Electric Pawn Shop is a DJ-led bar on the ground floor of The H Dubai, with a glass-brick booth and a hi-fi system. Neon, stainless steel and exposed brick give the room a harder edge than the wood-panelled listening-bar format. Its design draws on New York’s Chinatown in the 1970s.
Music runs through soul, disco, funk and hip-hop, with guest events extending into electronic music. The programme has included all-night minimal and minimal-techno sets, so it pays to check who’s playing. Expect a social room with late-night dancing rather than the quiet concentration of a seated jazz kissa.
Asian-Mediterranean food and cocktails make it possible to start with dinner and stay for the DJ. Electric Pawn Shop is best approached as a small music-led night out: pick a selector you want to hear, bring friends, and allow for a livelier evening than the term listening bar sometimes suggests.