Rockwell Cafe

Popular bar which used to be Henry J Beans Discuss this article

It’s not often you find a decent new dive bar in Dubai. Sure, there are plenty of dumps that take the word far too literally (pseudo Brit pubs, you know who you are...). And there are hundreds of five-star cocktail bars that would rather gag on black olives than tolerate being described as the slightest bit rough round the edges. But we’re talking about the kind of laid-back, lived-in joint, where the sofas are all battered leather, the location is slightly tucked away and the pool table’s always busy. And Rockwell Café , with all due respect, is one of the city’s best dive bars.

Formerly Henry J Beans, the entrance is still off to the right of the Capitol Hotel (complete with its own doorman), and the space inside is still gigantic – if oddly laid out. When we visited, on a Sunday night, the crowd clung to the bar while the resident Canadian band entertained an empty dancefloor round the corner. But the wife-beater wearing punters still nodded to the group, as they covered Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder and other hip hop and pop tracks. As cover bands go, they weren’t that upsetting at all, while we’ve heard the bar’s Filipino band, who croon on Fridays, rock well too (rather aptly).

After studying the busy drinks menu, we plumped for the sippable Dhs29 house red, before wandering upstairs. It seems more people should take the trouble. As well as another bar and more booths, there’s a distinctly VIP-looking area. With leather armchairs and a coffee table complete with the day’s papers, it’s exactly the kind of snug in which you’d imagine a mob of mafioso’s huddling, busy figuring out their next hit through a fug of cigar smoke. In fact, it’s probably just as well people don’t venture up there all that often.

Time Out reviews bars anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.