Is there such a thing as too many Irish bars? Not in our book. Abu Dhabi doesn’t have an many as some places, though, with our recently crowned Pub of the Year PJ O’Reilly’s and Best Live Music Bar McGettigan’s being the only others apart from this homely spot in Khalidiya.
It does mean the options are nicely spread out across the city, so if a pint of the black stuff and a plate of fish and chips get you going, there should always be somewhere just a short ride away to get your fix.
We have a soft spot for Fado, which just keeps on doing its thing, despite not being one of the big boys on the Abu Dhabi nihgtlife scene.
Regular live music, happy hours with drinks around the Dhs23 mark and a pub grub menu that does the classics well and has a few more refined dishes on it – the place ticks a fair few boxes.
Staff are good, too, making visits pleasant from the moment you step inside the first floor bar.
When it’s quiet the atmosphere is a bit flat, as you might expect, but things always hot up when a band is playing and the bar fills up.
There’s nothing wrong with the venue at all, but it probably doesn’t stand out from the crowd enough to every be a real contender when it comes to awards season.
That said, not everywhere has to be sleek and smart like Zuma, or flashy and brash like MAD. They don’t even need to have the raucous party atmosphere of a Stars ’N’ Bars or McGettigan’s. It’s often the reliabe, solid places that people return to time and again, and, for us, that’s what Fado is. And that’s why we’ll be back again before long for a cheap drink and a plate of chips.
