The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025: Two Singapore Bars On The List, The Rise of “No Reservations”

The world’s favourite places for a tipple gathered in Hong Kong for the reveal of the World’s 50 Best Bars 2025, sponsored by Perrier. On the evening of 8 October, a live awards ceremony honoured cutting-edge and classic bars, rising talents and exceptional mixologists.

_{The World's 50 Best Bars awards ceremony in Hong Kong, 8 October 2025.}

Hong Kong’s home hero Bar Leone has the top spot this year: this marks the very first time in the competition’s history that a bar in Asia has held the title. Singapore’s Jigger & Pony, a heavyweight in the city’s bar scene, comes out once again on the list at #9, and heritage bar Nutmeg & Clove comes out at #50. The list of Singapore-based bars on the list is considerably smaller this year (2024’s list saw four bars in the top 50).

_{Bar Leone wins its home race: the first bar in Asia to be awarded World's Best Bar 2025.}

We’re seeing a surge in the popularity of “no-reservations” bars, or bars with casual concepts: the down-to-earth cheeriness of Bar Leone, the airy open concept of Barcelona’s Sips. #19 on the list, Melbourne’s Caretaker’s Cottage, is an old house-turned-bar that keeps its original furnishings and doles out martinis and Guinness pints.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 is a standing ovation for Southeast Asian bars: check out the list here.

Bar Leone, Hong Kong: World’s Best Bar 2025, Sponsored by Perrier

Previously awarded Asia’s Best Bar 2025, Bar Leone in Hong Kong continues its winning streak as the first Asia-based bar to be named World’s Best Bar 2025.

Bar Leone was opened in 2023 by the award-winning Lorenzo Antinori, born in Rome and skilled in classic bartending. Having worked in upscale bars all over the world, Antinori returns to the neighbourhood bars of his youth with Bar Leone’s concept: the menu is designed around cocktail popolari, cocktails for the people.

Deliberately stepping away from current trends, the bar focuses on perfecting classic cocktail recipes with quality seasonal ingredients. Go for the bellini, constructed in a tumbler like at the iconic Harry’s Bar in Venice, or Roman street snacks like the mortadella sandwich.

Bar Leone is located at 11-15 Bridges St, Central, Hong Kong. No reservations are required.

Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City – #2 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2025; Best Bar in North America 2025, Sponsored by Amaro Lucano

Another returning champion: Handshake Speakeasy was World’s Best Bar last year, and has been Best Bar in North America now for three years running. This bar has a traditional speakeasy theme, complete with Art Deco designs and low lights, but prides itself on its bright, cheery service: open a set of curtains on the ground floor and receive a synchronised welcome from the entire team.

The two storeys at Handshake Speakeasy provide a unique set of experiences: against a soundtrack of 90s music, the top storey has a more culinary approach to cocktail-making. A selection of creative but grounded martinis and a clarified piña colada are the standouts here. Head downstairs to the basement for edgier hip-hop music and the floral bouquet-like Three Sips Martini. The Fig Martini, which has been on the menu since Handshake Speakeasy’s opening, joins a list of must-try Handshake Classics that have been perfected over the years.

Handshake Speakeasy is located at Amberes 65, Juárez, Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico. Make a reservation online.

Sips, Barcelona – #3 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2025; Best Bar in Europe 2025, Sponsored by Monkey Shoulder

Barcelona sees two bars enter the top five this year: casual-creative cocktail bar Sips, and elegant lounge bar Paradiso. Sips was named World’s Best Bar in 2023 and continues its reign at the top of the charts this year, no doubt through the genius of its two legendary bartender founders. (Simone Caporale, one of them, has also received the Roku Industry Icon Award.)

Sips calls itself a “drinkery house” in its marketing, deliberately fashioning itself against a typical bar: the unique island design and mixology “performances” all add up to an unconventional cocktail experience. Preparing to sample the Nixtamil, made with Maker’s Mark bourbon, white cacao and miso, involves licking a red fruit reduction from a small mirror.

The bar’s latest project is a “spin-off” bar named Esencia, a tiny space with seating for just 14. Esencia’s cocktail menu is designed after a tasting menu, with “sips” that lean fully into the experimental. These artistic shot-like creations are inspired by places, flavours and textures.

Sips is located at C/ de Muntaner, 108, Barcelona 8036. Make a reservation online.

Jigger & Pony, Singapore – #9 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2025

Singapore’s favourite bar for over a decade, Jigger & