Bur Dubai is to many residents and visitors to Dubai the entertainment capital of Dubai.

The phenomenal growth of Dubai might have marginalized it slightly – but if you’re after a lively, unpretentious night out it is hard to beat.

Time Out selects 10 of its favourite spots in the neighbourhood.

Waxy O’Connors: One of Dubai’s most well-known watering holes with a fearsome reputation for fun. Weekends at Waxy’s are boisterous, at best. Thursday night is ladies night while the Friday brunch goes on well into the early hours of Saturday. If it’s a cheap and cheerful pub trip you’re after, Waxy’s is a winner.

Club Africana: It’s impossible not to tap your feet in this place. Try it. The band, are insanely energetic, the drinks are cheap, and the staff are unfailingly welcoming. One of Bur Dubai’s hidden bar gems.

Submarine: This Dhow palace staple isn’t often busy but it’s a great option if you’re in search of a quiet drinking venue. It’s also a bit less scummy that its Bur Dubai competition if you’re feeling particularly fastidious.

Music Room: One of Bur Dubai’s many live music venues but certainly one of the most popular. The house bands are local legends while the crowd is one of the town’s most dedicated.

Barrels: A sports bar extraordinaire, if there is such a thing. The tables are made from, yes, barrels, and there are more TV screens than you could shake a sweaty trainer at. Ideal.

Elegante: A huge and relatively new nightclub, Elegante is a venue that caters to the masses. It has the largest dancefloor in Dubai and has been known to have all of the 1,300 capacity crowd dancing at one time. The upscale club operates on two levels and has high ceilings, mirrored walls, a vibrant purple and gold colour scheme.

Rock Bottom Café: With a well-stocked bar, live music, and an enthusiastic DJ, Rock Bottoms is only rivaled by Waxy's for liveliness. The Friday brunch is not to be recommended but head down on an evening and we challenge you not to have fun.

Maharlika Café: This Filipino favourite is one of Bur Dubai’s best live music haunts. The house band knocks out a fine selection of soft rock covers until 3am making it the ideal place for those in need of total escape.

The Viceroy: A cocktail bar? In Bur Dubai? Do our eyes deceive us? No, really, there is one, and the drinks aren’t half bad. It is actually a little closer to a Bank Street pub style if we are honest but the carefully mixed beverages are well-worth the trip.

Time Café: An enormous sports bar with an incredible 60 screens and a couple of video walls. Add to that four pool tables, darts and a handful of Playstation 3s and you can see why this is a popular venue for sport-loving men. Whether lounging in a beanbag, perched on a stool or jostling for space at the bar you will never be short of a good view.