
The 2024 World's 50 Best Bars: Complete Rankings & Analysis
An esteemed international list identifying the most outstanding bars globally, celebrated for innovation, craftsmanship, and service excellence.
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Handshake Speakeasy
Mexico City, Mexico
Handshake Speakeasy claimed the World's 50 Best Bars number one position in 2024 and has held the top spot in North America's 50 Best Bars for two consecutive years. Split across two floors inside a Colonia Juárez hotel, it pairs culinary-driven cocktails with a service model where every team member rotates through every role. The Fig Martini has been on the menu since opening; the clarified piña colada rewrites what the drink is capable of.

Bar Leone
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Bar Leone in Hong Kong took Asia's Best Bar at the World's 50 Best awards in both 2024 and 2025, and claimed Tatler's Bar of the Year for 2025. On Bridges Street in Central, it channels the unpretentious spirit of Rome's neighbourhood bars through classic cocktails, low-intervention technique, and mortadella sandwiches that have developed their own following. The result is one of the most-awarded bars currently operating in Asia.

Sips
Barcelona, Spain
Named the World's Best Bar in 2023 and ranked third globally in 2024, Sips operates from Eixample with a format that treats cocktails as structured, multi-sensory propositions. The bar behind Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez pushes beyond theatrics into genuine technical invention, including an inner sanctum called Esencia that seats just 14 for a curated tasting menu of experimental drinks.

Tayēr + Elementary
London, United Kingdom
Ranked #4 in the World's 50 Best Bars 2024 and a consistent presence in the global top ten since 2020, Tayēr + Elementary operates as two distinct drinking experiences under one roof on Old Street. The Elementary front bar runs draught cocktails and weekly-changing menus; Tayēr behind it shifts to a daily produce-driven format built around hyper-seasonal ingredients. Six years in, it remains the bar others are measured against.

Jigger & Pony
Singapore, Singapore
Ranked #3 in Asia and #5 globally by World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Jigger & Pony has tracked Singapore's rise as a serious cocktail city since 2012. Operating from the Amara Hotel in Tanjong Pagar, the bar publishes annual 'menuzines' — editorial-format drink menus that have become collector items — anchored in classic technique and contemporary execution.

Line
Athens, Greece
Line occupies a former art gallery in Athens' Kerameikos neighbourhood, where the team behind The Clumsies has built one of the world's most recognised bars around a circular economy model. In-house fruit wines, fermented beers, and sourdough breads form the production backbone, with waste folded back into a cocktail list that ranked #6 in the World's 50 Best Bars in 2024.

Tres Monos
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tres Monos sits at #7 on the World's 50 Best Bars list (2024), yet its Palermo address, graffiti-covered walls, and neon-lit interior read closer to a neighbourhood dive than a global cocktail destination. The bar's depth comes from serious local sourcing — including own-label spirits produced with Argentine grains and herbs — and a social training programme that puts community at the centre of its operation.

Alquímico
Cartagena, Colombia
Ranked #8 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024, Alquímico occupies a 19th-century mansion in Cartagena's historic El Centro, operating across three floors with distinct atmospheres: a courtyard bar at street level, a more measured mid-floor, and a full Reggaetón rooftop. Capacity reaches 1,200 people at peak, but the deeper story is the community infrastructure funded through every drink sold.

Zest
Seoul, South Korea
Ranked #2 in Asia and #9 globally by World's 50 Best Bars in 2024, Zest operates from a minimalist ground-floor space in Gangnam's Dosan-daero corridor, where a zero-waste cocktail programme draws on contract-farmed Korean ingredients, in-house urban beehives, and micro-distillery spirits. Co-founder Dohyung 'Demie' Kim won the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award 2024. Weekday hours run from 18:30, with weekend service beginning at 15:00.

Paradiso
Barcelona, Spain
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.

Himkok
Oslo, Norway
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.

BKK Social Club`
Bangkok, Thailand
Ranked #12 globally and #7 in Asia by World's 50 Best Bars in 2024, BKK Social Club operates from inside the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River. Soaring arches, a mirrored back bar, and an al fresco terrace set the physical tone, while a Mexico-inspired menu built around mezcal, tepache, and horchata riffs delivers the substance behind the spectacle. Named to Tatler Best Bars Asia-Pacific 2025 and Top 500 Bars at #67, this is Bangkok's most consistently decorated destination bar.

The Connaught Bar
London, United Kingdom
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.

Double Chicken Please
New York City, United States
Double Chicken Please revolutionizes New York City's cocktail scene through GN Chan's innovative "liquid dishes" concept, transforming beloved foods into extraordinary cocktails across two distinct spaces. This award-winning East Village destination earned Best Bar in North America 2023, offering both experimental cocktails on tap and intimate culinary-inspired mixology experiences.

