
Globally renowned 2017 list spotlighting exceptional bars.
How many of these have you visited?
Discover on Pearl
London, United Kingdom
The American Bar at the Savoy has spent more than a decade inside the World's 50 Best Bars rankings, reaching number one in 2017. Anchored on the Strand in central London, it occupies a specific tier in the city's cocktail hierarchy: hotel bars with a verifiable international award record and a clientele that spans regulars, professionals, and informed visitors. It is one of the few bars in any European capital that functions simultaneously as a London institution and a global benchmark.

London, United Kingdom
Ryan 'Mr. Lyan' Chetiyawardana's revolutionary Dandelyan redefined London luxury through botanical cocktail innovation and Tom Dixon's striking design. This World's Best Bar winner at Mondrian London transformed hotel bar conventions with approachable sophistication, Thames views, and groundbreaking mixology before evolving into Lyaness.

New York City, United States
NoMad Bar transforms a restored 19th-century Manhattan building into New York City's most theatrical cocktail destination, where Chris Moore's innovative mixology program and towering copper bar create an atmosphere of Gilded Age grandeur beneath soaring ceilings and antique mirrors.

London, United Kingdom
The Connaught Bar has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2010, twice claiming the top position, and remains the benchmark against which London's hotel bar category is measured. Housed within Mayfair's Connaught hotel, the David Collins-designed space marries Cubist geometry with a service programme of rare technical precision. The bespoke Dry Martini trolley service, led by Agostino Perrone and Giorgio Bargiani, is the bar's most replicated and least reproducible signature.

New York City, United States
Positioned at the serious end of New York's cocktail hierarchy, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog at 30 Water St has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2013, including the #1 spot in 2016. The Financial District address shapes the experience as much as the program itself: a two-floor Irish-American bar where the drinking is taken seriously and the historical framing runs deep.

Athens, Greece
The Clumsies has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2015, reaching as high as number three globally in 2020. Located on Praxitelous 30 in central Athens, it operates as a reference point for serious cocktail culture in Southern Europe. A 4.5 Google rating across more than 8,000 reviews confirms its standing extends well beyond the industry circuit.

Singapore, Singapore
Manhattan Singapore has spent a decade as one of Asia's most-awarded cocktail bars, reaching #1 in Asia's 50 Best Bars twice and climbing as high as #3 globally. Located on Level 2 of 1 Cuscaden Road, it trades in American whiskey-forward programming within a format that prizes depth over novelty. A Google rating of 4.7 across more than 1,000 reviews confirms the bar's consistency beyond its trophy shelf.

New York City, United States
On Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side, Attaboy has built one of the most sustained award records in North American bartending — ranked as high as #4 globally by World's 50 Best Bars and #1 in North America as recently as 2022. The format is spare and the room is small, but the cocktail program operates with a precision that places it in a different category from most bars in the city.

London, United Kingdom
Bar Termini on Old Compton Street is one of London's most decorated cocktail bars, holding a #6 ranking in the World's 50 Best Bars and currently placed at #130 in the Top 500 Bars. Built around the traditions of the Italian bar — espresso, aperitivo, and precisely made small drinks — it operates from early morning through to midnight, making it one of Soho's few addresses that spans the full day.

Shanghai, China
Once ranked among the world's twenty best bars, Speak Low on Fu Xing Zhong Lu remains one of Shanghai's most decorated drinking addresses, with a track record in the World's 50 Best that few Chinese bars have matched. Its multi-floor format and sustained critical recognition place it firmly in the city's upper tier, alongside a food programme designed to hold pace with its drinks list.

Paris, France
Little Red Door has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2013, peaking at number six in 2023 — a record that places it among the most consistently recognised bars in Europe. Located on Rue Charlot in the Marais, it operates within a cocktail tradition that prizes conceptual rigour over crowd-pleasing approachability. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across more than 2,700 scores.

London, United Kingdom
Happiness Forgets is a basement cocktail bar on Hoxton Square that spent much of the 2010s inside the World's 50 Best Bars top 12, peaking at number six in 2013. Its combination of low-key format, serious drink-making, and east London positioning made it a reference point for the no-frills, high-craft model that reshaped London's bar scene over that decade.

Tokyo, Japan
Among Tokyo's most decorated cocktail bars, Bar High Five has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2011, peaking at number three globally in 2013. Situated in a basement space on Ginza's Chuo-dori, it represents a specific strain of Japanese bartending — classical technique, guest-led service, and an absence of theatrical gimmickry — that has given Ginza its international standing in bar culture.

Mexico City, Mexico
Licoreria Limantour on Avenida Álvaro Obregón has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars ranking every year since 2014, reaching as high as number six globally in 2021. Positioned in Roma Norte, one of Mexico City's most active neighbourhoods for serious drinking, it sits at the top of the city's cocktail scene and holds a 4.4 rating across more than 3,600 Google reviews.

