Galaxy Bar in Dubai has been named this year’s Campari One to Watch by the World’s 50 Best Bars.
The award is given to the bar in the 51-100 ranking, who the judges feel has the potential to break into the main list. and become a ‘rising star’ over the next year or so.
Although the bar only launched in February last year, it has already become a fixture in the crowded Dubai nightlife scene, garnered a reputation for a very high quality of service in an intimate setting.
It’s the first time that a bar in the Middle East has been awarded the accolade, and The World’s 50 Best Bars content editor Mark Sansom said “it’s a firm indication of the burgeoning cocktail scene in the region”.
The bar is owned by Natasha Sideris, a Greek entrepreneur living in South Africa, who has another 24 hospitality venues, stretching from South Africa to the Middle East, in her stable.
The bar celebrates her family’s Greek heritage. She told 50BB: “The Greeks are ultra-stylish. Athens is the epicentre of sophistication and Galaxy Bar is really a temple to Athenian culture. We have many design tropes that allude to the Parthenon: the sculpted bar, the curtains that drape the room, our beautiful terrazzo floor, the marble backbar and, of course, the stars on the ceiling that represent the Athens night sky. The hints towards Greece are subtle, but if you look for them, they’re there.
“We had this awkward square space attached to one of my restaurants that we were using as a storage area.  We didn’t really know what to do with it, but I said to Krystian that I thought it had the potential to be a really cool little bar and we immediately started brainstorming the kind of place it could become.”
Krystian Hordejuk, the Executive Bar Manager added: “Since the opening of Galaxy Bar, we have been determined to create a privé experience with an extremely high quality of service and a personal touch.
“We are honoured to be named as a Campari One To Watch as this award is an affirmation of our efforts as a team and a positive signal that we are headed in the right direction. In creating our cocktail menu, we have had to consider that we are catering for a well-travelled, multi-national audience. As a result, our approach has always been to select niche products, turning them into remarkable signature creations with a nod to timeless classics.
We won’t rest on our laurels,” Hordehuk continued, “and will keep challenging ourselves to break into The World’s 50 Best Bars list.”
Acknowledging the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on the global bar scene, Sansom praised Galaxy’s efforts: “Operating a hospitality venue in such challenging times is no easy feat, but the bar has managed to stand out with its unique repertoire of cocktails, intimate service, and a marble-clad backbar that must be one of the finest in the world. We are excited to see what this international team will bring in the years to come.”
For more information on Galaxy Bar, go to galaxy-bar.com