Overstory
New York City, United States
On the 64th floor of a 1930s Art Deco tower in the Financial District, Overstory has placed in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2022, reaching #15 globally in 2024. The wrap-around open-air terrace delivers panoramic Manhattan views, while the drinks program — spirit-led, locally sourced, technically considered — ensures the bar earns its ranking on merit rather than altitude alone.

Lady Bee
Lima, Peru
Ranked No.16 in the World's 50 Best Bars 2024 and winner of the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award 2025, Lady Bee in Barranco, Lima, is a product-driven bar programme built around Peruvian biodiversity, from Amazonian fruits to high-altitude Andean distillates. The husband-and-wife team of Alonso Palomino and Gabriela León has doubled capacity at a new venue while keeping the focus on provenance, seasonality, and the farming communities behind every ingredient.

Baba au Rum
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.

Coa
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Ranked #17 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 and a three-time holder of the #1 Asia title, Coa occupies a lower-ground space on Shin Hing Street in Central with a forty-page agave spirits list and a cocktail programme that rotates a new drink every week. The food menu, developed with award-winning Mexican restaurant Chicano, grounds the experience in the culinary culture that produced the spirits on the shelf.

The Cambridge Public House
Paris, France
Founded in 2019, The Cambridge Public House in Paris's 3rd arrondissement sits at #14 in Top 500 Bars (2025) and #19 in World's 50 Best Bars (2024). It holds the world's first B Corp certification for a bar, and runs a hybrid model: Guinness on tap, natural wines, and precisely crafted cocktails, all within a deliberate Anglo-French framework on Rue de Poitou.

Tlecān
Mexico City, Mexico
Ranked #3 among North America's Best Bars in 2025 and #20 globally the year prior, Tlecān on Avenida Álvaro Obregón is Roma Norte's most serious agave bar. Head bartender and co-owner Eli Martínez Bello sources bacanora, sotol, pox, raicilla, and mezcal directly from craft producers across Mexico, building a programme that functions as both a bar menu and an education in indigenous distillation traditions.

Caretaker's Cottage
Melbourne, Australia
Ranked #21 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024 and #47 in Top 500 Bars for 2025, Caretaker's Cottage occupies a converted 19th-century caretaker's residence on Little Lonsdale Street. The bar's reputation rests on two anchors: a freezer-cold signature martini made with custom-commissioned gin, and what many consider Australia's definitive boilermaker pairing. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 4pm.

CoChinChina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ranked #22 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024, CoChinChina occupies a converted Palermo space where Franco-Vietnamese aesthetics meet Argentine cocktail craft. The menu moves between inventive mixed drinks and kitchen dishes rooted in the same dual cultural logic, across several distinct room formats — from pavement deckchairs to an upstairs dining room. A 4.3 Google rating across more than 4,000 reviews confirms the consistency.

Salmon Guru
Madrid, Spain
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.

Martiny’s
New York City, United States
Ranked #15 in North America and #75 globally by the World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Martiny's on East 17th Street has established itself as one of New York City's most consistently decorated bar programs. Its trajectory — from #68 globally in 2023 to #24 in 2024 — signals a bar operating with real upward momentum in a competitive Manhattan field. Google reviewers rate it 4.2 across 374 responses.

Bar Benfiddich
Tokyo, Japan
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.

Maybe Sammy
Sydney, Australia
Maybe Sammy has ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since opening in 2019, peaking at No. 11 in 2020. Positioned in The Rocks as a grand European hotel bar without the hotel, it pairs theatrical cocktail service with Sydney's irreverent hospitality instincts. Pink-jacketed bartenders, immersive presentation, and consistent global recognition make it the reference point for serious cocktail drinking in Australia.

Superbueno
New York City, United States
Superbueno on First Avenue in the East Village holds North America's #2 bar ranking from World's 50 Best (2025) and a 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. The bar runs a technically driven Mexican-American drinks program alongside a food menu built around refined cantina classics, all delivered through a hospitality approach that has made it one of New York's most-visited bars.

Nutmeg & Clove
Singapore, Singapore
Nutmeg & Clove has spent eleven years building one of Asia-Pacific's most recognised bar programs from an eight-table saloon on Purvis Street. Named in Asia's Best Bars Top 10 multiple times and ranked #24 in the 2025 edition, it turns Singapore's neighbourhood memory — kopitiam counters, mama shop shelves, itinerant ice cream carts — into formally structured cocktails that read as cultural argument as much as drink.

