PJ O'Reilly's

Drink Deal

Ladies' Night

Free mixed beverages for the girls Timings: 11pm-3am (Wednesday)

From Time Out Abu Dhabi Eating Out 2010

PJs is an old Abu Dhabi standby that can be counted on for good food and cold brews. Walking through its doors is like entering a wormhole and being deposited in an anonymous pub in the heart of Britain a few years before the smoking ban. It may have faintly Irish pretensions (The Irish Society practically live here), but the faux Gaelic knick-knacks are thankfully kept to a bare minimum. In their place, enormous TV screens and bone-rattling live music fills the void, while the waitresses have the kind of icy temperament found only in blondes of the Soviet variety.

Nevertheless, PJs is a popular choice. The main reason for this is that the drinks are cheap, there is always a football match in eyeline and the fish and chips are divine, arriving in tall wire baskets surrounded by hand-cut chips. Thick juicy burgers and gravy-dripping steak and kidney pies only prove further incentive to the large crowds who typically bustle across its two levels, spilling out onto the wooden terraces when the weather allows. Service can be iffy, and flagging down a waiter in the bustling din can feel like a small ordeal. Still, it’s worth braving for excellent pub grub at reasonable prices.