You might not immediately think that heading to the Cristal Hotel would lead you to one of the cool new nightspots in town, but you’d be wrong. Okay, Viewz has been sitting pretty on the hotel’s 17th floor for a fair few years, but it’s now under new management and change is afoot.
Inside you’ll find a cosy, buzzing bar packed with theme nights, DJs, live bands, bar sports and great deals on drinks.
We’re paying a visit on a weeknight at around 10pm and the place is packed. There are teams playing darts, people battling it out at table football and loads more enjoying themselves and taking advantage of the keen prices at the bar.
We pull up a stool along the central bar. There’s no view out over the city from here, of course, but there’s plenty of people-watching and fun to be had inside, so that’s not a problem.
There’s a surprisingly large amount of hops available on draft, with some Asian options that are popular with the regular crowd, and with us when they come in at less than Dhs30 per pint. Short drinks, mixed drinks and grape are all available, of course, and there’s a separate room dedicated to a particular Cuban short, where masterclasses and other events take place.
Staff are swift and the vibe is good, meaning time flies. We’re not the only ones having a good time, either, with the bar still filling up as we get towards midnight. It’s not hard to see why as there’s an unpretentious, inclusive air about the place.
Football fans will be happy here, as games are shown on big screens. It’s where Liverpool supporters are watching the Reds’ games this season, so tread carefully if you’re an Everton fan in on matchday.
Thursday evenings see a DJ playing to the post-work crowd, with live music starting at around 8pm (and again on Fridays). There’s a monthly country rock night, too, complete with mechanical bull and hosted by Sugie Reaves (regular Funch MC).
We’ll be back to check out the other events and are reminded once more that the big, shiny venues in the city don’t always make for the best nights out.
WHAT IS IT…
A friendly, bustling bar with plenty of pub sports and a very inclusive vibe
WHY GO…
For the array of draft hops at thoroughly reasonable prices