Satan's Whiskers
London, United Kingdom
Twelve years into its run on Cambridge Heath Road, Satan's Whiskers has settled into something East London rarely produces: a cocktail bar with no concept beyond the cocktails themselves. Ranked #22 in the Top 500 Bars (2025) and #29 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2024), it draws on a 900-strong list of classics and a live-to-order approach that keeps the drinks sharp and personal.

Panda & Sons
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Behind a discreet Queen Street entrance, Panda & Sons has spent twelve years reshaping Edinburgh's cocktail culture through genuine technical ambition. Ranked #30 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2024) and #1 in the Top 500 Bars (2025), it operates at the intersection of sub-zero science and a genuinely welcoming atmosphere — the kind of bar where a freeze-distilled Coconut Daiquiri sits comfortably alongside a simple pint.

Tan Tan
São Paulo, Brazil
Tan Tan sits on Rua Fradique Coutinho in Pinheiros, splitting its space evenly between a precision-driven cocktail bar and an open kitchen serving Brazilian-inflected Asian food. Ranked #19 on Top 500 Bars and #31 on World's 50 Best Bars in 2024, it operates in São Paulo's upper tier of drinking destinations — a city whose Japanese diaspora is the largest outside Japan.

Licoreria Limantour
Mexico City, Mexico
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.

Drink Kong
Rome, Italy
Drink Kong has held a position on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2020, placing it in the top tier of Rome's bar scene and among Italy's most globally recognized cocktail programs. Set across multiple rooms in Celio, the bar runs nightly from 18:30 with a menu format that guides guests by sensation rather than category. A serious destination for those who treat cocktails as a discipline.

Jewel of the South
New Orleans, United States
Housed in an 1835 Creole cottage on St Louis Street in the French Quarter, Jewel of the South has become New Orleans' most decorated cocktail bar since opening in 2019. A 2024 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar and a #4 ranking in North America's 50 Best Bars 2025 position it firmly at the top of the city's drinking hierarchy. The bar's identity is built around the historical cocktail record of New Orleans, refined rather than replicated.

Byrdi
Melbourne, Australia
Byrdi occupies a ground-floor tenancy on La Trobe Street with a drinks programme built around Australian native ingredients and a track record that puts it among the world's most recognised bars. Ranked #35 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024, it holds a 4.7 Google rating across 356 reviews. For Melbourne's bar scene, it represents the cleaner, more produce-led end of the spectrum.

Locale Firenze
Florence, Italy
Inside a 13th-century palace once home to a Medici-era diplomat, Locale Firenze operates at the serious end of Italian bar culture. Ranked #15 in the Top 500 Bars (2025) and #36 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2024), the programme pairs modernist technique with low-waste discipline and a kitchen-bar dialogue that sets it apart from Florence's broader cocktail scene.

Scarfes Bar
London, United Kingdom
Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London occupies a leather-lined lounge off High Holborn that has earned a place in the World's 50 Best Bars list three consecutive years running (No. 37 in 2024). The cocktail menu, inspired by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe's memoirs, pairs technical ambition with deep whisky credentials. A grand piano, open fireplaces, and a hardwood bar that seems to go on forever set the physical terms of the room.

Moebius Milano
Milan, Italy
A former textile warehouse in central Milan reimagined as a cocktail bar, bistro, and fine-dining space, Moebius Milano ranked 38th at the World's 50 Best Bars in 2024 and 9th in the Top 500 Bars list in 2025. The drinks programme draws on culinary technique, the ground floor runs globally influenced small plates, and the first-floor Moebius Sperimentale operates as a glass-enclosed Michelin-starred restaurant. It resists easy categorisation, which is precisely the point.

Bar Nouveau
Paris, France
Ranked #18 on Top 500 Bars and #39 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2024, Bar Nouveau brings the Art Nouveau movement to life across two floors at 5 Rue des Haudriettes in the Marais. A six-cocktail menu split between pre-industrial and modern techniques mirrors the bar's two-level design philosophy. No reservations are taken, so arriving at the 3pm opening is the practical strategy for securing a seat.

Mimi Kakushi
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Ranked #40 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in both 2023 and 2024 and #64 on Top 500 Bars in 2025, Mimi Kakushi operates inside the Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah as one of Dubai's most credentialed Japanese-inspired bar concepts. Its "orient nouvelle" framework draws on 1920s Osaka cultural history, delivering cocktails of genuine conceptual depth alongside award-winning food in a setting that rewards repeat visits.

Bar Us
Bangkok, Thailand
Bar Us occupies a discreet first-floor space on Sukhumvit Soi 26, operating as a 'drinking room' where the menu follows a tasting structure — starters, mains, and afters, all built around liquid versions of Thai cuisine. Named in Tatler's Best Bars Asia-Pacific 2025 with the Best Innovation award, and ranked No. 4 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, it is one of Bangkok's most recognised bars by international trade standards.

