Best Irish pubs in Dubai: trad music, match nights and Irish food

Updated 10 October 2026

There is no single “Irish pub” night in Dubai. At McCafferty’s JVC, the current weekly schedule puts traditional Irish music on Thursday and a quiz with music bingo on Wednesday; an October 2026 sports graphic lists fixtures separately. At the Irish Village’s Studio City branch, the terrace and six indoor screens give the pub a different shape from its already-covered Garhoud original. Fibber Magee’s publishes a full Irish breakfast, Irish dishes and a week of live-music and food-and-drink offers. The useful question is what the particular branch actually gives you on the day you go.

This is a guide to Irish-led pubs, not every British-style hotel bar with a pint and a roast. We chose venues whose own operator or hotel identifies them as Irish and that publish a current branch, menu, programme or offer. The wider DubaiTable pub guide already covers the Irish Village at Garhoud; this guide keeps that overlap brief and focuses on its separate branches and on the Irish-specific choice across Dubai.

Choose by the kind of pub night

For music, matches and a proper pub gathering

McCafferty’s JVC — the music-first, rooftop choice

If live traditional Irish music is the point of the evening, McCafferty’s on the roof of Circle Mall has a specific night to start with: Trad Thursday, 8–11pm. The current weekly listing names Shane Walsh, Liam Lynch and Fresh as Folk, and advertises free-flowing house drinks from AED229; the page does not say whether that price is per person. Wednesday brings a quiz and music bingo from 8pm. Its October sports graphic is a separate, date-sensitive schedule, so check the branch listing for the match you want.

The drinks menu posted in January 2026 lists Guinness at AED50, but it does not state the serving volume, so treat that as a menu price rather than a confirmed pint price. Check the current event and sports listings before travelling; weekly performers, fixtures and offer terms can change.

The Irish Village, Studio City — terrace tables and a Monday quiz

Studio City is the branch to pick when you want the Irish Village name with a hotel terrace and sports screens. It sits on the first floor of Studio One Hotel; the operator describes a large outdoor terrace with a bar and three screens, plus an indoor area with 150-person capacity and six more screens. The published routine is a Monday quiz, live music on Tuesday to Saturday nights, and afternoon music on Saturday and Sunday.

Its branch menu lists Guinness at AED42 and traditional Irish stew at AED85; the menu does not specify the beer serving size and says prices include 7% municipality fees and 5% VAT. The operator’s Studio City branch page lists Sunday–Thursday hours of 11am–1am and Friday–Saturday to 2am. Garhoud’s current Guinness price is inconsistent across the operator’s branch-selectable and Garhoud-specific menu pages, so do not carry Studio City’s price across town.

McCafferty’s Al Furjan — the local beer-garden pub

Al Furjan’s branch page makes a different promise from JVC: a community hub with a family-friendly beer garden and a giant LED screen for live sport. For a family day, its Saturday brunch runs 2–6pm with sharing starters, a choice of main and dessert; drinks packages start at AED295, with a premium-draught upgrade at AED345. Pool access and children’s activities are included, and children under 10 eat free. The page does not identify whether the package rate is per person, so confirm the booking total before reserving. Its live-music page posts a weekly lineup; check that branch schedule rather than assuming the JVC programme applies in Al Furjan.

Use the branch’s own food and drinks menus. JVC’s AED50 Guinness listing is not a substitute for an Al Furjan rate, and the group’s marketing language does not establish the same programme at every pub.

McCafferty’s Wafi — a carvery in the Pyramids

The Wafi branch trades on its setting inside the Pyramids at Wafi, then gives Sunday diners a clearly described carvery: AED119 for homemade soup, a plate from the carvery and dessert every Sunday. The current offer page does not give the serving hours. Children under six eat free; drinks specials run 9am–8pm. The offer page does not label AED119 as a per-person rate, so confirm the payable unit with the branch. Its current events page also lists a Tuesday steak dinner with trimmings and a house drink for AED129, 3–10pm; that offer’s price unit is likewise not stated. Wafi’s own pages show a live-music lineup and sports listings, which can change week to week.

