The 2014 World's 50 Best Bars: Full Rankings and Analysis

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Canon holds a decade-long position among North America's most recognized cocktail bars, appearing in the World's 50 Best Bars list as recently as 2025. Operating nightly until 2am from its Capitol Hill address, the bar has built its reputation on spirits depth and technical precision rather than concept-driven theatrics. A 4.5 Google rating across 1,650 reviews reflects consistent execution over the long term.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Aviary sits at the intersection of cocktail theatre and serious bar food in Chicago's Fulton Market district. Ranked as high as #13 on the World's 50 Best Bars list, it applies a kitchen-driven approach to drink-making that has kept it on the Pearl Recommended Bar list through 2025. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm, it operates at a level where reservations are not optional.

Yugnes Susela's award-winning Southeast Asian cocktail artistry arrives in Manhattan's Gramercy at Elephant Bar, where bold, umami-rich drinks tell cultural stories through premium spirits and authentic spices. This luxury extension of Singapore's acclaimed The Elephant Room offers discerning New Yorkers an immersive journey through innovative mixology paired with seasonal Southeast Asian cuisine.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

White Lyan London (2013-2017) revolutionized global cocktail culture as the world's first bar operating without ice, citrus, or branded spirits. Ryan Chetiyawardana's radical sustainability-focused concept created pre-batched masterpieces like the Moby Dick Sazerac while generating minimal waste, earning international acclaim and influencing London's luxury bar scene permanently.

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.

One of the most decorated bars in North America, Broken Shaker operates from a Miami Beach hostel courtyard and has held a top-25 position on the World's 50 Best Bars list across multiple consecutive years. The program leans into produce-driven cocktails with seasonal sourcing, placing it in a peer set defined by technique and ingredient philosophy rather than nightlife spectacle. Rated Pearl Recommended by EP Club in 2025.

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.

Located inside the Ritz Paris at 38 Rue Cambon, the Hemingway Bar has ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2010 to 2014, reaching as high as #24. With a Google rating of 4.5 from 735 reviews and a 2025 Top 500 Bars listing at #303, it remains one of the most credentialed hotel bars in Europe, positioned at the upper tier of Paris cocktail culture.

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.

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.

A tiki bar operating below street level in Chicago's River North, Three Dots & a Dash earned a spot at #27 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2014, placing it among the most recognized rum-forward programs in North America. With a 4.6 Google rating across more than 7,000 reviews and late hours running to 2am most nights, it functions as both a serious cocktail destination and one of the city's more durable late-night institutions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Trick Dog has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2014, making it one of the most consistently recognized bars on the West Coast. Located at 3010 20th St in San Francisco's Mission District, it opens from 4pm daily and runs cocktail menus built around rotating conceptual themes rather than static lists. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 1,200 ratings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Star Bar Ginza has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list eight times since 2010, placing it among the most consistently recognised bars in Asia. Located in a basement on Ginza's main strip, it operates with the quiet precision Tokyo's top-tier bar culture demands. Weekday hours close earlier than the weekend, making evening timing worth planning around.

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.

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.

A Freret Street institution since 2009, Cure operates out of a converted horse and carriage firehouse and has maintained a position among North America's most recognised bars for over a decade. Its 2025 World's 50 Best North America ranking (#50) confirms continued relevance in a cocktail city that demands more than novelty. For serious drinkers, this is where New Orleans' classic cocktail revival took root.

Tales & Spirits occupies a narrow alley off Amsterdam's Nieuwmarkt and has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year from 2014 to 2018, reaching as high as number 18. With a 4.6 rating across nearly 2,000 Google reviews, it sits at the upper end of Amsterdam's cocktail tier, drawing a crowd that comes specifically for the programme rather than the address.

Maison Premiere has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list since 2014, operating from a 19th-century New Orleans-inspired room on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. The bar program centers on absinthe and raw shellfish, two categories that reward attention and patience in equal measure. A 4.6 Google rating across nearly 1,900 reviews reflects a following that extends well beyond cocktail enthusiasts.

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 Álvaro Obregón in Roma Norte, Licoreria Limantour has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2014, reaching as high as #6 in 2021. The bar operates as a neighbourhood fixture first and an internationally ranked programme second — a combination that has made it the reference point for serious cocktail culture in Mexico City. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across more than 3,600 ratings.

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.

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.

A speakeasy-format cocktail bar in Denver's LoHi neighbourhood, Williams & Graham entered the World's 50 Best Bars list at number 50 in 2014, placing it among a small tier of American bars recognised at that scale. The hidden-door entry format, precise drink programme, and 4.6-star rating across more than 2,000 Google reviews position it firmly in Denver's upper bracket for serious cocktail hospitality.