Virtù
Tokyo, Japan
Perched on the upper floors of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, Virtù has accumulated a consistent run of World's 50 Best recognition — including Asia's Best Bars positions in 2023, 2024, and 2025 — alongside the 2024 Michter's Art of Hospitality Award. The bar pairs skyline views across eastern Tokyo with a drinks program that maps Japanese produce onto a French spirits framework, served by a multilingual team with evident warmth.

Atlas
Singapore, Singapore
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.

La Sala de Laura
Bogotá, Colombia
La Sala de Laura has climbed the World's 50 Best Bars list three consecutive years, reaching #44 in 2024 before settling at #68 in 2025, making it one of the most-tracked bar programs in Latin America. Located on Calle 65 Bis in Bogota, it holds a 4.5 Google rating across its reviews and sits in the upper tier of the city's serious cocktail scene, alongside peers recognized on the Top 500 Bars global index.

Röda Huset
Stockholm, Sweden
Röda Huset on Malmskillnadsgatan is Stockholm's most decorated Nordic cocktail bar, ranked #31 globally by World's 50 Best Bars in 2023 and #45 in 2024. The 18-seat upstairs cocktail room runs a curated Scandinavian tasting menu built around seasonal foraged ingredients. Walk-in seating is available at the ground-floor bar; the private cocktail experience requires advance planning.

Florería Atlantico
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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.

Analogue
Singapore, Singapore
Ranked #47 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024 and #15 in Asia the previous year, Analogue at CHIJMES in Singapore has moved steadily up the global cocktail rankings since 2022. Set within a 19th-century Gothic chapel complex in the civic district, the bar operates in a tier of serious program bars that compete on technical depth and concept clarity rather than volume or spectacle.

El Gallo Altanero
Guadalajara, Mexico
El Gallo Altanero has ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2022, reaching #48 globally in 2024 and placing eighth in North America in 2025. Located in Guadalajara's Colonia Americana, it represents the leading edge of Mexico's agave-driven cocktail movement and draws serious bar travellers well beyond the city's own circuit.

Danico
Paris, France
Inside Galerie Vivienne, one of Paris's 19th-century glass-roofed arcades, Danico operates as a bar that has earned a #49 ranking on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024. Accessed through the Italian restaurant Daroco, it runs a rotating cocktail programme drawing on global ingredients and advanced technique. The Xplorer series, now complete after five country-themed menus, has been replaced by a France-focused special edition.

1930
Milan, Italy
Milan's most deliberately inaccessible cocktail bar has held a position on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2019, reaching as high as #20. Now operating from a vaulted basement beneath Mag La Pusterla in the Colonne di San Lorenzo neighbourhood, 1930 runs on a members-first booking system and a menu that deliberately blurs the boundary between mixology and the Italian table.

The Bar in Front of the Bar
Athens, Greece
The Bar in Front of the Bar revolutionizes Athens' cocktail scene through its zero-waste philosophy and daily-changing menu, where award-winning mixologists craft innovative drinks using housemade ingredients like palo santo smoke and black garlic. This street-side luxury destination combines theatrical outdoor seating with a hidden jungle-themed speakeasy, creating an unforgettable dual experience.

Kwant
London, United Kingdom
Kwant occupies a Mayfair address dressed in hand-painted Polynesian tapa art and retro furnishings, built around a serious collection of vintage spirits and seasonal cocktails. It has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars since 2019, peaking at number six globally in 2020. For London's vintage spirits tier, it remains one of the most credentialed addresses in the city.

Freni e Frizioni
Rome, Italy
Ranked #37 in Top 500 Bars and #58 in the World's 50 Best Bars for 2025, Freni e Frizioni has become one of Rome's most consistently recognised drinking destinations. Set in Trastevere, it draws a loyal nightly crowd from aperitivo hour through to the early morning. Its trajectory across three consecutive years in the 50 Best rankings signals a bar that has moved well past cult-local status.

The SG Club
Tokyo, Japan
Ranked #65 in the World's 50 Best Bars 2025 and a fixture on the Asia's Best Bars list since 2019, The SG Club in Shibuya operates across two distinct floors with a program rooted in Japanese ingredient logic and international technique. Located in Jinnan, a quieter pocket above the Shibuya crossing noise, it draws a consistent crowd of serious drinkers and has held a place in the global top 25 as recently as 2021.

