This year’s edition of the World’s 50 Best Bars was just announced at an awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The company releases new rankings annually, with offshoot lists for North America and Asia. Hong Kong’s own Bar Leone took the top spot, an impressive feat for the two-year-old bar, and the first time an Asia-based bar has placed first.
Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City ranked second after getting the number one nod last year. The top five bars were rounded out by Sips and Paradiso, both in Barcelona, and Tayēr + Elementary in London.
Superbueno, a lively Mexican-American bar in New York City, placed 12th, the highest of any U.S. bar. Five American bars made the top-50, including three more in New York — Sip & Guzzle (no. 39), Double Chicken Please (no. 41), and Overstory (no. 46) — and Jewel of the South in New Orleans, which ranked 44th.
Bar Leone is modeled after the neighborhood bars of Rome and makes drinks like this Olive Oil Sour. | Bar Leone
Superbueno currently sits in second place on North America’s 50 Best Bars list and has enjoyed quick success after opening in 2023. Sip & Guzzle is another early success story, placing fifth on the 2025 North American list and now making the World’s 50 Best list even though it just opened in January of 2024. The list is compiled by votes from an academy comprising more than 800 anonymous drinks experts around the world.
The winning Bar Leone pays tribute to the neighborhood bars of Rome, where locals gather for coffee, aperitivi, and conversation. Its mantra is “cocktail popolari” — or cocktails for the people — and it attempts to demystify modern cocktail culture by focusing on approachable drinks and unpretentious hospitality.
“Consumers are looking for comfort,” said Bar Leone founder Lorenzo Antinori, who worked at storied bars in London and Asia before opening Bar Leone. “We opened a bar that seems very simple from the outside, but what made us stand out is this idea of being very approachable.”
The cocktails are creative and technically precise — the Olive Oil Sour is a favorite — but guests can also order a glass of wine or a coffee and enjoy a mortadella sandwich.
“We want everyone to be comfortable,” Antinori added. “We think that’s what people like the most.”
Bar Leone is just two years old, but Antinori said they hope to be around for a long time, and that kind of longevity comes down to how much effort you put into creating the best experience for guests.
This might mean updating the food and drink menus, or the sound system, or even more basic elements like changing glassware and fixing a couple of wobbly tables.
“The priority is constantly thinking about how we can improve Bar Leone,” Antinori said. “There are a lot of elements that people are not necessarily seeing, but those are the ones that I like, and we like, to focus on.”
He concedes that recognition like this brings added pressure because people from all over the world will now want to visit.
“It’s our responsibility to try as much as possible to deliver a quality bar experience,” he said.
Superbueno in New York City ranked 12th, the highest of five U.S. bars to make the list. | Superbueno
The World’s 50 Best Bars, 2025
1. Bar Leone, Hong Kong
2. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
3. Sips, Barcelona
4. Paradiso, Barcelona
5. Tayēr + Elementary, London
6. Connaught Bar, London
7. Moebius Milano, Milan, Italy
8. Line, Athens
9. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
10. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
11. Alquímico, Cartagena, Colombia
12. Superbueno, New York City
13. Lady Bee, Lima, Peru
14. Himkok, Oslo
15. Bar Us, Bangkok, Thailand
16. Zest, Seoul
17. Bar Nouveau, Paris
18. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
19. Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne, Australia
20. The Cambridge Public House, Paris
21. Satan’s Whiskers, London
22. Locale Firenze, Florence, Italy
23. Tlecān, Mexico City
24. Tan Tan, São Paulo
25. Mirror Bar, Bratislava, Slovakia
26. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
27. Baba au Rum, Athens
28. Nouvelle Vague, Tirana, Albania
29. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou, China
30. Danico, Paris
31. Scarfes Bar, London
32. Svanen, Oslo
33. Sastrería Martinez, Lima
34. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland
35. Röda Huset, Stockholm
36. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
37. Salmon Guru, Madrid
38. Coa, Hong Kong
39. Sip & Guzzle, New York City
40. Drink Kong, Rome
41. Double Chicken Please, New York City
42. Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia
43. 1930, Milan
44. Jewel of the South, New Orleans
45. Virtù, Tokyo
46. Overstory, New York
47. The Bar in Front of the Bar, Athens
48. The Bellwood, Tokyo
49. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
50. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
