World's 50 Best Bars 2026: the full list, Bar Leone on top

Bar Leone in Hong Kong tops the World's 50 Best Bars 2026, announced in Milan on 7 October, and keeps the No.1 it first took in 2025. Moebius Milano climbs from seventh to second in front of its home crowd, and 14 new bars enter a list that now covers 26 cities.

This is the 18th edition of the ranking and the first held in Italy, as we reported when the ceremony was awarded to Milan. The organiser, William Reed, now trades as The 50 and labels the list The 50 Best Bars; most readers still search for it under the old name. Paris, Hong Kong and New York place four bars each. Paris overtakes London as Europe's most represented city for the first time, and Europe as a whole holds 18 of the 50 places. The United States has four bars, all in New York, one fewer than in 2025.

The top 50 completes a ranking that began on 23 September with the 51-100 extended list, where Dublin's Bar 1661 became Ireland's first entry and four Italian bars held their places.

Two years at number one, and the model is still a neighbourhood bar pouring classics.

1. Bar Leone, Hong Kong

Italian bartender Lorenzo Antinori co-founded Bar Leone in Central in June 2023 and modelled it on the neighbourhood bars of Trastevere in Rome. The house line is cocktail popolari, cocktails for the people: classics with an Italian accent, made without ceremony. It ranked second in 2024 and became the first Asian bar to finish first in 2025. It also takes the Best Bar in Asia title, ahead of Hope & Sesame, which led the separate Asian list this year. Planning a visit? Start with our guide to what to eat in Hong Kong and the best restaurants in Hong Kong.

2. Moebius Milano, Milan

The host city's only bar in the top 50 rises five places from seventh and is named Best Bar in Europe. Milan's other ranked bar, 1930, sits at No.94 on the extended list.

3. Alquímico, Cartagena

The Colombian bar is the Best Bar in South America and also holds this year's Art of Hospitality Award, announced before the ceremony. Colombia has three bars on the list, with Mamba Negra and Bar Carmen in Medellín.

4. Bar Us, Bangkok

Bar Us is the highest of three Bangkok bars, ahead of new entry Dry Wave Cocktail Studio at 27 and BKK Social Club at 30.

5. Line, Athens

Line wins the Sustainable Bar Award, which is assessed by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. It led the first Europe's 50 Best Bars list this summer, yet the European title on the global ranking goes to Milan. Athens places three bars.

6. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City

Handshake Speakeasy is the Best Bar in North America and leads a group of three Mexico City bars in the top 50.

7. Zest, Seoul

Zest is the only bar from Seoul, and from South Korea, on this year's list.

8. Connaught Bar, London

The hotel bar in Mayfair is the highest of London's three entries, in a year when the British capital loses its European lead to Paris.

9. Lady Bee, Lima

Lady Bee moves up three places to ninth. Lima has a second bar on the list, Sastrería Martinez at 37.

10. Bar Mauro, Mexico City

Bar Mauro debuts straight into the top ten and takes the Highest New Entry Award.

World's 50 Best Bars 2026: places 11 to 20

Schmuck in New York wins Best New Opening at 11. The Bar in Front of the Bar in Athens is the Highest Climber, up 28 places to 19. Paradiso, the World's Best Bar of 2022, receives the Legend of the List Award.

• 11. Schmuck, New York
• 12. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou
• 13. The Cambridge Public House, Paris
• 14. Sip & Guzzle, New York
• 15. Bar Nouveau, Paris
• 16. Sips, Barcelona
• 17. Paradiso, Barcelona
• 18. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
• 19. The Bar in Front of the Bar, Athens
• 20. Exímia, São Paulo

Places 21 to 30

De Vie and Dry Wave Cocktail Studio are new. Argo and El Gallo Altanero return to the top 50.

• 21. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
• 22. Mamba Negra, Medellín
• 23. De Vie, Paris
• 24. Himkok, Oslo
• 25. Argo, Hong Kong
• 26. Danico, Paris
• 27. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok
• 28. El Gallo Altanero, Guadalajara
• 29. Satan's Whiskers, London
• 30. BKK Social Club, Bangkok

Places 31 to 40

Four new entries sit in this band: Victor Audio Bar, Waltz, Montana and Barro Negro.

• 31. Victor Audio Bar, Buenos Aires
• 32. Waltz, London
• 33. Locale Firenze, Florence
• 34. Mirror Bar, Bratislava
• 35. Tan Tan, São Paulo
• 36. Montana, Hong Kong
• 37. Sastrería Martinez, Lima
• 38. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
• 39. Bar Carmen, Medellín
• 40. Barro Negro, Athens

Places 41 to 50

Gokan, Bar Snack and Angelita are new. Mimi Kakushi keeps the Best Bar in the Middle East title and Caretaker's Cottage stays Best Bar in Australasia.

• 41. Gokan, Hong Kong
• 42. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
• 43. Nouvelle Vague, Tirana
• 44. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
• 45. Caretaker's Cottage, Melbourne
• 46. Martiny's, New York
• 47. Tlecān, Mexico City
• 48. Virtù, Tokyo
• 49. Bar Snack, New York
• 50. Angelita, Madrid

Special awards at the World's 50 Best Bars 2026

• Industry Icon Award: Shingo Gokan, founder of Gokan in Hong Kong
• One to Watch Award: Three Horses, Melbourne, No.84 on the extended list
• Bartenders' Bartender: Takuma Watanabe of Martiny's, New York
• Best Bar Design Award: Saikindō, Abu Dhabi
• Best Cocktail Menu Award: Panda & Sons, Edinburgh, for the menu Transcend
• Best Bar in Africa: Front/Back, Accra, No.80 on the extended list
• The 50 Best Bars Scholarship: Isa Mejia, Ecuador

Frequently asked questions

Which bar is No.1 in the World's 50 Best Bars 2026? Bar Leone in Hong Kong, for the second year running. Moebius Milano is second and Alquímico in Cartagena third.

Where and when was the ceremony held? In Milan on 7 October 2026. It was the first time the awards were staged in Italy.

How many new bars are on the list? The organiser counts 14 new entries. The highest is Bar Mauro in Mexico City at No.10, followed by Schmuck in New York at No.11.

Which city has the most bars? Paris, Hong Kong and New York share the lead with four each. London, Athens, Bangkok and Mexico City have three.

How the list is made

The ranking comes from the votes of an academy of more than 800 bartenders, consultants, writers and cocktail specialists across 29 regions. Each voter names eight bars visited in the previous 18 months, votes are anonymous and Deloitte adjudicates the count. The list rewards the bars voters have been to, which favours cities with heavy trade traffic. We checked every position against the organiser's published list and press release on 8 October 2026.