The 17th edition of The World’s 50 Best Bars unfolded in Hong Kong with the clean, cinematic precision of a night staged for the global cocktail imagination – and yielded two defining shifts. For the first time in the list’s history, an Asian bar ascended to No. 1, signaling a decisive re-centering of the world’s drinking map toward the Pacific. Just as notably, Athens – lithe, inventive, and newly confident – claimed three coveted spots in the top 50, consolidating the Greek capital’s reputation as Europe’s most dynamic bar city right now.
Athens’ ascent is not an accident but a sensibility. The city’s leading bars are fluent in both archaeology and avant-garde, threading Hellenic botanicals through future-facing technique; they treat the Acropolis as mise-en-scène and the Aegean as a pantry. What distinguishes this generation is restraint and intention: ice cut with jeweler’s care, ceramics that feel like artifacts, olive oil that shimmers where another city might garnish with gold leaf. There is hospitality here too – unguarded and genuinely Greek – that softens the edges of high craft.
Bar Leone: Global Champion
Hong Kong’s Bar Leone was crowned the best bar in the world for 2025. The win marks a milestone for Asia’s cocktail scene, which until now had only reached the podium. Behind the bar stands Lorenzo Antinori, a bartender with a career in legendary venues such as The Savoy’s American Bar and Dandelyan in London.
Bar Leone draws inspiration from the neighborhood bars of 1980s and 1990s Rome, following the philosophy of cocktail popolari—cocktails for the people. The bar publishes its monthly menu as a Google Doc, including the recipes, in a gesture of transparency that has earned international recognition.
Athens’ Triple Success
In the context of a list long dominated by London, New York, and Barcelona, Athens’ three placements read as both recognition and promise. The city has moved past the novelty of “emerging” to the authority of “established,” while keeping its appetite for risk intact. If Hong Kong crowned a new center of gravity, Athens supplied the counterpoint: a Mediterranean capital that has learned to turn heat into clarity, heritage into invention, and a night out into a quiet act of cultural authorship.
Line (No. 8)
The most ambitious project of the Athenian scene, created by Vasilis Kyritsis, Nikos Bakoulis, and Dimitris Dafopoulos. Housed in a former gallery in Kato Petralona, it operates under a circular economy philosophy.
The team produces on site fruit-based wines (not from grapes), beers, and sourdough breads, with leftovers transformed into cocktail ingredients. The fruit wines, called Why-ins, are made in collaboration with winemaker Thanos Georgilas.
Baba au Rum (No. 27)
The pioneering bar of Thanos Prunarus marks its 11th consecutive appearance on the list and won the Rémy Martin Legend of the List award.
Operating since 2009, it offers more than 400 rums. Describing itself as a “society of rum and cocktails,” it is considered the cornerstone of Athens’ modern bar scene and the first bar in the city to introduce patrons to a worldly and sophisticated cocktail experience.
The Bar in Front of the Bar (No. 47)
Athens’ newest entry began literally as a scaffolding structure in front of the actual bar under construction.
From a temporary setup, it evolved into a permanent space with its own identity. Founders Alexandros Tselepís, Konstantinos Theodorakopoulos, and Symeon Papanikolaou focus on classic recipes, seasonal ingredients, and zero waste.
The World’s Top 10
The 2025 list features bars from 29 cities, including eight new entries from Athens, Bratislava, Guangzhou, and Tirana. Barcelona and London each place two bars in the top ten, while Athens stands out with Line in 8th position. The top ten also includes bars from Singapore (Jigger & Pony, No. 9) and Buenos Aires (Tres Monos, No. 10).
In the rest of the list (11–50) are, as mentioned, Athens’ Baba au Rum (No. 27) and The Bar in Front of the Bar (No. 47), along with bars from cities such as Paris (three spots), New York (four spots), Tokyo, Lima, Oslo, and Melbourne. You can view the full list here.
List trends
Geographical spread
The 2025 list records the broadest geographical diversity of the past eight years. Beyond the traditional capitals (London, New York, Barcelona), cities like Bratislava, Tirana, and Guangzhou make their appearance.
Asia on the rise
Beyond Bar Leone’s victory, the region placed bars from Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, and Tokyo. This strong showing confirms Asia as one of the most dynamic centers of global bartending.
Two philosophies, equal recognition
The top ten includes both bars with a laboratory approach and complex techniques (Handshake Speakeasy, Line), as well as venues emphasizing hospitality and neighborhood character (Bar Leone, Tres Monos). The coexistence of both models shows that excellence lies in execution, not philosophy.
Local and global
The most successful bars combine international techniques with a clear local identity. Bar Leone brings Rome to Hong Kong, Nouvelle Vague in Tirana uses pear rakomelo, and Lady Bee in Lima draws inspiration from the local ecosystem.
How voting works
The ranking is determined by votes from The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, composed of over 800 industry experts (bartenders, consultants, journalists, cocktail specialists). The panel is divided into 29 geographical regions and is renewed by at least 25% each year.
Voting rules:
- Each member votes for eight bars they have visited within the past 18 months
- Voting for bars in which one has a financial interest is prohibited
- Voting is confidential and anonymous
- Bars cannot apply for inclusion
- The process is audited by Deloitte
The list is a subjective ranking reflecting the personal experiences of the voters, not a scientific measurement.
