La Petite Maison is yet another of the true classic restaurants in Dubai. Serving the best food the French cuisine has to offer, it’s like stepping into a gastronomical dream when having dinner here. For the hungry cocktail visitors, I can’t recommend strongly enough to go for the burrata bruschetta - it’s phenomenal.

This place could've been so much more, with the right music and one or two more focused bartenders. But then again I guess that the old saying that location, location and location are the three top aspects of any bar, so there you go - to be situated in D3 is not prime location for cocktail bars, no matter the ambitions.

Previously described as “a cosy 1920s-style joint, The Clavichord offers themed nights, live music and twenties-inspired cocktails”, there is little - or nothing - of that era to be found in Clavichord these days. They’ve gone from having quaint jazz bands providing the entertainment, to ordinary live bands playing rock and blues.

Having been on my to-visit list for a long time, it wasn’t without disappointment that I finally made it to Barbary - branding themselves as “Deli + Cocktail Club”, the expectations were far from met with impersonal bartenders, average cocktails and a volume more fit for a nightclub.

Hidden behind a trapdoor in the main entrance of Coya is the exclusive Coya Members Club. If we all can agree that Coya is one of Dubai’s top destinations not only from a food and drinks perspective, but also from the fact that the whole place is a feast for the eyes - then I’ll tell you that Coya Members Club takes no prisoners - it’s like stepping into another world in the other world you’re already in.

Situated just down the hall from the equally self-explanatory named restaurant The Restaurant (reviewed earlier), The Cigar Lounge adds to the selection of premium decorated restaurants and lounges in The Address Downtown.

Advertising themselves as a “chic lounge” fit for “an evening cocktail and light meal”, it’s a bit depressing to find a bartender that first of all don’t know his menu and second of all don’t even stock ingredients for the same menu.

One of the most ambitious hotel projects in Stockholm during the last few years, Bank Hotel, had just opened during my recent visit in the Swedish capital - and up among the eaves is Le Hibou.

Situated just outside of Dubai Opera, Kizmet is not a place you just stumble upon - which is sad, because the place deserved more guests. To be alone in the bar (and restaurant) a Thursday night in September after the schools have started is an ominous sign for the future.

As one of the old-timers on the bar scene, having been around since 2014, Hendricks Bar really gives you that feel of an old British (gentlemen) club; cigars, vintage cocktails, dark wood and leather.

A visit to Coya is never wrong - captivating music, some of the best food the world has to offer (the fusion between Japan and Peru is fantastic!) and add to that cocktails and drinks on par with the food, and you’ve got yourself a given visit when in Dubai.

After having read about Joey Ghazal and his thoughts about what Dubai needs, it was like a breath of fresh air to set foot in the Maine - even though the place has existed only a few years, you get the feeling that it’s been there forever, and with the quirky entrance through a parking garage, it’s an eye opener even before entering.

Avli is proving to be a worthy successor to Laluz, the Catalan restaurant that just spent a few years in DIFC, and the bar is following the standard set by the restaurant. With a menu full of pleasant surprises, it’s easy to find favorites and also amusing to read the story behind the cocktails.

One of Dubai’s true institutions, having been situated in DIFC for more than ten years, Zuma proudly boasts full tables each and every night, and the bar is following the restaurant’s example. Given the calibre of the bartenders, I'd expect a more elaborate cocktail menu (something like the one of Sexy Fish in London), so they can still improve, but having said that, they do know what they're doing.

Having read about the work that has been put into the Cadier Bar the last couple of years - interior design redone 2018, creative leader Emil Areng and bar manager Christian Grevius (now ex bar manager) also joined last year - I managed to squeeze in a visit during a recent trip to Sweden, and if you are in the neighborhood - it’s definitely worth a visit.

Being a private club located in DIFC, it sure has to be hard to keep up with the competition, and Capital Club is indeed struggling. The bar is a decent one with bartenders that can mix up any classic cocktail you like, but given the fact that it’s members only, they can’t market themselves in any way.

Rüya belongs to the same group as Zuma and Coya (reviews to come), and with that comes a lot of expectations on quality of food, interior design and being on top of the game - all these aspects come together in Rüya, and with a few more touches from the management, it would be easy to see them ending up in the top.

This worldwide concept has been a member of the Dubai bar scene since almost 15 years, and it’s hard to fault their concept - with influences from China, Tibet and the Ottoman era, the place is decorated like a scene from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the place seems to be packing full houses night after night.

Having only been open around a year, Gaia has already made a name for themselves in the absolute top layer of restaurants in Dubai. Adjacent to the main dining room, there is a bar to enjoy a pre or post dinner cocktail in, while fascinated by the Greek style decor.

Being one of the classic cocktail bars in Dubai Marina, Bar 44 has a lot to live up to, and being situated on the 44th floor in Grosvenor House, the location is hard to beat. But when entering the bar, it shows that it has a few years up on some of the newcomers previously rated here, and that probably needs to be addressed if they want to keep up with the competition.