2018 World's 50 Best Bars: Complete Rankings and Results

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.

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.

Manhattan at Conrad Singapore Orchard holds one of the most decorated track records in Asian cocktail history, ranking as high as #1 in Asia's 50 Best Bars and #3 globally. Named the Tatler Best Bars Asia-Pacific 2025 Best Service winner, the bar frames Golden Age American cocktail culture through a Singaporean lens. It sits at the upper tier of Orchard Road hotel bars, with a Google rating of 4.7 across more than 1,000 reviews.

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.

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.

Bar Termini on Old Compton Street operates at the point where Italian bar culture and London's cocktail scene meet. Ranked as high as #6 in the World's 50 Best Bars, it trades in precision espresso and aperitivo-format drinks across a compact Soho address. Opening hours stretch from morning coffee to late-night cocktails, making it one of the few London bars that earns its space across the full day.

The Clumsies has placed in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2015, reaching as high as third globally in 2020. Operating from a Praxitelous Street townhouse in central Athens, it applies Greek ingredients and fermentation techniques to high-volume bar service without sacrificing precision. With a Google rating of 4.5 across more than 8,000 reviews, it functions as the clearest reference point for serious cocktail drinking in the Greek capital.

Housed inside Parkview Square's art deco tower on North Bridge Road, Atlas has ranked continuously in the World's 50 Best Bars since 2017 — peaking at number four globally in 2020. The bar's gin collection and art deco setting have made it a reference point for Singapore's cocktail scene, recognised by Tatler Asia for Best Design in 2024 and listed among the Top 500 Bars globally in 2025.

A MacDougal Street fixture since 1915, Dante NYC has ranked among the world's most recognised bars for nearly a decade, holding the number-one spot on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2019. The bar's Italian aperitivo tradition, sustained critical recognition, and Greenwich Village address place it in a peer set well above the typical neighbourhood anchor. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 2,500 votes.

The Old Man on Aberdeen Street has held a place inside the World's 50 Best Bars top ten and led Asia's 50 Best Bars rankings, making it one of the most decorated cocktail addresses in Hong Kong. The bar draws a steady crowd to Soho's lower slope with a literary-themed program and a commitment to technical precision over theatrical flourish. Booking ahead is advisable.

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.

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.

Native on Amoy Street has spent nearly a decade placing Southeast Asian foraged and fermented ingredients at the centre of Singapore's cocktail conversation. Ranked among Asia's top bars every year since 2017, including a peak of #4 in Asia and #12 globally in 2019, it occupies a tier defined by conceptual rigour and ingredient provenance rather than spectacle or volume.

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.

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.

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.

Oriole has held a place among London's most recognised cocktail bars since its mid-2010s opening in Covent Garden, reaching No.17 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in both 2017 and 2018. Now ranked No.92 in the Top 500 Bars for 2025, the bar operates at 7–9 Slingsby Place, WC2E, with a 4.7 Google rating across more than 1,100 reviews.

A French-leaning cocktail bar on Bethnal Green Road that reached No. 18 on the World's 50 Best Bars in 2018 and still holds a place in the global Top 500. Coupette trades in Calvados-forward drinks and Champagne-inflected formats inside a compact, warmly lit East London room that rewards both careful study of the menu and the confidence to ask the bar team what's drinking well tonight.

Behind an unassuming wooden door on Storgata, Himkok operates across several floors and formats: a draft cocktail bar, a terrace pouring local ciders, a barbershop, and a ground-floor distillery bar where house-made aquavit, gin, and vodka go directly from still to glass. Ranked #6 in Top 500 Bars (2025) and #11 in World's 50 Best Bars (2024), it is one of Scandinavia's most consistently recognised cocktail programmes.

Speak Low has placed on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2016, reaching as high as #10 globally in 2017. Spread across three floors of a former French Concession shophouse on Fuxing Middle Road, it remains one of the most consistently recognised cocktail bars in Asia-Pacific, appearing on the Tatler Best Bars Asia-Pacific 2025 list and holding a 4.6 Google rating across 154 reviews.

Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list since 2017, reaching as high as #21 globally in 2018. Located on 20th Street in Miami Beach, it operates as one of the most credentialed cocktail bars in Florida, drawing both local regulars and visiting drinkers who track the North America rankings closely. A Google rating of 4.6 across more than 2,500 reviews reinforces its sustained standing.

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.

Operation Dagger has earned consecutive placements on both the World's 50 Best Bars global list and Asia's 50 Best Bars since 2016, reaching as high as number 6 in Asia. Located on Neil Road in the Tanjong Pagar district, it operates as a serious craft cocktail bar with a technically driven program that has made it a reference point in Singapore's bar scene for nearly a decade.

Le Syndicat on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis occupies a corner of the 10th arrondissement where French spirits have been the only currency since day one. Ranked 24th on World's 50 Best Bars in 2018 and holding a spot in the Top 500 in 2025, it sits among a small set of Paris bars that have shaped how the city thinks about domestic production. Google reviews average 4.5 across more than 1,500 ratings.

