10 to try: Ladies’ nights

Time Out selects 10 of the best ladies nights in Dubai 5 Comments

© ITP Images

Ladies’ nights are as much a part of life in Dubai as Modhesh and cheese manakish.

We rallied our lady friends and headed out to investigate 10 of Dubai’s best nights out for girls.

Jimmy Dix: If your first day back at HQ after the weekend, has been less than rewarding, rally a clutch of your finest lady chums and head for this Bur Dubai staple on a Sunday night. The drinks are free-flowing all night and the music’s focused on female-centric fun. As is true the world over, where the ladies go, the boys will follow. Unfortunately, the gents who frequent this venue of a Sunday evening do nothing to ease the woes of a lady in need of respite. An entertaining evening, all in all, though rarely busy, as most female Dubai-dwellers are still recuperating from the weekend’s shenanigans.

Savage Garden: These days, a lady never knows how long her favourite Satwa haunts are going to survive, so hot foot it down there and make the most of them. Savage Garden offers free cocktails for ladies on a Tuesday night in the pleasantly cheesy surroundings of The Capitol Hotel. The South American tropical rain forest theme is ambitious, but entertaining, and if the in-house eight-piece Columbian band doesn’t inspire you to take a turn on the dance floor, we don’t know what will.

Icon Bar: Not just a ladies’ night. No, no, no. This is a ladies’ boogie night. Yes ladies, free drinks, and, the invitation to boogie on a Tuesday. What more could a self-respecting woman about town ask for? Well, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, more than two free drinks would be nice. The music from DJ Anon is not bad, you can’t fault a few pop classics, but it doesn’t make up for the slightly stale atmosphere. This is the perfect spot for Media City-based ladies in need of a couple of light post-work beverages but best avoided if a lively evening’s on your to-do list.

Boston Bar: This is more like it, ladies. Four free cocktails on a Tuesday, the day of the week that has always been the spiritual home of a Dubai girls’ night out. What’s more, the merriment doesn’t start until 9.30pm, so there’s plenty of time to nip home after work and get your party frock on. It may be free but we don’t actually want to look cheap, do we.

Alpha: This is the ideal venue if you fancy flouting tradition and embracing a slightly more classy ladies’ night. The venue is pretty swish, if a little tricky to navigate for the “socially relaxed”, so go easy on the cocktails because the place is a maze. Music is courtesy of house favourite, Paul Hamilton, none of your generic cheese here, and the atmosphere, and clientele, reflects this.

Submarine: Crammed into the pleasantly insane Dhow Palace Hotel in Bur Dubai, Ruby Tuesday is Submarine’s very own ladies night. It’s on, yes, you guessed it, a Tuesday, and drinks promotions go hand in hand with a turn from the house band, “Something Extra”. Thankfully, we never discovered what exactly the extras were, but an entertaining evening was had by all.

Wild Wadi: If another night in a crowded lounge, is the last thing you fancy, why not round off the working week with a girls-only trip down the Jumeirah Scarer. Thursday night at Wild Wadi is officially a man-free zone, as well as a great social leveler. Women of all ages, and nationalities, get together for a night of water-based fun away from prying male eyes. An evening splashing about in the wave pool is also the ideal way to survive the clammy summer nights, so round up some game gal pals and wade into the weekend.

Boudoir: Not for the faint-hearted, but certainly one to try when cash is in short supply. Free drinks for ladies mean the place is always busy. But free drinks sometimes come at a price. Staff sometimes serve their drinks with a slice of judgment, while lecherous lotharios prop up the pen-like bar area in which ladies are forced to quaff their free beverage. Worth a visit if you are happy to perch in a corner for catch-up with the girls while ignoring pestering patrons.

Time Cafe: This karaoke hotspot has excelled itself, creating what is surely the most riotous ladies’ night in town. As this is a Saturday night promotion so save this little gem for the weeks when you’ve got Sunday off work or you’re looking for somewhere to take holidaying friends.

Cactus Jacks: Every Tuesday is Senoritas night at Garhoud’s favourite Mexican eatery. The atmosphere is occasionally lacking, but if your group’s big enough to provide its own entertainment the cocktails will meet you half way there. For food, the menu’s reasonably priced and surprisingly varied, while the location means you have at least half a dozen other bars within easy reach if a change of scene is in order.