Could the new Marina Byblos bar be the fun, no-frills night out you need?

In a city filled with high-spec nightclubs, swanky bars and open-air superclubs, it’s easy to spend a small fortune on a night out. Step forward, The Hideout Dubai, a new nightspot in Dubai Marina positioning itself as a wallet-friendly watering hole that aims to tick all the boxes. But is it any good?

Things kick off from 5pm, with a value happy hour offering 2-for-1 drinks until 8pm. There’s also a concise menu available with simple, well-priced, if somewhat unadventurous, dishes including a club sandwich for Dhs69, cheese burger and chips for Dhs69, or a selection of three pizzas from Dhs65. The venue plans to extend the menu soon though.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the venue opens earlier at 3pm in time for international football matches, which are screened live.

The evening brunch package, runs every day from 8pm until 11pm for Dhs200 on the weekdays, and Dhs250 on weekends (excluding VAT), includes a half-roasted baby chicken with vegetables, chips, salad and dressing. It’s a generous portion and tastes fresh, with proper chunky chips. Overall, it’s pretty solid comfort food. The package also includes beer and cocktails as well as the standard wine and spirit selection. Service is speedy, and are drinks are rarely left unfinished before another arrives. The acoustic live sets create a nice atmosphere that starts to get livelier as the evening progresses.

The Hideout comes into its own much later in the night, and as we’re finishing up brunch, partygoers are slowly filling the dancefloor. The lower tempo live music is replaced with a floor-filler playlist of ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s tracks. It’s fun, without the frills, and we leave without having spent a small fortune.

The Hideout, 1st Floor, Marina Byblos Hotel, Dubai Marina, Mony to Fri 5pm to 3am, Sat and Sun 3pm to 3am. Tel: (058) 534 6000. thehideoutdubai.com

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