What does Abu Dhabi’s social pulse look like on any given night? The answer can be seen across the water in the reflection of the glittering towers, lively terraces, and rooftop lounges filled with people and the unmistakable energy of the capital. As the heat slackens and the Corniche begins to gleam, the city gathers itself into a constellation of polished venues that know exactly what an evening well spent should feel like. Rooftop lounges, hotel bars, or art-led spaces where conversations unfold over a drink or two – it’s all about the sense that you’re exactly where you ought to be.
Below is our curated guide to Abu Dhabi’s best bars for an evening well spent.
The St. Regis Bar, The St. Regis Abu Dhabi
At St. Regis Bar, the gilded-Age poise with Arabian warmth along the charming Corniche. The room is framed by dark timber, cut glass, and leather banquettes, anchored by a mural honouring the region’s sporting heritage. Everything here runs to form – a martini stirred until crystal-clear, and the Champagne bottle opened with the flourish of a sabre, a mere Napoleonic ritual where the cork is sent cleanly flying, and it is kept alive across every St. Regis address since its 1904 New York beginnings. The menu keeps to the classics, each drink measured and precise.
Interestingly, the very cocktail associated with the brand, the Bloody Mary, originated at the King Cole Bar in the St. Regis New York and remains the signature drink across the chain, with this hotel offering its own Desert Snapper rendition.
Azura Panoramic Lounge, The St. Regis Abu Dhabi
For open-air theatre above the Corniche, Azura stretches across three alfresco levels – some 1,600 square metres – with a broad, uninterrupted panoramic seascape. Arrive at the golden hour when the sea breeze freshens and the city lights begin to twinkle. Mediterranean-inspired dishes and a considered menu of sundowners and Champagne by the glass, Azura comprises four distinct decks – Lower Deck, Pool Deck, Upper Deck, and VIP Deck – each with its own character. The Pool Deck even boasts a 20-metre infinity pool with private cabanas, while the menu runs the gamut from Mediterranean salads and Arabian specialities to an extensive sushi selection and over 15 shisha varieties. It’s among the top bars in Abu Dhabi where time slips by gently and easily.
Library Bar, The Abu Dhabi EDITION (Al Bateen Marina)
This is intimacy done well – book-lined walls, velvet seating, and lighting that flatters both the room and the drink. The cocktails are elegant and well-mixed with edited twists on European classics, pour-perfect highballs, and a tidy shelf of sipping spirits, all led by award-winning Head Mixologist Ryan Remulta. Step outside afterwards and you’re on the waterfront; then come back in for an aperitif before dinner downstairs. Library Bar runs “Negroni Sessions” Monday to Thursday, offering artful takes on the Florentine classic like The Seaside Negroni, The Boulevardier that dates back to the 1920s Paris, and Tropical Sbagliato Blanco.
ANNEX, The Abu Dhabi EDITION
ANNEX is a three-level venue with a rooftop above, a lounge in the middle, and a club below. The rooftop is a timber-decked garden with a fire pit and lush greenery, while the lounge features a pool table and a selection of proper cocktails, with the club taking over after dark. A circular atrium links the floors, centred on a suspended crystal-net installation by Ingo Maurer that catches and plays with the light in the atrium. Open since 2018 alongside the hotel, ANNEX hosts a Friday Sunset Ritual on the roof as the marina lights come up – a considered detail that doesn’t put a foot wrong.
Dragon’s Tooth, Rosewood Abu Dhabi (Al Maryah Island)
This speakeasy that tips its hat to Shanghai’s jazz age is entered discreetly through the Tea Room at Dai Pai Dong – Rosewood Abu Dhabi’s Cantonese restaurant. Inside, the mood evokes 1920s Shanghai infused with touches of the Gulf sophistication, lacquered surfaces, low light, leather booths, and a soundtrack that strikes the right note. The menu features prohibition-era classics but carries East-Asian accents, each drink executed with great precision. Capacity is modest by design, which keeps the atmosphere taut and the service close. Open until two in the morning on weekends, it is one of the few late rooms on Al Maryah Island. As an interesting touch, the bar hosts on Thursday and Friday nights Tales of the Orient – storytelling drawn from Chinese legend, paired with bespoke cocktails and dim sum – a distinctive note that places it firmly among the most original bars in Abu Dhabi.
