This year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Bars is out, following a splashy ceremony hosted by the UK-based organisation World’s 50 Best at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal last night. This year’s winning bars span cities from Hong Kong to Tirana and Mexico City, with Asia boasting 12 entries.
Taking the crown as number 1 is Bar Leone, Lorenzo Antinori’s Rome-inspired watering hole in Hong Kong’s Central district, which is set to open an outpost in Shanghai soon.
Bar Leone is the first bar in Asia to land the first spot, swapping places with Mexico City’s Prohibition-inspired Handshake Speakeasy – the top ranking watering hole in 2024, which came in no. 2 position this year.
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The Best Bar in Europe is Sips in Barcelona, earning the no. 3 ranking, with its co-founder Simone Caporale taking home the World’s 50 Best Bars Industry Icon Award. Sips is closely followed by Paradiso, also located in the Catalan capital.
This year’s top 10 list is:
- Bar Leone, Hong Kong
- Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
- Sips, Barcelona
- Paradiso, Barcelona
- Tayēr + Elementary, London
- Connaught Bar, London
- Moebius Milano, Milan
- Line, Athens
- Jigger & Pony, Singapore
- Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
The results also revealed eight new entries to the top 50, including Nouvelle Vague in Tirana, Albania, and the Bellwood in Tokyo, which made a remarkable leap from 38th to 7th place.
Macao failed to secure a position in the top 50, nor did it appear on this year’s extended list of 51-100.