Fibber Magee’s, SZR — Irish food and a full week of offers

Fibber Magee’s is the strongest menu-led choice in this guide. Its May 2026 operator menu includes a full Irish breakfast, Irish spice bag, beef-and-Guinness stew, shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash. It lists draft Guinness at AED50, but gives no pour size. A separate online delivery menu lists the spice bag at AED45 and beef-and-Guinness stew at AED70; those are delivery-menu prices, not a substitute for a dine-in quote.

The same current menu publishes specific dine-in timings: a Sunday roast with one selected house drink for AED120, available noon–11pm; and a business lunch for AED72, Monday–Saturday noon–3pm. The lunch buys a main course (from the main, burger or toastie sections) plus an eligible beverage; sharing platters are excluded, both items must be ordered together, and the offer is dine-in only. The menu also lists happy-hour draft beer, stout and cider at AED42, Sunday–Friday 10am–7pm. Its terms say happy hour can be suspended during special events or non-resident musician gigs. Live music is listed Monday–Saturday, with the actual schedule subject to change. Also note the menu’s explicit pork/non-halal labels on selected dishes if that affects your choice.

The Dubliner’s — Garhoud sport and Irish comfort food

Near Dubai International Airport, The Dubliner’s gives Garhoud a second Irish-pub option beyond the Irish Village. The operator calls it a traditional Irish pub, names Irish stew and fish and chips on its menu, and publishes a live-sport schedule covering football, rugby and cricket. Its menu page lists happy hour every day from noon to 8pm; current opening hours are noon to midnight daily, extending to 2am on Friday and Saturday.

This is the one to consider when you want to make an evening around a fixture or keep the airport-side journey short. The match schedule is the authority for a specific game, and the public pages do not establish that every fixture will be shown. Check the current food and special match-time menus before you go.

McGettigan’s: choose the branch by its actual programme

McGettigan’s has several Dubai pubs, but a shared name does not make their weekly reasons to go identical. These three have especially clear branch-level hooks on current operator pages.

JLT — quiz night, Steak Out and Taco Tuesday

The JLT pub is in Cluster J and opens for lunch on weekdays. Its current listing gives a Tuesday quiz from 8pm, Friday Steak Out from noon to 4pm and an all-day Taco Tuesday. Steak Out is AED149 for a steak with all the trimmings and a pint. The operator does not label AED149 as a per-person rate; confirm the billing unit when booking. The kitchen describes its wider menu as a global mix inspired by Ireland, America and Asia, with ingredients sourced from Ireland and local suppliers. That makes it a good pick for a quiz team or a Friday lunch with a specific steak-and-pint offer.

DWTC — a Wednesday offer with a stated spend

At Dubai World Trade Centre, McGettigan’s sells a defined midweek package: AED75 buys three selected drinks and an AED75 food voucher, with live music every Wednesday from 6pm. The voucher is for food, not cash, and the drinks are selected rather than an unrestricted order. The offer page does not spell out every redemption restriction, so ask what drinks qualify and how the voucher applies to your chosen dish. This is the clearest published spend in the guide for a music-and-food meet-up near an exhibition or office day.

Dubai Production City — the roast comes with a house pour

At the Four Points by Sheraton in Dubai Production City, the operator lists live music Thursday–Saturday, with performance times varying. The Sunday roast is a more concrete reason to book: beef, pork or chicken with the usual roast accompaniments, available all day from AED119 including a house pour. It is a helpful distinction from a roast price that covers food only. Confirm the current meat selection and serving hours before setting off; the branch’s event page also lists a Wednesday quiz and weekday happy hour, but schedules can change.

Check the branch before you go

McCafferty’s JVC schedule does not describe Al Furjan or Wafi. Fibber Magee’s May 2026 menu applies to SZR only, not The Four Provinces at Social Hotel in Barsha Heights. McGettigan’s offers are tied to their named branches.

For any pub night built around a band, quiz, match or meal deal, check the branch’s own event page on the day. Published schedules describe the operator’s plan, while fixtures, performers and offer details can move.

Instagram visual references

Instagram has not been used to verify menus, prices, schedules, opening hours or offer terms.