Hidden Bar, Rosewood Abu Dhabi
Hidden Bar is discreet in name and temperament. The capital’s largest gin library – 237 varieties from 21 countries – sits alongside house-infused vermouths, so you can be steered to a textbook martini, a bespoke G&T to your botanicals, or a Coffee Negroni from the current list. Indoors, it’s low-lit timber and deep cushions; outdoors, a waterside terrace looks across Al Maryah’s skyline. Open late – 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday – it keeps the small hours for both sundowners and the long haul. If you’d like to swot up on your juniper, there’s a guided gin tasting with five pours, paired bites, and a notebook to take away.
Ray’s Bar, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
On level 62, floor-to-ceiling windows look over the Corniche and the Gulf. The room stays balanced, with the soundtrack lifted just enough, cocktails bright and clean, mixed to show well at altitude, and DJ sets on select evenings that carry the night gently forward. Bag a window seat and enjoy the lights while they hold court. Classic serves sit alongside a handful of Asian-leaning signatures, which are bright, uncluttered, and well-iced. Both smart dress and over-21s only, keep the atmosphere shipshape after dark.
Stratos Revolving Lounge & Bar, Le Royal Méridien
Abu Dhabi’s only revolving lounge sits high atop the Le Royal Méridien on Sheikh Khalifa Street and offers 360-degree panoramic views of the skyline and the Arabian seascape. The cuisine leans on the Josper Grill – premium steaks, fresh sides, and a selection of expertly crafted cocktails. It keeps steady hours, open daily from 4 pm until 1 am, with dinner served between 7 and 10:30 pm, and in the evening, the dress code turns smart casual. A full rotation takes ninety minutes, so by the time dessert arrives, the view has slipped from daylight into dusk and on to the city’s night-time sparkle, often without a guest feeling the turn. It’s the perfect venue for milestone dinners, quiet reunions, or a proposal – a lounge that rotates so the cityscape complements the atmosphere that the room has set.
Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island
Buddha-Bar Beach at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island is often described as beachfront by day, metropolitan by night; it embodies the brand’s signature day-to-night rhythm. Outdoors, cabanas line the shore; indoors, décor is neo-Asian with plush seating, wooden features, and ambient lighting that shifts as the sun dips. The menu centres on shareable Pacific Rim plates blending Japanese, Thai and Mediterranean flavours; the bar programme includes signature cocktails and a roster of resident DJs six nights a week, plus Sunset Sessions by a saxophonist five evenings weekly. From midday until midnight through the week – and an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays – the doors stay open; By early evening, the code moves to smart casual, keeping the tone steady after dark.
The Foundry, Saadiyat Cultural District
As Saadiyat’s galleries dim for the night, The Foundry – part bar, part salon – steps in offering a welcome reprieve in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. The area will soon house the Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim, and Natural History Museum as part of an ambitious cultural cluster. The décor is confident with wide banquettes, muted lighting, and art installations that invite a quiet evening to unwind. Order a serious spirit – neat or with a single cube – and enjoy surroundings where the menu moves from breakfast and business lunch to an evening steakhouse, serving cuts such as tenderloin, rib-eye, and tomahawk alongside seafood specials. With plates well executed and drinks finely mixed, there is little left to ask for.
Final Thoughts
If bars in Britain once stood as the anchors of their communities, with the pub often regarded as the main communal space, Abu Dhabi’s best bars have helped the capital shape a measured evening rhythm for the close of day. Chains and trends come and go; what lasts is the careful hospitality that makes a guest feel properly looked after. One can begin sixty floors up with a bright martini, or simply pause in a lounge where the spirits are poured to measure – it is the mood and the moment that decide the order of the night.