Arca
Tulum, Mexico
Arca has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2022, reaching #55 in 2024 and #77 in 2025, making it the most consistently decorated bar in the Yucatán Peninsula. Set on the Tulum beach road at Km 7.6, it operates where the jungle presses against the Caribbean coast and where fermented, foraged, and fire-driven drinks have become the dominant local idiom.

Cat Bite Club
Singapore, Singapore
Tatler's 2025 Bar of the Year for Singapore and ranked No. 44 in Asia's 50 Best Bars, Cat Bite Club on Duxton Road operates at the intersection of agave spirits and rice-based liquors, with a programme serious enough to place it among the region's leading cocktail bars. The format is deliberately intimate, the hospitality easy, and the margarita reportedly the finest in the city.

Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar
Bangkok, Thailand
Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar occupied Bangkok's top tier of cocktail recognition through 2023 and 2024, reaching #19 and #57 respectively in the World's 50 Best Bars global ranking. Positioned on the second floor of a Bang Rak address, it represents the precision-led, concept-driven school of Thai bartending that has placed Bangkok alongside Singapore and Tokyo as a credible force in Asian cocktail culture.

Argo
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Located on the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong in Central, Argo has placed on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2022, reaching as high as #34 globally and #3 in Asia. Named to Tatler's Best Bars Asia-Pacific 2025 list, it operates at the upper tier of Hong Kong's hotel bar circuit, where programme depth and regional recognition matter as much as the address.

Little Red Door
Paris, France
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.

The Clumsies
Athens, Greece
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.

A Bar with Shapes For a Name
London, United Kingdom
Ranked #73 in the World's 50 Best Bars 2025 and sitting on Kingsland Road in the heart of east London's Dalston-to-Haggerston corridor, A Bar with Shapes For a Name has carved a distinct position in the city's cocktail conversation. Its trajectory through the global rankings since 2023 points to a program that rewards repeat attention. Bookings fill quickly; plan several weeks ahead.

Mirror Bar
Bratislava, Slovakia
Inside Bratislava's Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, Mirror Bar has climbed from local curiosity to a fixture on the global bar circuit, ranking 46th in the Top 500 Bars (2025) and 62nd in the World's 50 Best Bars (2024). The programme, led by bar ambassadors Stanislav Harcinik and Peter Marcina, fuses classical cocktail structure with theatrical presentation and locally-made glassware, set inside a room designed around forest greens, botanical installations, and a full-size handcrafted tree.

Hope & Sesame
Guangzhou, China
Ranked #7 in Asia's Best Bars 2025 and making its World's 50 Best Bars debut that same year, Hope & Sesame has operated from Guangzhou's Dongshankou district since 2016. Entry is through a concealed refrigerator door; the programme inside runs on ultrasonic infusion, rotary distillation, and seasonal menus built around regional flavour and cultural narrative.

Thunderbolt
Los Angeles, United States
A technique-driven cocktail bar on West Temple Street, Thunderbolt has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list four consecutive years running, most recently ranking #64 globally in 2024. The format is deliberately low-key: a neighbourhood-bar atmosphere that sits in sharp contrast to the precision of what arrives in the glass. R&D is the engine here, with original ingredients driving a program that consistently earns global recognition.

Angelita
Madrid, Spain
Angelita operates on two levels in every sense: a street-level wine bar off Gran Vía and a basement cocktail lounge that ranked #51 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2025. The combination of serious wine programming upstairs and technically precise cocktails below has made it one of Madrid's most referenced drinking addresses, drawing a 4.7 Google rating from over 3,000 reviews.

Café La Trova
Miami, United States
On Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana, Café La Trova has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global ranking every year since 2021, reaching as high as #24 globally and #6 in North America. The bar channels classic Cuban cocktail culture through a program that has shifted and matured across four consecutive years of international recognition. Bookings are recommended; the address is 971 SW 8th St.

Native
Singapore, Singapore
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.

Barro Negro
Athens, Greece
Barro Negro has ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars top 70 every year from 2023 to 2025, placing it in the front tier of Athens cocktail bars and among the more consistently recognised programmes in Southern Europe. Located in central Athens, it holds a 4.7 Google rating across 847 reviews, signalling broad approval beyond the awards circuit.

Carnaval
Lima, Peru
Carnaval has held a place inside the World's 50 Best Bars top 100 every year since 2019, reaching as high as #13 before settling at #43 in 2023 and #69 in 2024. Positioned in San Isidro, Lima's financial and diplomatic quarter, it represents the precise point where Peruvian biodiversity and serious bartending technique converge. For anyone mapping Lima's bar scene, it is a fixed coordinate.

