Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list sees Hong Kong’s Bar Leone take No 1 spot again

Bar Leone, an Italian cocktail spot in Hong Kong, has maintained its number-one ranking in the Asia’s 50 Best bars list for the second year in a row. In 2024, the Sheung Wan bar made a shocking debut on the list at number one – the only time in the history of the list that a new venue had grabbed the top spot in its first year. The 2025 rankings, compiled through votes by a panel of industry players from the Asia region, were announced in the evening of July 15 at an awards ceremony held at the Wynn Palace resort in Macau. During the Macau ceremony, Bar Leone founder Lorenzo Antinori took to the stage with his team members, Justin Shun Wah and Wing Lo. Wah said that the moment was especially meaningful to him because he was born in Hong Kong to a Macanese mother. “This, for me, is something I would never have imagined. We could not be more happy. We couldn’t be more surprised. “Last year we said we were speechless, and we continue to be speechless as well,” he added. Soon, Antinori took the mic back to invite the audience to celebrate in Hong Kong where, days ago, he opened Montana, a new venture with award-winning mixologist Simon Caporale of Barcelona’s Sips. “We go to Montana and Leone for a party, let’s go! Ciao!” The energy at the ceremony was high, with the countdown interspersed with announcements for special awards including the Legend of the List Award, which went to Vesper in Bangkok – a bar featured on the list each year since the ranking’s inception in 2016. The Industry Icon Award, which goes to an individual furthering the mixology profession, went to Hong Kong’s Jay Khan of COA (a three-time Asia’s 50 Best Bar winner) and The Savory Project. Khan had previously been described by the awards as “humble, obsessive about detail and generous with his knowledge – the kind of bartender who remembers your drink, your story and your name, no matter how busy the bar is”. Likewise, the Bartender’s Bartender award – an accolade voted upon by fellow mixologists – went to Hong Kong-born Andrew Ho from Guangzhou’s Hope & Sesame which, at seventh on the list, also received the Best Bar in Mainland China award. Mainland China’s bartending talent is also having a moment, with CMYK in Changsha reaching number 16 while the Mandarin Oriental’s MO Bar in Shenzhen debuted on the list at 21. This year, bars from Jakarta made significant inroads with four new entries. The Indonesian capital is represented on the list by Modernhaus (12th), The St Regis Bar (22nd), Carrots Bar (34th) and Cosmo Pony (38th). Bengaluru is also emerging as a destination to watch, with two new entries, Soka (28th) and Bar Spirit Forward (37th), joining existing representative ZLB23 (31st). The World’s 50 Best Bars awards will be held in Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal this October, the first time that the international edition of the list will be announced in the city. Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 Special Awards Art of Hospitality: Barc, Kathmandu Sustainable Bar: Sora, Phnom Penh Best Bar Design: Messenger Service, Bangkok Best Cocktail Menu: Backdoor Bodega, Penang Industry Icon Award: Jay Khan, COA and The Savory Project Bartender’s Bartender: Andrew Ho One to Watch: Workshop14, Hanoi Best New Opening: Modernhaus, Jakarta Highest New Entry: Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 full list An asterisk denotes a new entry to the list 50. Le Chamber, Seoul 49. Bar Libre, Tokyo * 48. Bar Sathorn, Bangkok * 47. Reka, Kuala Lumpur 46. Lamp Bar, Nara (re-entry) 45. Native, Singapore 44. Cat Bite Club, Singapore * 43. Opium, Bangkok * 42. Moonrock, Tainan * 41. To Infinity & Beyond, Taipei * 40. The Public House, Taipei 39. Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur 38. Cosmo Pony, Jakarta * 37. Bar Spirit Forward, Bengaluru * 36. Punch Room Tokyo, Tokyo * 35. Barc, Kathmandu (Best Bar in Nepal) 34. Carrot Bar, Jakarta * 33. Gokan, Hong Kong * 32. The Savory Project, Hong Kong 31. ZLB23, Bengaluru 30. Boilermaker, Goa * 29. Vesper, Bangkok 28. Soka, Bengaluru * 27. Penicillin, Hong Kong 26. G.O.D in Bangkok * 25. Yakoboku, Kumamoto * 24. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore 23. Offtrack, Singapore 22. The St. Regis Bar, Jakarta * 21. MO Bar Shenzhen, Shenzhen * 20. Vender, Taichung (Best Bar in Taiwan) 19. BKK Social Club, Bangkok 18. Virtu, Tokyo 17. Coa, Hong Kong 16. CMYK, Changsha 15. Three X Co, Kuala Lumpur (re-entry) 14. Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya (Best Bar in Sri Lanka) 13. Alice, Seoul (Highest Climber Award) 12. Modernhaus, Jakarta * (Best New Opening Award, Best Bar in Indonesia) 11. Argo, Hong Kong 10. Penrose, Kuala Lumpur (Best Bar in Malaysia) 9. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo 8. Lair, New Delhi 7. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou (Best Bar in Mainland China) 6. Bar Cham, Seoul 5. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok * (Highest New Entry) 4. Bar Us, Bangkok (Best Bar in Thailand) 3. Jigger & Pony, Singapore (Best Bar in Singapore) 2. Zest, Seoul (Best Bar in Korea) 1. Bar Leone, Hong Kong (Best Bar in Hong Kong)

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list sees Hong Kong’s Bar Leone take No 1 spot again

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Bar Leone topped the regional list for the second year in a row, while bars in mainland China, Indonesia and India made significant inroads

Bar Leone topped the regional list for the second year in a row, while bars in mainland China, Indonesia and India made significant inroads