World's 50 Best Bars 2013: Complete Rankings

Artesian at The Langham London held the World's 50 Best Bars number one position four consecutive years from 2012 to 2015, a run that placed it at the centre of London's cocktail conversation for a generation. The bar carries a Google rating of 4.6 from 865 reviews and has maintained a presence in the Top 500 Bars list through 2025. It remains one of the most award-documented hotel bars in Europe.

A basement bar on City Road that has spent over a decade among the world's most recognised cocktail addresses, Nightjar deals in prohibition-era atmosphere, live jazz, and technically elaborate drinks. Ranked as high as No. 2 in the World's 50 Best Bars, it opens nightly from 6pm until 3am, making it one of London's few serious late-night destinations for craft cocktails.

Bar High Five has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2011, reaching as high as #3 globally in 2013. Located in a basement in Ginza, it represents the classical Tokyo bar tradition — precise technique, minimal theatre, and drinks built around the guest rather than the menu. A 4.3 Google rating across 715 reviews reflects consistent execution over more than a decade.

The Connaught Bar has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2010, reaching number one twice. Its David Collins-designed interior and technically precise cocktail programme — anchored by a signature tableside Dry Martini — set the standard by which other hotel bars in London and beyond are measured. Open Tuesday through Sunday in the heart of Mayfair.

At 30 Water St in Lower Manhattan, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog has held a position at the top of the global bar rankings for over a decade, reaching number one on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2016. Across two distinct floors, it anchors Irish hospitality to serious cocktail craft in a Financial District setting that draws both locals and visitors with intention.

One of Hoxton Square's most recognised addresses, Happiness Forgets earned a place in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2012 to 2019, peaking at number six globally. The basement bar trades in precisely constructed cocktails without theatrical staging, positioning itself in the quieter, more technically serious end of London's drinking culture. Open daily from 5pm, it remains a reference point for how East London reshaped the city's cocktail conversation.

Black Pearl on Brunswick Street has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings for over a decade, peaking at number seven globally in 2013. Open nightly until 3am, it functions as both a serious cocktail destination and a genuine Fitzroy local — the kind of bar that draws regulars as reliably as it draws out-of-towners. Rated 4.6 across 708 Google reviews, its longevity in a competitive field says more than any single award.

A Clarence Street basement that spent six consecutive years inside the World's 50 Best Bars top ten, The Baxter Inn is the reference point for serious whisky drinking in Sydney. The format is deliberate — low ceilings, candlelight, and a back-bar collection that runs to several hundred bottles. Plan to arrive before 9pm if you want a stool.

A taqueria on Rue de Saintonge that conceals one of Paris's most decorated cocktail bars behind an unmarked interior door. Candelaria built its reputation on Mexican spirits and inventive mixing, earning a place inside the World's 50 Best Bars top 20 across multiple consecutive years. The Google rating of 4.3 across nearly 3,000 reviews reflects a crowd that returns for the drinks, not the novelty.

One of Singapore's most decorated cocktail bars, 28 HongKong Street occupies a converted shophouse on 28 Hong Kong St and has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2012. A sustained run of recognition — including a #1 Asia ranking in 2016 — places it among the bars that shaped the city's modern cocktail identity. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across more than 1,100 scores.

Few bars in London have sustained the kind of award trajectory that Callooh Callay built across the early 2010s, climbing to number nine on the World's 50 Best Bars list before settling into a longer-term presence on the Top 500. On Rivington Street in Shoreditch, the bar has developed a loyal following that returns not for novelty but for consistency, wit, and a program that rewards repeat visits.

On Hudson Street in the West Village, Employees Only has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2009, peaking at #4 globally in 2015. The bar operates a walk-in policy with no reservations, making timing and crowd knowledge the key variables for any visit. In 2025 it holds #18 in North America and #95 globally.

Please Don't Tell (PDT) entered the New York cocktail conversation in 2007 through a phone booth hidden inside a hot dog counter on St. Marks Place, and it spent the next several years at the top of the World's 50 Best Bars rankings, reaching No. 1 in 2011. It holds a 4.3 Google rating across more than 2,300 reviews and remains Pearl Recommended in 2025, making it one of the few bars from that era still earning serious critical attention.