Bar Pompette
Toronto, Canada
Ranked #55 on the World's 50 Best Bars list for 2025 and #7 in North America, Bar Pompette on College Street has set the standard for cocktail craft in Toronto since 2021. The marble bar, French-inflected hospitality, and technically precise drinks built around unusual flavour pairings make it one of the most consistently decorated bars in Canada.

Bar Cham
Seoul, South Korea
Bar Cham has climbed from #50 in Asia's Best Bars in 2020 to #6 in 2025, placing it among the most consistently recognised cocktail bars on the continent. Situated in the Jongno District neighbourhood of Bukchon, the bar frames Korean aesthetics through classically grounded technique. It opens Wednesday through Monday from 18:00 to 01:00.

Svanen
Oslo, Norway
A 19th-century Oslo pharmacy converted into one of Scandinavia's most awarded cocktail bars, Svanen sits at #72 in the World's 50 Best Bars 2024 and #88 in the Top 500 Bars 2025. The neo-classical interior, complete with original mahogany fittings, marble columns, and Wilhelm Krogh-painted ceilings, remains largely intact. Cocktails are technically serious without being conceptually overbearing.

Wax On
Berlin, Germany
Wax On sits on Weserstrasse in Neukölln, one of Berlin's most competitive bar corridors, and has climbed to #57 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2025 after reaching #29 in 2023. The bar pairs a technical cocktail programme with a food offer calibrated to extend the session rather than just fill the gap between drinks. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 across 457 reviews.

Night Hawk
Singapore, Singapore
Night Hawk on Tanjong Pagar Road draws its entire identity from Edward Hopper's 1942 painting Nighthawks, translating the original's late-night diner atmosphere into a Singapore cocktail bar that ranked #74 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2024 list and #16 in Asia. The result is one of the Tanjong Pagar strip's more conceptually coherent bar programs, built around a clear visual and thematic premise rather than trend-chasing.

Hero Bar
Nairobi, Kenya
Hero Bar sits on the ninth floor of Trademark Hotel in Nairobi's Village Market district, holding a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2023, 2024, and 2025. It represents the sharpest edge of East Africa's evolving cocktail scene, placing African-sourced ingredients and technical bartending within a rooftop setting that looks out over the Kenyan capital.

LPM Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
LPM Dubai occupies a prominent position inside DIFC's Gate Village, ranking #60 on the World's 50 Best Bars list for 2025 and holding consecutive Star Wine List recognition. The room draws a crowd that comes as much for the wine program and service coordination as for the food, placing it among the most closely watched dining-bar addresses in the Gulf.

Bird
Copenhagen, Denmark
Bird sits on Frederiksberg's Gl. Kongevej, holding a World's 50 Best Bars ranking (#66 in 2025) and a Google score of 4.7 from over 300 reviews. It occupies a tier of Copenhagen bars that competes internationally rather than locally, placing it alongside the city's most credentialed drinking rooms. For visitors tracking the Danish cocktail scene's rise on the global stage, it is a reference point.

L'Antiquario
Naples, Italy
L'Antiquario operates from the Chiaia district of Naples, serving as one of Italy's most decorated cocktail bars with a World's 50 Best Bars ranking of #63 in 2025 and a Google rating of 4.7 across more than 1,200 reviews. Open daily from 18:00 to 03:00, the bar occupies a space that blurs antique-cabinet atmosphere with serious drink-making credentials, positioning it at the upper tier of Southern Italy's bar scene.

Dante NYC
New York City, United States
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.

Katana Kitten
New York City, United States
Katana Kitten on Hudson Street has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global rankings every year since 2019, reaching #10 in 2021 and maintaining a North America top-15 position through 2024. The West Village bar occupies a specific niche in New York's cocktail scene: Japanese-American technique applied with enough precision to attract a loyal repeat clientele alongside the global bar crowd. Reservations are advised, particularly on weekends.

Sin + Tax
Johannesburg, South Africa
Sin + Tax has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list in both 2023 and 2024, and ranks #195 on the Top 500 Bars global index for 2025, placing it firmly among Johannesburg's most recognised drinking destinations. Located at the corner of Bolton and Jan Smuts Avenue, the bar draws a crowd that takes its drinks seriously without taking itself too seriously. The food programme runs alongside the cocktail list with enough intention to make the pairing worth your attention.

The Savory Project
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
On Staunton Street in Soho, The Savory Project has built one of Hong Kong's most award-laden bar programs around umami-forward cocktails that treat savoury flavour as a serious architectural principle. Named to the World's 50 Best Bars at #86 globally and #32 across Asia in 2025, and a Tatler Best 20 Bars Hong Kong selection, it holds a service award that signals floor discipline matching its technical ambition.