Singapore, Singapore
Among Singapore's most decorated bars, Atlas has held a World's 50 Best Bars ranking every year since 2017, peaking at #4 globally in 2020. Set inside the Parkview Square lobby on North Bridge Road, it operates at the intersection of grand Art Deco architecture and serious gin and spirits programming, placing it in a distinct tier above the city's cocktail-forward independents.

New York City, United States
Few bars in New York City carry the kind of documented critical record that Dante NYC has accumulated since 2016. Situated on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village, it holds multiple World's 50 Best Bars placements, including a #1 ranking in 2019, and a 4.5 Google rating across more than 2,500 reviews. The combination of neighbourhood longevity and sustained award recognition places it in a very small peer set.

London, United Kingdom
Oriole has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars three times and carries a 4.7 Google rating across more than 1,100 reviews, placing it firmly in London's upper tier of serious cocktail programmes. Located on Slingsby Place in Covent Garden, it operates in the tradition of destination bars built around technique and transport-themed storytelling rather than neighbourhood drop-in drinking.

Miami, United States
Broken Shaker has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars rankings continuously since 2014, peaking at #14 in 2015 and earning a 2025 Pearl Recommended Bar designation. Operating from Miami Beach's Indian Creek Drive, the bar built its reputation on a back bar with genuine depth and a cocktail program that has outlasted most of its South Florida contemporaries. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across nearly 2,400 reviews.

Paris, France
Candelaria holds a firm place in Paris's cocktail conversation, ranking as high as #9 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2013) and returning to the Top 500 in 2025. The bar on Rue de Saintonge in the 3rd arrondissement built its reputation on a Mexican-rooted drinks program that sits apart from the classical French bar tradition, drawing a crowd that books well in advance and stays late.

Oslo, Norway
Behind an unmarked door on Storgata, Himkok runs one of the most decorated cocktail programmes in Europe — ranked #6 on Top 500 Bars in 2025 and a consistent presence in the World's 50 Best Bars since 2016. The bar's attached micro-distillery produces its own aquavit, gin and vodka, and its menus function as collaborative art projects with Oslo's creative community.

London, United Kingdom
Marian Beke's historically-inspired The Gibson London elevated cocktail craftsmanship to theatrical artistry within an atmospheric Edwardian setting, where sensory-driven drinks and bespoke ingredients created immersive journeys through mixology's golden age until its celebrated run concluded in 2023.

Melbourne, Australia
Few bars in the Asia-Pacific region carry a decade-long presence in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings. Black Pearl on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy has held that ground continuously, peaking at #7 globally in 2013 and returning a 4.6 Google rating from over 700 reviews. Open nightly until 3am, it sits at the serious end of Melbourne's cocktail spectrum without the velvet-rope posturing that often accompanies that status.

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Florería Atlantico has ranked inside the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2013, reaching as high as number three globally in 2019. Operating beneath a flower shop on Arroyo, the bar's cocktail program draws on the histories of migrants and Indigenous communities who shaped Argentine culture. It remains the clearest argument that Buenos Aires belongs in the same conversation as London, New York, and Tokyo for serious drinking.

Singapore, Singapore
Operation Dagger at 76 Neil Rd has held consecutive placements in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year from 2016 to 2019, reaching #21 globally and #6 in Asia. The bar occupies a subterranean space in the Tanjong Pagar conservation shophouse belt, operating with a technical, ingredient-led cocktail program that sits at the serious end of Singapore's bar scene. Google reviews average 4.3 across 485 ratings.

Singapore, Singapore
28 HongKong Street has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2012, making it one of Singapore's most consistently recognised cocktail bars. Located at 28 Hongkong St in the CBD fringe, it operates as a serious spirits-forward programme in an understated space that prioritises the glass over the room. A 4.4 Google rating across more than 1,100 reviews suggests it delivers consistently at scale.

San Francisco, United States
Trick Dog has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2014, yet it operates out of a Mission District corner like a neighbourhood institution rather than a destination trophy bar. Open from 4pm daily at 3010 20th St, it draws a crowd that ranges from local regulars to out-of-town drinkers who've tracked it for years, sustained by a program that takes cocktails seriously without making the room feel like a seminar.

Miami, United States
Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company on Miami Beach has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars global rankings, reaching #21 in 2018 before transitioning into the North America tier. Sitting at 237 20th Street in Miami Beach, it draws a 4.6 Google rating across more than 2,500 reviews and holds a 2025 Pearl Recommended designation. For Miami's cocktail scene, it remains a consistent reference point.

