World's 50 Best Bars Full List Announcement

The World's 50 Best Bars

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Summary

Hong Kong’s Bar Leone was named The World’s Best Bar 2025, marking the first time an Asian bar has won the title
Founded by Lorenzo Antinori, the bar promotes “cocktail popolari” with a simple, welcoming, and unpretentious philosophy
Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy and Barcelona’s Sips were awarded Nos. 2 and 3

In a groundbreaking moment for the continent’s cocktail scene, Hong Kong‘s own Bar Leone has been named The World’s Best Bar 2025 — marking the first time a bar in Asia has achieved the No. 1 position.

Nestled in the city’s vibrant Central district, Bar Leone is the brainchild of celebrated bartender Lorenzo Antinori. The bar is founded on the philosophy of “cocktail popolari” or “cocktails for the people,” paying tribute to the welcoming, unpretentious neighborhood bars of Rome where Antinori was born. His goal was to simplify modern mixology, focusing on high-quality, approachable drinks. The cocktail menu is a rotating Google Docs file, updated monthly with the full recipe and method to ensure accessibility for everyone.

Having opened only in June 2023, Bar Leone made a rapid ascent, following its debut at No. 1 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list and a No. 2 finish on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list. The bar also retained its title as The Best Bar in Asia earlier this year.

The ceremony took place at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong on the evening of October 8, where Antinori and his partners and crew accepted the award. “We’re living in times where I think consumers are seeking for comfort, and we happen to open a bar that is very simple, but I believe that’s what truly made us stand out. It’s this idea of being very approachable,” he said. “You can come multiple times throughout the week. You can order a glass of wine at Bar Leone, and it’s totally fine. You can order a Negroni, you can have a bite. I think a place that welcomes everybody and where you feel comfortable was the main goal for us, and probably that’s what people like the most.”

Touching on the bar experience, Antinori explained that it goes beyond just cocktails. In order to deliver a 360-degree bar experience, the Bar Leone team also looks at food, lighting, music, branding on the coasters and napkins and, of course, quality of service. “We see those boxes, and we work towards ticking them. These days it’s very important, because it’s not necessarily easy times for anybody in F&B. I truly believe in quality by experience, and we believe in these elements that I just mentioned,” he shared.

With this accolade secured, Antinori and the rest of his team are looking forward to further evolving the Bar Leone experience detail by detail. He touched on how certain elements, such as a few wobbly tables, their sound system and glassware, aren’t necessarily seen, but are important points for them to tackle. “It’s also the longevity of a bar. It really stays in how much care and how much effort you put everyday [into] curating the quality of the bar experience,” he said. “So we want to, of course, stay here for a long time, and that’s why I think the priority for us is just trying to think how to improve. There will always be pressure because there are a lot of guests and a lot of customers who travel the world to visit us. So it’s our responsibility to make sure that we try as much as possible to deliver a quality bar experience. This is what we love.”

The rest of The World’s 50 Best Bars come from 29 cities with eight new entries across Athens, Bratislava, Guangzhou, Lima, New York, Oslo, Tirana and Tokyo. At No. 2 is Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City, followed by Sips in Barcelona.

Check out the full list of The World’s 50 Best Bars below.

The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025