One of Barcelona's most enduring cocktail addresses, Dry Martini on Carrer d'Aribau has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings for over a decade. The room itself — dark timber, leather seating, white-jacketed staff — reads like a mid-century European bar that never needed reinventing. The martini program is the anchor, but the broader list and the precision of service are what keep serious drinkers returning.

Door 74 on Reguliersdwarsstraat has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list multiple times since 2011, reaching as high as #15 in 2013. One of Amsterdam's most consistently recognised cocktail addresses, it operates behind a discreet entrance on a street better known for its nightlife than its craft bartending. A 4.5-star Google rating across more than 1,700 reviews confirms its standing with a broad cross-section of visitors.

Once a consistent presence in the World's 50 Best Bars top 25, Le Lion Bar de Paris at Rathausstraße 3 sits at the serious end of Hamburg's cocktail spectrum. The room leans toward old-world discretion rather than theatrical spectacle, placing it in a category of European bars that treat the drink as the central proposition. A Google rating of 4.6 across more than 1,600 reviews reflects sustained consistency rather than novelty appeal.

Buck & Breck has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2013, reaching as high as number 16 in 2015. The bar operates as a small-format, appointment-style room in Mitte, where the counter format and craft-focused program sit closer to the Tokyo or New York model than the high-volume Berlin club scene. For serious cocktail seekers, it remains a fixed reference point in a city with no shortage of good drinking.

The Parlour occupies a compelling position in Frankfurt's drinking culture, operating from Zwingergasse 6 in the city's historic core. A Google rating of 4.7 from nearly 800 reviews points to consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. The bar's award recognition and focused hours make it a reference point for anyone serious about drinks in Frankfurt on the Main.

One of Rome's most awarded cocktail bars, Jerry Thomas Speakeasy has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars since 2013, peaking at number 19 before settling into a consistent presence in global rankings. Its speakeasy format, tucked into a narrow alley off Campo de' Fiori, represents the pre-theatrical era of the genre before the city's bar scene moved toward more transparent technical programs. A 4.5 Google rating across more than 1,600 reviews confirms enduring local and visitor appeal.

Few bars in London carry a ranking history as sustained as American Bar at the Savoy. From World's 50 Best number one in 2017 to consistent top-twenty placement across more than a decade, its position in the global cocktail conversation is grounded in verifiable record rather than reputation alone. The Strand address puts it at the centre of London's most storied hospitality corridor.

Death & Co at 433 E 6th St has shaped the East Village cocktail scene since 2006, building a track record that includes a top-ten ranking in the World's 50 Best Bars for four consecutive years between 2009 and 2013. With 2,003 Google reviews averaging 4.5 stars and a 2025 Pearl Recommended listing, it remains a reference point for serious cocktail programming in New York City.

Ruby has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year from 2011 through 2023, reaching as high as #22 in 2013 — a record of sustained recognition that places it among the most consistently acknowledged cocktail bars in Scandinavia. Situated on Nybrogade in Copenhagen's inner city, it holds a 4.5 Google rating across more than 2,000 reviews and remains a reference point for the city's serious cocktail scene.

Schuman's Bar has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars every year between 2010 and 2019, reaching as high as number 20 in 2010. Positioned at Odeonsplatz, one of Munich's most architecturally considered public squares, it occupies a tier of German cocktail bars that compete internationally rather than regionally. A Google rating of 3.7 across more than 1,500 reviews suggests a venue that polarises, which is often the mark of a bar with a clear point of view.

The Everleigh Melbourne channels golden age glamour through an unwavering dedication to classic cocktails, where Michael and Zara Madrusan's collaboration with legendary mixologist Sasha Petraske created Australia's most influential cocktail destination. Behind an American diner facade, this intimate sanctuary offers bespoke table service and hand-crafted classics that set the benchmark for luxury cocktail culture.

Beneath a Wynyard Lane laneway entrance, Eau de Vie operates as one of Sydney's most credentialed cocktail bars, having held a World's 50 Best Bars ranking continuously from 2011 through 2014, peaking at number 13. The program sits in a tier defined by technical precision rather than theatrical novelty. Holding a 4.6 Google rating across nearly 700 reviews, it remains a reference point for serious drinking in the CBD.

