Spilling secrets: 18 of Dubai's best hidden bars and seductive speakeasies

The very best of Dubai’s secret bar scene…

The first rule of any secret club is to not talk about it. We couldn’t find anything in the rule book about publishing stories on mass broadcast websites though, so we should be fine. This is our round-up of Dubai’s best secret bars, snazzy speakeasies, and hidden gem drinking dens. Fancy joining us? The passphrase is ‘I’m doing a review’.

The best secret bars in Dubai for 2024

NYX

Where upscale Greek taverna Gaia, named after the Hellenic earth spirit – is all things light, delicious, gold and glowing; its shush-shrouded counterpoint, NYX represents the Greek Goddess for night – shadow, spice, lucid dreams and the pull of naked flame. Beset with Greecian odes and earns, Minoan labyrinth fractals, blood-red upholstery, exclusive cocktails and celebrity ambassadors – NYX is the archetypal secret bar in Dubai, and harder to get into than Pandora’s Box.

NYX, Gaia Dubai, DIFC Gate Village 4, Dubai. @nyx__dxb

Kiara

One of Dubai’s latest batch of secret bars, Kiara emerged from host venue Kaspia’s formative fires. The aesthetic screams aristocrat chic, it’s like a nouveau-baroque banqueting suite in a European Count’s winter palace. Courtly entertainment comes in the form of DJs and dancers, suave sips, and dainty nibbles.

Kaspia, DIFC, daily 5pm to 3am. @kiara.dubai

Aether

This bar takes its name from the hypothesised ‘fifth element’ (after ‘fire, water, air and earth). And it’s these elements that inspire the vital design, ahem, elements. Aether is a secluded speakeasy hidden within the walls of the suitably eccentric W Dubai – The Palm. It’s an exclusive nightlife experience powered by the humour of whimsy, creative cocktails and a cleverly curated selection of sounds.

W Dubai, The Palm, Tues to Thurs 6pm to 1am, Fri and Sat 6pm to 2am. @aetherdubai

Gate Two by Iris

Meydan, home of horse racing and the globally renowned Iris. Tucked inside the latter, is a rave cave with a name that pays homage to the former – Gate Two. It’s a real boiler room vibe, tight and steamy, the perfect set-up for letting the acoustics cook. It’s worth noting that photo finishes are not a thing in Gate Two, cameras and phone photography are strictly prohibited. So what happens in Gate Two, stays in Gate Two.

Iris, Meydan Grandstand, Thu, Fri and Sat. @gatetwobyiris

Smoke and Mirrors

Pssssst, wanna see a magic trick? If you don’t look closely, you’ll miss Smoke and Mirrors, tucked away as it is behind SLS’ sultry steakhouse Carna. Here we have a Latin-energy-bathed jazz bar with a reverence for older, finer things. Dark wood, creaking leather and twinkling chandeliers all add to the speakeasy feel, backdropped by skyscraping city views. The extensive beverage menu pairs signature cocktails with a smokey sommelier’s collection of cigars.

SLS Dubai, Business Bay, daily, 5pm to 2am. @smokeandmirrorsdubai

Bund Lounge by Shanghai Me

The British Navy used to recruit sailors through a process that became known as Shanghaiing. We’ll save you the full description here (though urge you to Google it), but the covert practise got its name from the destination the new shiphands would often find themselves in. Bund Lounge is this story’s characterful stowaway, found inside DIFC’s Shanghai Me. It’s a thrilling clash of Eastern elegance, Western decadence and an Asian tiger posing as a cocktail menu.

Shanghai Me, Gate Village, DIFC, open Thu to Sat from midnight to 3am. @bundlounge

Nobu Privé

You might feel like ‘drinks and nibbles at Nobu’ is already a pretty fancy evening out. And you’d be right. But you can up the ‘independent means’ stakes yet further, with a trip to the hyper-exclusive Nobu Privé. Cordoned off from the main bar and open to (invitationally awarded) Black Card holders only, this bijou haunt is for the set that doesn’t look at the right side of a menu. The walls are decorated with a collection of vintage wine, there are appropriately opulent small bites, and a dedicated DJ to provide the soundtrack for discussions about portfolios.

Atlantis, The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Fri to Sat 10pm to 3am. @nobudubai

Secret Room by F.R.N.D.S Grand Cafe

Secret Room demonstrates the paradoxical balancing act required of a secret club. You need to shroud them in intrigue, lace them with allure, but not promote them to the extent that their intimate space is overrun. Hidden behind an ‘if your name’s not down, you’re not coming in’ door inside F.R.N.D.S Grand Cafe this secret bar oozes exclusivity – clad in neon and striped with artefacts of Japanese culture. And if you want to get in, you’ll have to apply via their website for a secret passcode. This episode of F.R.N.D.S is called, the one with a gatekeeper.

F.R.N.D.S Grand Cafe, Wed to Sat open late. secretroomdubai.com

Blind Tiger

Hard to find, impossible to forget. That’s the self-appointed tagline for this salubriously swanky outfit in Turtle Lagoon, Jumeirah Al Naseem. The mirrored ceiling reflects the venue’s roaring 20s glamour and many artistic nods to the theme’s titular totem. There’s a menu of craft circus-inspired cocktails; light, predominantly Asian, bites; weekly jazz nights; and an atmosphere of unabashed chicness.