Taipei, Taiwan
Grace Tsai's innovative tea-based cocktails and Aki Wang's cultural vision define Indulge Experimental Bistro in Taipei, where Taiwan's multicultural heritage transforms into award-winning mixology. This Asia's 50 Best Bars mainstay reinvents its entire menu every 15 months, creating an ever-evolving luxury cocktail experience that serves as Taiwan's liquid cultural ambassador.

Nicosia, Italy
Lost & Found has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2015, reaching as high as #25 in 2018 — a sustained record that places this Nicosia address in a genuinely competitive international tier. Located on Lord Byron Street, it operates as one of the few bars in Cyprus with a consistent global ranking, drawing a crowd that ranges from serious cocktail tourists to the city's own discerning after-dark regulars.

Athens, Greece
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.

Singapore, Singapore
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.

New York City, United States
Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry's Blacktail recreates Prohibition-era Havana in the heart of Manhattan, where historically accurate Cuban cocktails and immersive period design transport guests to the golden age of American bartending in 1920s Cuba.

Rome, Italy
Jerry Thomas Speakeasy in Rome has ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2013, reaching as high as #19. Located on Vicolo Cellini in the historic centre, it operates on the speakeasy format that defined Rome's craft cocktail revival. The 4.5-star Google rating across more than 1,600 reviews reflects sustained reputation rather than novelty.

Paris, France
Le Syndicat on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis is the bar that put French spirits on the global cocktail map, reaching No. 24 in the World's 50 Best Bars in 2018 by working exclusively with French-produced ingredients. Ranked No. 173 in the Top 500 Bars for 2025 and rated 4.5 across more than 1,500 Google reviews, it remains a reference point for how indigenous products can drive technical cocktail programs.

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tales & Spirits has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year from 2014 to 2018, peaking at number 18 in 2016. Tucked into a narrow alley off the Nieuwmarkt quarter, it operates as one of Amsterdam's most consistently recognised cocktail addresses, rated 4.6 across nearly 2,000 Google reviews. The bar sits in a peer set that includes Door 74 and Super Lyan, anchoring the city's serious cocktail scene.

Tokyo, Japan
Bar Benfiddich occupies the ninth floor of a Nishishinjuku building, where Hiroyasu Kayama works a 17-seat walnut counter stocked with antique bottles, farm-grown botanicals, and homemade spirits including his own distilled absinthe. Ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars continuously since 2016 and placed ninth in Asia's Best Bars 2025, it operates nightly from 18:00 to 02:00.

New York City, United States
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 West Village address on Hudson Street operates as one of New York's most consistently recognised cocktail programs, drawing on a European apéritif and spirits tradition that sits apart from the speakeasy-revival bars that followed in its wake. In 2025, it holds #18 in North America and #95 globally.

Munich, Germany
Schuman's Bar occupies a corner position on Odeonsplatz, one of Munich's most formally charged public squares, and has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars every ranked year from 2010 through 2019. Its back bar is built around depth of spirits curation rather than cocktail theatre, placing it alongside Germany's small cohort of bars that compete on substance over spectacle. Reservations are advisable.

San Juan, Puerto Rico
La Factoría has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2015, making it one of the most consistently recognised cocktail programmes in the Americas. Occupying a colonial building on Calle San José in Old San Juan, the bar operates across several distinct rooms, each with its own format. Open Tuesday through Saturday, it draws a mix of locals and well-travelled drinkers who understand what the ranking signals.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong
On Hollywood Road in Central, Quinary has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2013, making it one of Hong Kong's most consistently recognised cocktail bars. Its technically precise program sits at the serious end of the Central bar scene, attracting regulars who return for the craft rather than the occasion. A measured, research-driven approach to cocktails has kept it relevant across more than a decade of industry change.

Chicago, United States
The Aviary has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list multiple times since 2014, peaking at #13 in its category before transitioning to Pearl Recommended status in 2025. Located in Chicago's Fulton Market district, it applies a kitchen-level discipline to cocktail construction — think multi-component, technically complex drinks that treat the bar as a laboratory rather than a service counter.

New York City, United States
Mace at 35 W 8th St in Greenwich Village has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars list across multiple years, including a #28 ranking in 2016 and a #18 North America ranking in 2023. The bar built its reputation on spice-driven cocktail concepts and a back bar assembled with uncommon depth. A Google rating of 4.4 across nearly 1,000 reviews reflects durable standing in one of New York's most competitive drinking scenes.

London, United Kingdom
One of London's most decorated cocktail bars, Nightjar on City Road has held a place inside the World's 50 Best Bars since 2011, reaching number two globally in 2013. The bar operates nightly until 3am, drawing a committed crowd to its subterranean setting where the drinks program has consistently defined what serious cocktail craft looks like in the capital. A 4.6 Google rating across more than 2,500 reviews confirms the reputation holds.

