Maharlika Café

Karama live music venue is great for lovers of rock 3 Reviews

© ITP Images

Set foot in Karama live music venue Maharlika Café and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were outside Dubai. The dark, dingy space that resides in the dated President Hotel offers live music from Filipino cover bands with rock-heavy choreographed dancing, plenty of head-banging, and mullet-sporting singers.

Service is swift and friendly and drinks are cheap. Everything about this place breathes ‘underground’, from the arcade toy-grabbing machine to the Bollywood sounds pulsing through the walls of the ladies’ bathroom. The bands take requests – but attempt to jump up on stage with the generously manned crew (not that we did…)and their demeanour will change from rock hero to surly superstar.

Even so, sit-down singalongs are encouraged and the bands are eager to serenade the raucous crowd from the raised stage, jumping from podium to podium with the enthusiasm, fist pumps and dress sense of a slightly more nimble Alice Cooper. We’d recommend it to anyone who loves cold, hard rock.

By Time Out Dubai staff
Time Out Dubai, 17 April 2012

• Previous reviews
  • 07 October,2007- reviewed by Daisy Carrington

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

User reviews:

Posted by: Babelyn on 19 Jun ' 12 at 13:01

OverallDecorService

MusicAmbience

• Best for: Live music
• Would you go back to this bar/club? Yes

Edited by TimeOutDubai.com

The place is really familiar to me because i was once one of the waitresses there before, way back 2005-2006. I'm so blessed that the management gave me the opportunity to worked there. I missed Lala, ate Beverly, Ate Norie, and of course ate JUDY at ate JINKY, and a lot more. I also missed the regular guests that comes every night to enjoy, Plus the noise of the bands. I wish i could go back there again. More power Maharlika.

Posted by: mansoor on 21 May ' 09 at 08:08

• Best for: DJ

let me know the currect location of President hotel ? Any land mark is their?

Posted by: gordon on 15 May ' 09 at 20:31

OverallDecorService

MusicAmbience

• Would you go back to this bar/club? Yes

the security do their job well, the service staff is very warm and welcoming, a typical filipino bar,95% filipinos. the new ceiling lights (the red and green lights) and a new addition to the lighting.
the crowd enjoys the live bands, two bands play there, they come in intervals. and have a couple of session in between which the dj plays his recorded music. must add here, the dj there needs to update his collection.dissappointed about the fact that i already knw the next song coming. RECORDED MUSIC like i said.
The Bar Manager keeps a watch on the guests whether they are being taken care of. this is where the waiteress come in, the waiterss named lala and beverly have always taken good care of me and my guests and entertained us...... as to why i have always reccomended this place to couple of my other friends. not forgetting just in case ur in a competetive mood there is pool table for a mere five bucks. nice deal. anyone game!!!!!!!!