Can you drink alcohol in Dubai?

Yes, legally, in licensed places. Dubai is not a dry city — hotels, bars and many restaurants serve alcohol openly. What catches visitors out is not where it is sold but where it may be drunk, and that line is enforced.

Where you can drink

• Licensed hotels, bars and restaurants. Most bars in Dubai sit inside a hotel, which is why a restaurant with a wine list is usually attached to one.
• Beach clubs and licensed lounges. The beach itself is not licensed; the club on it may be.
• Brunch. The Saturday institution comes with drink packages tiered from soft drinks to premium — see how brunch works.

Where you cannot

Supermarkets do not sell it. There is no aisle for it in Carrefour or Spinneys. Alcohol is sold through a small number of licensed retailers, and residents typically use those.

The street is not a place to drink. Drinking in public, or being visibly drunk in public, is an offence and is taken seriously — considerably more seriously than most arrivals expect. This is not a rule that gets a warning.

The practical shape of it

• You will not be asked to justify ordering a drink in a licensed venue. Nobody minds.
• Prices are high — a large part of what makes a Dubai evening expensive is the bar tab, not the food.
• Drink-driving enforcement is absolute. There is no permitted level. Taxis are metered, everywhere, and cheap by comparison.

Ramadan

During Ramadan, service is limited and discreet, and many venues stop serving during daylight hours entirely. The city has a completely different rhythm that month — worth knowing before you book. See the best time to visit Dubai for when Ramadan falls.

Is it a problem if I do not drink?

Not remotely. A large share of the people around you are not drinking either, mocktail lists are standard, and the non-alcoholic brunch package is usually much cheaper. Nobody will comment.

More of what surprises first-time visitors — the public behaviour rules, what to wear, what things cost — is in first time in Dubai.

Verified August 2026. Rules change — confirm before you travel. See our editorial policy.