On The Rocks
On The Rocks is the Sheraton Oman Hotel's main bar and entertainment venue, occupying a ground-floor space that serves double duty as a sports bar and live music pub. The interior is designed for function: a long bar with draught taps, several pool tables, large screens mounted on the walls showing international sports, and enough seating for about 100 people across tables, bar stools, and a few booth sections. The decor is hotel-standard with pub touches: dark upholstery, wood-effect paneling, and team scarves pinned behind the bar by loyal regulars. A house band performs on weekends, covering rock, pop, and occasional Arabic hits with the practiced energy of musicians who play the same venue week after week. The crowd is Al Khuwair's most reliable gathering: expat engineers, project managers, consultants, and business travelers who've discovered that On The Rocks offers the warmest social atmosphere in the commercial district. The pool tables serve as the social catalyst, drawing competitive games and casual knockabouts that break the ice between strangers.
What to Expect
A hotel pub with sports screens, pool tables, and a bar serving draught beer. The atmosphere is casual and welcoming. The live band on weekends adds energy without overwhelming conversation. Regulars are friendly and approachable.
Relaxed, social, and pub-like. The live band and pool tables create energy. The regulars create warmth.
Live band on weekends playing classic rock, pop, and crowd-pleaser covers. Sports audio during matches. Background rock and pop otherwise.
Casual. Work clothes transition directly into bar attire here. Jeans and a shirt are standard.
Expats looking for a regular pub, sports fans, pool players, business travelers in Al Khuwair who want a social evening
Cards accepted. Hotel guests can charge to their room. Cash (OMR) works.
Price Range
Draught beer OMR 2.5-4, cocktails OMR 3.5-6, pub food OMR 3-7, spirits OMR 3-5
Draught beer ~$6.50-10.40/~5.95-9.50 EUR, cocktails ~$9.10-15.60/~8.35-14.30 EUR, pub food ~$7.80-18.20/~7.15-16.65 EUR
Hours
12:00-01:00 daily, until 02:00 on Thu
Insider Tip
Get to the pool tables early; they're first-come and stay occupied. Thursday is the best night for atmosphere. The draught beer is the best value on the drinks menu.
Full Review
On The Rocks is Al Khuwair's social anchor. In a commercial district that empties after business hours, this pub-style bar keeps the lights on and the taps running for the expat community that works and lives nearby. The formula is simple and effective: cold beer, pool tables, sports on screens, and a band on weekends.
The live band is the differentiator. In Al Khuwair, where the alternative is a quiet hotel lounge, having musicians on stage transforms the evening. The house band plays covers with enough skill to generate audience response: foot-tapping, singing along, and the occasional air guitar from someone who's had one too many. The setlist sticks to crowd-pleasers, which is the right call for a pub setting.
The pool tables create the social fabric. Two tables handle a steady rotation of players through the evening, and the games produce the kind of casual competition that gets people talking. Challenging a stranger to a game is the most natural conversation starter in the venue.
The beer is the best value in Al Khuwair's nightlife. Draught pints at OMR 2.5-4 are slightly cheaper than Qurum's five-star hotel bars, and the quality is consistent. The pub food, burgers, wings, nachos, serves its purpose without pretension.
The crowd is mostly male and mostly expat, reflecting the demographics of Al Khuwair's working population. Women are present and welcome, but the ratio is heavily skewed. The conversations revolve around work projects, contract terms, weekend travel plans, and whatever sport is on screen.
Compared to John Barry Bar at the Grand Hyatt in Qurum, On The Rocks is slightly cheaper, slightly rougher, and slightly more working-class in atmosphere. Both serve the same fundamental need: a pub for people who miss having a local. On The Rocks wins on convenience for Al Khuwair residents; John Barry wins on overall polish.
The Neighborhood
Inside the Sheraton Oman Hotel in Al Khuwair. Habana Club is in the same hotel. The Radisson Blu with Olivo is a short taxi ride away. Qurum's venues are 10-15 minutes by taxi.
Getting There
Enter the Sheraton Oman Hotel in Al Khuwair. On The Rocks is signposted from the lobby. Taxi from the airport OMR 3-5, about 10 minutes. From Qurum, OMR 2-4.
Address
Sheraton Oman Hotel, Al Khuwair, Muscat
Other Venues in Al Khuwair
Habana Club
Small nightclub inside the Sheraton Oman with a dance floor, DJ, and Latin-influenced music nights. One of the few dance-oriented venues outside Qurum. Thursday nights draw the largest crowd.
Olivo
Italian restaurant and lounge at the Radisson Blu Hotel. The bar area doubles as a cocktail lounge after dinner service winds down. Quiet, well-decorated, and good for a focused conversation.
Hormuz Bar
Lobby lounge at the Hormuz Grand Muscat. Modern interiors, a curated cocktail menu, and live acoustic music on select evenings. Popular with the after-work crowd from nearby ministry offices.