I must admit I’ve got a particular soft spot for a typical bar (nostalgia for a well-spent youth) and Murphy’s Bar at the al Ghazal Golf Club fits the bill entirely. With great views over the 18-hole sand course this Irish-American pub has three things in mind: booze, play and good fun!

Fun and Games

With a host of evening events including karaoke, quiz night and a live band rocking the floor and with some great deals on food and drink to boot, this lively but no-frills bar will have you playing your way to a good time. In my opinion all good pubs need some fun and with a foosball table, pool and 3 darts boards Murphy’s has this in spades! But colour-me-stoked, I was so excited to see the classic Tekken games and my 90s inner-child was jumping up and down to see the “PUMP IT UP” dance machine. I will win back my 14-year-old-self’s dance machine title, watch this space!

Drinks

Obviously being a bar, the drinks selection is pretty ginormous. With all the house favourites and happy hour running from 12PM – 7PM everyday of the week (which gives you 25% of selected beverages, including beer, wine, spirits and cocktails) it is a pretty cost-effective watering-hole. The boys behind the bar whipped up several colourful creations for us to try, my favourite being the fruity frozen strawberry daiquiri. I could not quite brave the “Brain Damage” shooter – but I’m sure there are those of you out there crazy enough to give it a whirl. Being an Irish bar I was glad to see Guinness on tap here but unfortunately it wasn’t available, due to a country-wide shortage of barrels apparently, but they assure me it should be back soon!

Food

Food wise the bar snacks menu was our favourite here (go figure). The loaded beef chilli nachos were an excellent sharing portion: with tonnes of beef chilli, chips and nachos, this salty-deliciousness is the perfect accompaniment to an ice-cold pint. The Murphy’s potatoes, huge slabs of potato, battered and deep fried, served with dipping sauces, went down nicely. And we were pleasantly surprised by the calamari – huge rings in a golden, panko breadcrumb with a fresh slaw on the side. But the winner here had to be the wings. Crispy-coated and moreish, they came in 2 different flavours – sweet chilli and honey garlic. And with the Murphy’s wings promotion (10pcs for AED55, 20pcs for AED99, 30pcs for AED129) this was a great value deal as well.

All in all if you’re looking for 5 star, white table cloth antics this place may not be for you but if you’re hunting fun times and no frills you need to check this place out. I’ll see you on the dance machine!