Lost & Found on Lord Byron Street has carried Nicosia onto the global cocktail map, appearing in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2015 to 2023, reaching as high as number 25. With a Google rating of 4.6 from nearly 600 reviews, it holds a position that few bars anywhere in the eastern Mediterranean can match. For cocktail drinkers passing through Cyprus, this address is the reference point.

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.

Central Station ranked among the world's top bars twice in the World's 50 Best Bars list, placing at #26 in 2016 and #27 in 2018. Located in the Armenia Street area of Beirut, it holds a 4.3 Google rating across 429 reviews. For those tracing the arc of Beirut's bar scene, it remains one of the clearest reference points the city has produced.

Matt Whiley's groundbreaking Scout in Shoreditch pioneers zero-waste luxury through hyper-seasonal British cocktails and closed-loop sustainability. This intimate London cocktail bar transforms discarded ingredients into boundary-pushing libations, creating an educational experience where environmental consciousness meets exceptional mixology.

Three Sheets on Kingsland Road has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars list six consecutive times, peaking at #16 in 2019. Located in Dalston, east London, the bar holds a 4.7 Google rating from over 400 reviews and operates in the focused, technically precise tier of London cocktail culture. Booking ahead is advisable, particularly on weekends.

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.

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.

Tjoget has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2016, making it one of the most consistently recognised bars in Scandinavia. Located on Hornsbruksgatan in Södermalm, it operates as a genuine neighbourhood bar first, with a drinks programme serious enough to draw an international crowd. With a Google rating of 4.2 across more than 1,000 reviews, the regulars and the pilgrims seem to agree.

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.

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.

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.

La Factoría has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars global rankings every year since 2015, reaching #12 in North America in 2022. Located on Calle San José in Old San Juan, it operates Tuesday through Saturday on daytime and early-afternoon hours, making visit timing a genuine planning consideration. Rated 4.6 across more than 4,200 Google reviews, it occupies the upper tier of Puerto Rico's bar scene.

Paradiso entered Barcelona's cocktail scene through a refrigerator door in a pastrami shop and never stopped surprising. Named the World's Best Bar in 2022 and ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2018, it operates in a carved-wood interior designed to disorient, then delight. The drinks programme, currently themed around 'The Mysteries of the Universe', treats each cocktail as a scientific proposition.

Experimental Bistro has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars global ranking for seven consecutive years, reaching Asia's Best Bars #2 in 2018 and #3 in 2019. Located in Taipei's Da'an District, it represents the sharper edge of Taiwan's bar scene, where international technique meets local produce. Few bars in Asia have sustained this level of recognition across as many consecutive cycles.

El Copitas bar in St. Petersburg has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars top ten since 2021, peaking at number eight — a ranking that places it alongside a very short list of addresses outside the traditional cocktail capitals of London, New York, and Tokyo. With a 4.7 Google rating across more than 900 reviews, it operates at the upper tier of Russia's bar scene from a compact address on Kolokol'naya Ulitsa.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fifty Mils sits inside the Four Seasons Mexico City on Paseo de la Reforma, holding a ranked position in both the World's 50 Best Bars (No. 45 in 2018) and the Top 500 Bars list (No. 114 in 2025). The bar's design-forward environment and technically driven cocktail program place it at the serious end of Mexico City's bar scene, drawing an international crowd alongside local regulars with precise standards.

Swift on Old Compton Street operates across two floors with entirely different intentions: a light, aperitivo-focused bar upstairs and a whisky-dedicated basement below. Ranked #76 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2023 and holding a position in the Top 500 Bars at #133 in 2025, it is one of Soho's most consistently recognised drinking addresses, with a 4.6 Google rating across more than 1,600 reviews.

Ranked #23 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2024) and built around the motto 'Only dead fish go with the flow,' Salmon Guru on Calle de Echegaray brings together high-energy atmosphere, manga-splashed walls, and a drinks program developed in its own R&D lab. The Madrid flagship anchors a global brand now spanning Dubai and Milan, but this is where the philosophy runs deepest.

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.

Bar Benfiddich occupies the ninth floor of a Nishishinjuku building, operating nightly from 18:00 as one of Asia's most consistently recognised cocktail bars — ranked #9 in Asia's Best Bars 2025 and #25 globally in 2024. Its 17-seat walnut counter frames a program built around farm-grown botanicals, antique tools, and a working distillery in Chichibu, producing drinks that shift with each harvest.

Lost Lake Chicago elevated tiki culture through Paul McGee's innovative tropical mixology and sophisticated design that eschewed kitsch for authentic escapism. This Logan Square destination featured signature rum-forward cocktails, an educational rum club, and immersive tropical atmosphere that redefined modern tiki sophistication.