Turtle Lagoon, Jumeirah Al Naseem, daily 5pm to 2am. @blindtigerdxb

Stëlla

There once was a dream that was Stëlla, anything more than a whisper and she would disappear. Which is why we’re speaking very quietly when we say this, but – you’ll find this new soireé scene icon inside the walls of the Address Dubai Mall. Stëlla’s secret mandate is to do things a little differently. The concept? It’s a stage for the old-fashioned mingle, a space to revive the lost art of making new friends, face-to-face. Just keep it to a whisper.

Address Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, open Mon to Sun 8pm to 1am. @stella__dxb

Ly-La

Ly-La is located in a lower-floor labyrinth beneath the Levantine restaurant its name is – eh, almost an anagram of, Alaya in DIFC. You gain ingress via a dive in the elevator and through a set of lavish velvet curtains. Cross the threshold and you’re straight into an Ottoman reimagining of the Moulin Rouge with low-draping textiles, bougie banquets, and tasselled stools centred around marble coffee tables. Ooh-Ly-La.

Alaya, DIFC, daily 10pm to 3am. @lyladxb

Gohan

This may be a secret bar round up, but something you won’t be surprised by, is the fact that those masters of Dubai nightlife alchemy, Rikas Group have their own chic and ferociously unique entry. Gohan is the moody housemate of La Cantine Du Faubourg. Transitioning from Parisian elan to vogueish Tokyo diner, your steps are lit by dimly glowing lanterns, crimson auras, low ceilings and intimate DJ performances. And because it’s Rikas, you can trust that the Japanese street food offering will be something really quite special.

La Cantine Du Faubourg, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Mon to Fri noon to 4pm, daily 7pm to 2am. @gohandubai

Hush Hush

Entry into loosely Mafia-themed, LA import, The Nice Guy comes with some pretty strict ground rules. It’s reservation only, and you can’t take pictures inside – the influencers’ loss here, is any potential visiting celebrity’s gain. But there’s an even more VIP-courting element, the super secret speakeasy Hush Hush. Open from 11pm, it’s a place to see and be seen, just not through the lens of the plain clothes paparazzi.

The Nice Guy, Emirates Towers, DIFC open Thus to Sun from 11pm. @thehushhushroom 

Ongaku

Take a step through the red door at CLAP, and you take a bullet train straight into the beating heart of Tokyo’s underground bar scene. Ongaku – extracted from the Japanese word for ‘music’ is a high-energy haunt, with a terrace space that offers views over the buzzing metropolis below. If you’ve come hungry – you can make your way through the omakase menu, or select from an excellent collection of a la carte bites.

CLAP, DIFC, Gate Village Building 11, level 9. claprestaurant.com

Moonshine

The fridge at New York-style sandwich deli, Wise Guys is full of surprises. Huge bread-bound wedges of premium produce, bottles of fruit iced tea and buckets of big Tony’s gabagool. Presumably. But take a look in their turquoise fridge, and you’ll see how deep the rabbit hole really goes. Welcome to Moonshine, a secret prohibition-inspired speakeasy, named after the illicit bathtub spirit concocted in that era. The venue, is somewhere between 1920s hidden lair art deco and Blade Runner 2049, the menu – Japanese izakaya. As experience go, you’re unlikely to fuggetaboutit.

Wise Guys, Gate District, DIFC, open Sun, Tue and Wed 6pm to 12am and Thu to Sat 6pm to 3am. @moonshinedubai

Voyage by Amelia

Inspired by pioneer Amelia Earhart, Amelia Lounge is a steampunk fever dream cast in wrought steel and all the aeronautical feels. Located in a secret upstairs room, Voyage by Amelia, is their exclusive mile-high club class. Accessed via a private elevator, it’s a spot reserved for those in the know and accidental adventurers. The venue’s dedication to chrome and contraption continues through with plush velvet vintage-inspired furniture designed to resemble retro pieces of luggage, heightening the space’s timewarp storytelling.

Amelia Lounge, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, Thur to Sat from 11pm till late. @voyagebyamelia

So Much Trouble

If you’re the sort that’s seduced by the idea of cocktails, couture, and hanging out in gilded birdcage boutiques – you’re about to be in So Much Trouble. It’s a new hidden, can we call it a ‘chiceasy’? Stashed away inside InterContinental Dubai Marina’s Italian trattoria, Papa’s. The mood – a peek inside Carrie Bradshaw’s dream closet. The merch – cult, pre-loved vintage and luxury designer fits from the assembled fashion houses including Romani, Hermes, Oceanus, and Chanel, is all up for sale. The perks – you can sip on an audaciously suave collections of craft mixology whilst you browse. This isn’t shopping, it’s a little thing called chaupping darling…

Papa’s, InterContinental Dubai Marina, Tue to Sat 4pm to midnight. @somuchtroubledubai

Images: Provided