It was a stellar month for Dubai’s Galaxy Bar. The intimate yet glamorous spot took home Tatler’s Middle East Innovation Award at the Tatler Bar Awards in Bangkok this week, while also launching its sleek new book during London Cocktail Week.
In a city famed for its large venues, expansive restaurants and buzzing nightlife, Galaxy Bar is a study in contrast — a discreet, 60-seat space tucked away in a corner of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which has become a hub for upmarket dining and now, world-class bars.
The award adds to an already impressive track record. In 2020, Galaxy Bar ranked among The World’s 50 Best Bars and appeared on that prestigious list for three consecutive years until 2023.
The DIFC is known for its concentration of top-tier leisure and dining destinations — Cipriani Dubai, the Venetian classic; La Petite Maison (LPM) across the way; the ever-buzzing Zuma; and The Four Seasons nearby. Galaxy Bar is adjacent to Avli, the refined Greek restaurant from Tashas Group, which also owns and runs the bar.
Inside, it’s about atmosphere. The centrepiece counter gleams against plush seating, mirrored surfaces, and metallic accents, all framed by a backdrop that evokes the layered depths of a galaxy.
The space is moody and elegant, cloaked in midnight-blue tones and lit by a ceiling designed to resemble a starlit night. Marble surfaces and gilded details heighten the sense of glamour. It’s more a sophisticated lounge than a club — with a DJ who takes things up a notch as midnight approaches.
The cocktail menu sets the tone: “A vibrant cocktail menu celebrating the sequined glitz and glitter-ball glamour of the disco era.” They use mixology techniques such as carbonation and infusions, and drinks are served in carefully chosen glassware.
Names like Daddy Cool, Boogie Oogie, Disco Inferno, Funky Town and Ring My Bell play up the retro mood. The latter — a mix of Hendrick’s, peach, apricot lime, and white chocolate with a large square block of ice — is described as a “flirty little disco number on speed dial” and retails for 95 dirhams (about R450).
A Londoner visitor to the bar likens the DIFC to Mayfair, a sleek, deal-making district anchored by finance and upmarket dining — though he was disappointed he couldn’t order a beer with his cocktail, as Galaxy serves only cocktails and wine.
According to Tatler, under Krystian Hordejuk, Tashas’ group beverage director and custodian of Galaxy Bar, each drink becomes a storytelling device. The Constellation — Japanese whisky, fig leaf and black tea — evokes twilight, while the Nebula, bright with yuzu and sage, “sparkles like starlight”. Every element, from glassware to pacing, serves a purpose, balancing imagination with restraint.
Galaxy Bar also recently earned one pin from The Pinnacle Guide — the bar world’s answer to the Michelin Guide — marking it as one of the globe’s elite cocktail destinations.
When we met Hordejuk in Dubai, he spoke of his belief that “simplicity is the art of sophistication”. A qualified engineer, he’s spent nearly two decades in hospitality and moved to Dubai to open a Monaco-based concept. Awards, he says, bring visibility not just to the bar but to the region.
“People start to realise that in a market like the Middle East — long seen as conservative — suddenly you have a bar in the Top 100, then the Top 50 three years running.”
He’s witnessed a transformation in the region’s beverage culture. “Drinks used to be overly complicated and too sweet,” he says. “But with new brands, concepts and talent entering the market, the level of craft has risen dramatically.”
For him, it’s about precision and consistency. “Whether you order a Negroni or one of our signature cocktails, the goal is to capture the essence of every brand through the drink,” he says.
That attention to detail extends across Tashas group, where understanding the “DNA” of each brand underpins the bar’s success. “Recognition from the global lists opened doors,” says Hordejuk. “It helped us showcase Dubai, the region, and our craft. It’s less about trends and more about consistency and quality.”
Galaxy Bar: Cocktails, the book created by Natasha Sideris (Tashas group founder) and Hordejuk, embodies the same philosophy — elegance through simplicity, technical precision, and imaginative flair. Featuring photography by Juliet Dunne, it celebrates the creative interplay between hospitality, design and craft.
They wanted the book to feel like a piece of art, not just a collection of recipes, says Hordejuk. “It’s for the cocktail aficionado — whether an experienced person, someone who works in the bar and can get inspiration from certain recipes or just an enthusiast who will find some recipes easy to make.”
The 60-recipe collection spans five chapters, revealing not only the bar’s signature drinks but also its energy, tools and aesthetic. “There’s something nostalgic about starting dinner with a Martini or Negroni,” he says. “It’s part of the romance of going out.”
Galaxy Bar: Cocktails is released in SA through Quivertree Publications and available at leading booksellers.
