House note
What this site is, and what it isn't.
Habibi Guide is an editorial guide to nightlife, dining, and experiences across the United Arab Emirates. We cover Dubai and Abu Dhabi in detail, the Northern Emirates when there's something worth reporting, and the rest of the region with restraint.
The site is built and edited by Ribin, with a small editorial workflow assisted by AI drafting and reviewed by humans before publishing. We don't claim every word is hand-typed; we do claim every fact is verified against an authoritative source before it goes live. Operating hours, prices, dress codes, capacities, and venue policies are pulled from venues' own listings, official partner platforms (Platinumlist, Fever, Google Places), or directly from operators.
What we publish
- Curated lists — short guides to formats and rhythms. Friday brunch. Rooftop lounges. Pool clubs. Nightclubs after midnight.
- Venue spotlights — detailed files on individual venues with verified data. We do not write a spotlight on a venue we cannot verify.
- Neighbourhood guides — what a given area actually does, by hour and by audience. Marina is not Downtown is not Al Quoz.
- Ask Habibi — reader questions, answered with the same standards as the rest of the site.
What we don't publish
- Top-ten clickbait. Every other Dubai site does this. We don't.
- Negative reviews of named venues. UAE law treats defamatory venue claims as a criminal matter, and frankly, aggregate ratings tell you more than any one bad night ever could. We report neutrally or we stay silent.
- Alcohol promotion. We may mention that a venue is licensed and what its house pours are. We will never frame alcohol consumption as the point.
- Scraped photography. Photos on the site come from licensed sources, affiliate feeds, official media kits, or original commissions — never from the venue's public site without permission.
How we make money
Habibi Guide participates in affiliate programs including Platinumlist, Fever, GetYourGuide, Headout, and Tiqets. When you book through links on this site, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence which venues or events we cover.
We also accept sponsored placements in our weekly newsletter, clearly labelled. We do not accept payment to write favourable coverage of venues; the editorial section and the sponsored section are kept distinct, and the distinction is enforced.
Who runs this
Habibi Guide is run by Ribin, based in the UAE. Contact: /contact. Editorial questions, corrections, and partnership enquiries are read personally; allow 48 hours for a response.
Why "habibi"
Because the UAE's nightlife and dining scene is not a foreign destination report; it is a local culture that locals navigate every weekend. Habibi — "my friend," colloquially — sets the register we want for the site. Friendly, knowledgeable, not deferential, not pretending to be a tourist.
Last updated 2026-05-26.