Stockholm, Sweden
Tjoget has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2016, peaking at #25 in its debut year and holding a position in 2025 at #76. Located on Hornsbruksgatan in Södermalm, it functions as a neighbourhood anchor as much as an award-circuit bar — the kind of place that earns its ranking through consistency rather than spectacle. Google reviews sit at 4.2 across more than a thousand ratings.

Sydney, Australia
Few bars in Australia have shaped the country's premium drinking conversation more consistently than The Baxter Inn. Tucked below street level on Clarence Street in Sydney's CBD, it spent six consecutive years in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings, peaking at #6 globally in 2015. The focus is whisky — a serious, deep list — served in a space that earns its reputation through program depth rather than spectacle.

San Francisco, United States
ABV on 16th Street in the Mission has earned back-to-back placements on the World's 50 Best Bars list and a 2025 Pearl Recommended Bar nod, making it one of San Francisco's most consistently recognised cocktail programs. Open daily from 4pm until 2am, it sits at the serious end of the Mission's bar scene without sacrificing neighbourhood accessibility. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 1,000 responses.

Singapore, Singapore
Native on Amoy Street has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2017, reaching as high as #12 worldwide and #4 in Asia. The bar operates Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm, anchored in a forage-and-ferment philosophy that draws directly from Southeast Asian ingredients and traditions. It sits among Singapore's most recognised bars and is a reference point for the region's bar scene.

San Francisco, United States
Tommy's Mexican Restaurant on Geary Boulevard has earned a place among the world's most recognized bars, appearing in the World's 50 Best Bars list across six editions from 2009 to 2018. The bar's reputation rests on a decades-long commitment to 100% agave tequila and mezcal, placing it firmly in the specialist tier of San Francisco's drinking culture. A 4.5 Google rating across 890 reviews reflects a loyal, well-informed crowd.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Lobster Bar at Pacific Place has held a position inside Asia's 50 Best Bars every year from 2015 through 2020, peaking at number four in Asia and number 18 globally. Situated on Level 6 of Pacific Place in Central, it sits within Hong Kong's most consistently ranked cocktail tier, drawing a crowd that expects serious programme depth alongside the harbour-adjacent address.

Tel Aviv, Israel
Imperial Craft occupies a seafront position on HaYarkon Street and ranks among the few Middle Eastern bars to have appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list, reaching number 17 in 2015. The programme is built around technique-led cocktails that draw serious international attention. For anyone tracing Tel Aviv's bar scene, it is a useful reference point for what the city's craft movement looks like at its most internationally recognised tier.
Find out on Pearl and keep score across every place in 2017 World's 50 Best Bars.
Overview
The 2017 World's 50 Best Bars list ranked the top 50 cocktail bars globally, with American Bar in London taking the number one position. The list featured 50 venues across 24 cities in 19 countries, representing a complete refresh from the previous year's rankings. London dominated with four bars in the top ten, while New York City claimed three spots.
The 2017 edition marked a significant shift in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings, with a complete turnover from the previous year—all 50 venues were new to the list. American Bar at The Savoy in London claimed the top spot, replacing Eleven Madison Park from 2016. London's dominance was clear with four top-ten placements, including Dandelyan at #2, The Connaught Bar at #4, and Bar Termini at #9. New York City followed with three entries: NoMad Bar (#3), The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog (#5), and Attaboy NYC (#8). The geographic spread extended to 24 cities across 19 countries, with notable appearances from Athens, Singapore, and Shanghai rounding out the top ten.
London swept the 2017 World's 50 Best Bars, taking four of the top ten spots including the number one ranking for American Bar. The 2017 list represented a complete reset from the previous edition—all 50 venues were new entries, with every bar from 2016 dropping off. Beyond London's dominance, New York City claimed three top-ten positions, while Athens, Singapore, and Shanghai each secured single spots in the elite tier. The full list spanned 24 cities across 19 countries.
The 2017 World's 50 Best Bars list underwent a complete transformation, with all 50 venues representing new entries compared to the previous year's rankings. American Bar in London topped the list, leading a particularly strong showing for the UK capital, which placed four bars in the top ten—more than any other city. Dandelyan came in second, followed by The Connaught Bar at fourth and Bar Termini at ninth.
New York City was the second-most represented city in the top tier, with NoMad Bar (#3), The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog (#5), and Attaboy NYC (#8). The geographic diversity extended well beyond these two cities, with The Clumsies bringing Athens into the top ten at #6, Manhattan representing Singapore at #7, and Speak Low putting Shanghai on the map at #10.
The complete turnover from the 2016 edition—where Eleven Madison Park had held the top position—marked an unusual shift in the list's methodology or eligibility criteria. With 50 venues across 24 cities in 19 countries, the 2017 rankings demonstrated the global nature of cocktail culture while showing clear clustering in established bar capitals.