Baltra Bar
Mexico City, Mexico
Ranked #20 in North America and #78 globally by World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Baltra Bar in Condesa has built a consistent presence at the top of Mexico City's cocktail scene over five consecutive years of recognition. Positioned on a quiet residential street in one of the city's most walkable neighbourhoods, it draws a crowd that takes its drinking seriously without the theatrics that define some of its peers.

Attaboy NYC
New York City, United States
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.

Vesper
Bangkok, Thailand
Vesper has held a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2016, making it one of Bangkok's most consistently recognised cocktail programmes. Located on Soi Convent in Silom, it operates in the upper tier of a city that has built a serious regional reputation for bar culture. With a 4.5 Google rating across more than 1,100 reviews, the consensus among repeat visitors is clear.

Smoke & Bitters
Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka
Ranked #14 in Asia's Best Bars 2025 and #67 globally by World's 50 Best, Smoke & Bitters operates from an unlikely address on Sri Lanka's south coast, turning Hiriketiya's surf-village setting into one of the region's most credentialed cocktail programs. A 4.7 Google rating across more than 1,100 reviews confirms the bar's hold on visitors who rarely expect to find this level of craft this far from a major city.

Rayo
Mexico City, Mexico
Rayo sits inside a Roma Norte mansion and operates at the top tier of Mexico City's bar scene, ranking #5 in North America and #87 globally on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024. The programme draws on the Aztec mythology of Mayáhuel, channelling it into technically precise cocktails built entirely from Mexican-made spirits and ingredients. A rooftop laboratory format and 4.3 Google rating across 421 reviews confirm its position among CDMX's most consistently recognised bars.

Pacific Cocktail Haven
San Francisco, United States
Pacific Cocktail Haven on Sutter Street has tracked a consistent upward arc through the World's 50 Best North America rankings, climbing from #38 in 2024 to #16 in 2025, with parallel recognition from Top 500 Bars and Pearl. The program sits at a technically serious register within San Francisco's cocktail scene, drawing a crowd that treats the bar as a destination rather than a stop. Rated 4.6 across 929 Google reviews.

The Bellwood
Tokyo, Japan
A Taisho-era-inspired bar in Shibuya's Udagawacho, The Bellwood translates the kaiseki meal structure into a sequential cocktail programme, drawing on both Japanese and Western spirits. Ranked #79 on Asia's Best Bars 2025 and #190 in the Top 500 Bars, it also conceals a 12-piece omakase counter at the back. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 to 20:00.

Amaro
London, United Kingdom
Ranked #90 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2024) and #259 in the Top 500 Bars list (2025), Amaro occupies a serious position among London's recognised cocktail programmes. Located on Kensington High Street, it holds a 4.9 Google rating from 269 reviews — figures that place it alongside the most consistently praised bars in the city. A destination for those who take their drinking seriously.

Zapote Bar
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ranked #11 in North America's Best Bars for three consecutive years (2022–2024) and holding a 4.7 Google rating, Zapote Bar is one of the most consistently recognised cocktail programs on the Riviera Maya. The bar draws on Mexican botanical and agricultural traditions to build a drinks program that sits well outside the resort-corridor norm, making it a reference point for serious bar culture in the Yucatán Peninsula.

Camparino in Galleria
Milan, Italy
Positioned at the base of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II since 1867, Camparino in Galleria occupies a category of its own in Milan's aperitivo culture. Ranked 27th on the World's 50 Best Bars in 2021 and holding a place in the top 100 through 2024, it earns that recognition not through novelty but through institutional authority. This is where Campari-based drinking tradition lives in its original setting.

Hanky Panky
Mexico City, Mexico
Hanky Panky is Mexico City's first speakeasy and one of its most decorated cocktail bars, holding a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2021. Located in the Juárez neighbourhood, it draws its drink philosophy from international travel while keeping Mexican ingredients and hospitality at the centre of every glass. Tuesday through Saturday, from early evening deep into the night.

Red Frog
Lisbon, Portugal
Red Frog has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings three years running, placing it among Lisbon's most internationally recognised cocktail destinations. Located on Praça da Alegria, the bar operates in the technical, programme-led tier of the city's drinking scene. With a 4.4 rating across more than 1,500 Google reviews, it draws a mix of well-travelled visitors and Lisbon regulars who take cocktails seriously.

Nouvelle Vague
Tirana, Albania
Ranked #39 in the Top 500 Bars (2025) and #86 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2023), Nouvelle Vague has placed Tirana on the global cocktail map through a programme built around native Albanian ingredients and local spirits, particularly raki. The current menu, Origin'al, draws on forgotten culinary traditions and collaborations with small producers across Albania, translating heritage into technically precise, story-driven serves.