Daily-changing cocktail menus and authentic newspaper heritage define Bulletin Place Sydney, where expert bartenders craft innovative drinks within the atmospheric Press Room and Headline Bar spaces of a historic Bulletin newspaper building.

69 Colebrooke Row is a compact cocktail bar on Islington's canal-adjacent backstreets that spent the early 2010s placing consistently inside the World's 50 Best Bars — reaching number seven in 2011 and number eight in 2012. The bar holds a 4.6 Google rating across more than 700 reviews, and remains one of the addresses that shaped how London thinks about the serious cocktail bar format.

Chainaya, Tea & Cocktails placed on the World's 50 Best Bars list three consecutive years between 2012 and 2014, peaking at number 28, which positioned it among the most internationally recognised bars in Eastern Europe during that period. Located on 1-Ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya Ulitsa in central Moscow, it built its reputation around a tea-driven cocktail program that few Russian bars were attempting at the time.

Mutis is an Eixample cocktail bar that earned consecutive World's 50 Best Bars rankings between 2011 and 2013, peaking at number 16 globally. Sitting on Carrer de Còrsega in Barcelona's grid-planned residential and commercial centre, it operates as a neighbourhood fixture rather than a destination spectacle, drawing a mix of locals and informed visitors who track its sustained critical recognition.

Smuggler's Cove on Gough Street is San Francisco's most decorated rum bar, appearing in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2011 to 2016 and holding a Pearl Recommended status in 2025. The bar opens daily from 5pm and closes at 1:45am, making it one of the city's later-running serious cocktail destinations. A Google rating of 4.6 across more than 3,100 reviews confirms its sustained standing with both regulars and first-time visitors.

One of Brooklyn's most decorated cocktail bars, Clover Club at 210 Smith St has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings since 2009, reaching as high as #18 globally in 2012. It occupies a particular position in New York's bar scene: technically serious, historically grounded, and deliberately unglamorous in the way only confident institutions can afford to be.

Bramble has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars since 2009, reaching number seven in the world in that same year and peaking at number ten in 2012. Located on Queen Street in Edinburgh's New Town, it operates as a benchmark for serious cocktail craft in Scotland, with a Google rating of 4.6 across nearly a thousand reviews. Its sustained recognition over more than fifteen years places it in a different tier from most Edinburgh bars.

Family-owned since the 1930s, Le Forum Paris represents the pinnacle of classic cocktail culture, where three generations of expertise have created a timeless institution. This legendary bar combines masterful execution of traditional cocktails with authentic Parisian sophistication in an atmosphere of refined elegance.

The Zetter Townhouse bar in Clerkenwell earned back-to-back placements on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2012 and 2013, reaching as high as number 15 globally. Housed in a Georgian townhouse on St John's Square, it operates in a tier of London bars where atmosphere and ingredient-led cocktail craft matter more than volume. Rated 4.4 across more than a thousand Google reviews, it remains a reference point for the neighbourhood's drinking culture.

Florería Atlantico has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2013, peaking at #3 in 2019. Set beneath a flower shop on Calle Arroyo, it draws on Argentina's migrant histories and Indigenous traditions to build one of South America's most rigorously conceptual cocktail programs. The 4.2 Google rating across nearly 7,500 reviews suggests the ambition lands consistently.

A Kurfürstendamm-adjacent bar that ranked among the world's 30 best in 2012, Lebensstern operates in the upper tier of Berlin's serious cocktail scene. Open from 8am through to 1am, it covers more hours than most of its peers, making it as plausible a morning coffee stop as an evening destination for considered drinking.

La Capilla sits on Hidalgo street in the old town of Tequila, Jalisco, and holds a place in the World's 50 Best Bars record that few cantinas anywhere can match: four consecutive rankings between 2011 and 2014, peaking at number 16. The bar is less a cocktail destination in the contemporary sense and more a living document of how Mexico's national spirit has been served and celebrated in its birthplace for generations.

