj Khalifa front-and-centre. A Beirut-born nightspot, the menu is a mix of sushi, grills, flatbreads, tacos and more, with plenty to nibble on when you get hungry.
The outdoor venue is a top option in winter, with a large al fresco space and some of the coolest loos in town.
Meydan Racecourse, Nad Al Sheba, irisdubai.com (04 334 3355).
Check out our full Iris Dubai review here
Ongaku
Credit: Ongaku
This trendy, not-so-secret hidden bar at DIFC's Clap is a trendy, fun place for a drinks and some of Dubai's best bar food.
As the dishes come from Clap, which is a former Time Out Dubai restaurant award-winner, as you'd expect they're well-crafted Japanese plates with sushi, raw items, skewers and more on the menu to nibble on while you soak up the cool atmosphere and stunning cityscape views. Ongaku is big on music too, so it's a lively night out.
Gate Village, DIFC, claprestaurant.com/dubai (04 569 3820).
Check out our full Ongaku review here
Salmon Guru
Credit: Salmon Guru
Born in Madrid, Salmon Guru is a quirky, fun-loving bar that has more than a hint of the eccentric. Alongside neon signage, creative drinks in unusual vessels and banging beats, there's also some of the best bar food in Dubai.
With funky fusion plates such as carpaccio, bao tacos, croquettes and fried oysters, it's a menu as eclectic as the décor and drinks. Coming from world-famous mixologist Diego Cabrera, Salmon Guru is also Time Out Dubai's Best Mixed Drinks Bar 2023, so order a beverage alongside your snacks.
The Opus by Omniyat, Business Bay, @‌salmongurudubai (052 814 9537).
Check out our full Salmon Guru review here
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Dinner for two is under Dhs500