Cantina OK!
Sydney, Australia
Cantina OK! ranked #23 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2021 and holds a 4.8 Google rating across 915 reviews, placing it among Sydney's most recognised drinking destinations. Tucked into Council Place in the CBD, it operates at a scale and specificity that separates it from the city's larger bar venues. For cocktail-focused visitors, it belongs in the same conversation as Maybe Sammy and Eau de Vie.

Employees Only NYC
New York City, United States
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.

Penrose
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Penrose has held Tatler Asia-Pacific Bar of the Year for two consecutive years (2025 and 2026) and ranked #8 in Asia's Best Bars 2024, placing it at the top tier of Kuala Lumpur's cocktail scene. Situated on Jalan Petaling in the heart of Chinatown, the intimate bar works across classic and modern formats. It is the most decorated independent bar currently operating in Malaysia.

Viajante87
London, United Kingdom
Beneath Notting Hill Gate, Viajante87 is one of London's most decorated agave-focused bars, ranked #99 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024 and #170 on the Top 500 Bars list in 2025. The subterranean room channels Latin American energy through its spirits programme and atmosphere in equal measure, making it a serious destination on the city's cocktail circuit.

Above Board
Melbourne, Australia
Above Board sits behind Beermash on Collingwood's Smith Street, operating as one of Melbourne's most-awarded small bars: ranked #44 globally by World's 50 Best Bars in 2021 and returning to the list at #100 in 2024. The format is deliberate and tight — a counter-focused program built around bartender craft rather than spectacle, with a 4.8 Google rating across nearly 500 reviews confirming consistent execution.
Overview
The 2024 World's 50 Best Bars is an annual ranking that featured 100 venues across 45 cities and 31 countries. Mexico City's Handshake Speakeasy claimed the number one position, replacing Bangkok's Capella Bangkok. The list underwent a complete reset this edition, with all 100 entries being new additions and the entire previous top 50 dropping out.
This edition marked a notable shift in the ranking's methodology or scope, with zero venues retained from the previous year. Handshake Speakeasy led the top 10, followed by Bar Leone in Hong Kong and Sips in Barcelona. The geographic spread remained broad, covering 31 countries total. Barcelona and Hong Kong both placed multiple bars in the top 10, while Latin America showed strong representation with entries from Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Cartagena in the upper ranks. Seoul and Athens also cracked the top 10, demonstrating the list's continued global reach beyond traditional cocktail capitals.
The 2024 World's 50 Best Bars underwent a complete transformation, with all 100 ranked venues being new to the list. Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City took the top spot, displacing Bangkok's Capella Bangkok from the previous edition. The list expanded its view across 45 cities and 31 countries, with notable concentrations in Barcelona (Sips at #3, Paradiso at #10), Hong Kong, and Latin American cities. The complete turnover of venues makes this edition particularly difficult to compare historically, but it signals either a major methodology change or a decisive break from previous years' selections.
Quick Facts
- Total Venues
- 100
- Countries Represented
- 31
- Cities Represented
- 45
- #1 Bar
- Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City)
- New Entrants
- 100
- Retained from Previous Year
- 0
- Previous #1
- Capella Bangkok
About This Edition
This edition's complete roster replacement—100 new entrants, 50 dropouts from the previous top tier—represents the most dramatic year-over-year change in the ranking's visible history. Handshake Speakeasy's ascent to number one brought Mexico City back into the spotlight, while Bar Leone gave Hong Kong the #2 position. The top 10 spread across nine different cities on four continents, with only Barcelona managing multiple placements.
London's Tayēr + Elementary landed at #4, Singapore's Jigger & Pony at #5, and Athens' Line at #6, showing that established cocktail cities still command attention despite the wholesale list refresh. South America's presence in the upper ranks—Tres Monos in Buenos Aires (#7) and Alquímico in Cartagena (#8)—continued the region's growing influence in global bar culture. Seoul's Zest rounded out the top 10 at #9.
The 100-venue format (double the list's nominal "50 Best" designation) maintained the expanded scope from recent years, offering recognition across 31 countries. Whether the complete turnover reflects judging panel changes, shifted criteria, or genuine market disruption isn't clear from the rankings alone, but it makes historical comparisons nearly impossible and suggests travelers should treat this as essentially a new benchmark rather than an evolution of previous editions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bar ranked #1 in the 2024 World's 50 Best Bars?
How many venues from the previous year's list were retained?
Which cities had multiple bars in the top 10?
How many countries are represented in the 2024 list?
How many of these have you visited?
Find out on Pearl and keep score across every place in 2024 World's 50 Best Bars.