On Hollywood Road in Central, Quinary has anchored Hong Kong's serious cocktail scene since 2012. Named to the World's 50 Best Bars list every year from 2013 through 2021, and ranked among Asia's Best Bars consistently through 2025, it sits in a peer tier defined by technical precision and longevity rather than novelty. A Google rating of 4.6 across more than 900 reviews signals a floor of reliability that few bars at this level maintain.

Little Red Door has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2013, reaching as high as sixth globally. Tucked into Rue Charlot in the Haut-Marais, it functions as a serious cocktail address that has shaped how Paris thinks about bar culture — drawing a neighbourhood crowd as readily as international visitors. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across more than 2,700 responses.

Jacques Garcia's stunning design defines Le Coq Paris on Place du Trocadéro, where Thierry Costes' modern brasserie concept elevates traditional Parisian hospitality. Premium cocktails complement acclaimed rotisserie cuisine in an atmosphere of sophisticated intimacy, featuring mirrored walls, striking red tables, and ice-inspired columns that create the perfect backdrop for luxury Paris bar experiences.

Authentic Nashville honky-tonk atmosphere meets serious cocktail craftsmanship at Shady Pines Sydney, the landmark speakeasy behind Crown Street's unmarked door. Since 2010, this influential bar has redefined Sydney's drinking culture through expert whiskey selection, vintage taxidermy décor, and unpretentious hospitality that seamlessly serves both craft cocktails and beer-and-shot efficiency.

On Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side, Attaboy has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2013, reaching as high as #4 globally in 2014. The format is no-menu, guest-led: bartenders build drinks around what you tell them you like. It is one of the most consistently recognised bars in North America over the past decade.

A whisky-forward cocktail bar on Rue Beautreillis in the Marais, Sherry Butt earned a place at number 43 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2013 and has since become a reference point for Paris's shift toward serious spirits programming. Open from early evening until 2am most nights, it draws a mixed crowd of regulars and international visitors navigating the 4th arrondissement's bar circuit.

Joaquín Simó's groundbreaking Pouring Ribbons revolutionized New York City's cocktail scene through its innovative matrix-style menus and thematic storytelling approach. This influential East Village destination made sophisticated mixology accessible via seasonally rotating concepts, from "Route 66" to "Silk Road," while maintaining the perfect balance between technical precision and playful hospitality that defined modern cocktail culture.

Tippling Club has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2011, making it one of the most consistently recognised cocktail bars in Asia. Located on Tanjong Pagar Road in Singapore's former warehouse district, the bar operates at the intersection of technical precision and theatrical presentation. A 4.6 Google rating across nearly 740 reviews reflects sustained performance over more than a decade of competition.

Drink Boston pioneered the no-menu cocktail experience in Fort Point's subterranean setting, where James Beard Award-winning mixologists craft entirely bespoke cocktails through intimate conversations with guests. This minimalist sanctuary has influenced the national cocktail scene since 2008, offering personalized luxury bar service that transforms every visit into a unique discovery.

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant on Geary Boulevard has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list six times between 2009 and 2018, reaching as high as #30 in 2011. The Richmond District institution built its reputation on agave spirits long before the category commanded serious attention, and it holds a 4.5 Google rating across 890 reviews.

Eleven consecutive appearances on the World's 50 Best Bars list — most recently ranked #17 in 2024 — position Baba au Rum as one of the most consistently recognised bars in Europe. Located at Klitiou 6 in central Athens, the bar's back bar holds more than 400 rums, and its rum-and-cocktail-society format has drawn a devoted local and international following for over 15 years.

One of Milan's most recognised cocktail bars, Nottingham Forest at Viale Piave has held positions inside the World's 50 Best Bars list across multiple years, peaking at number 15 in both 2012 and 2014. The bar operates Tuesday through Saturday from 18:30 and on Sundays from 18:00, placing it firmly in the evening-only tier. Over 2,900 Google reviews at 4.4 average confirm sustained local and international interest.

Delicatessen earned three consecutive placements on the World's 50 Best Bars list between 2013 and 2015, reaching as high as 32nd globally, which places it among the small group of Moscow bars that shaped how the city's cocktail scene was understood internationally. The bar sits on Sadovaya-Karetnaya in central Moscow, where its food and drink programme operates as an integrated whole rather than two separate menus.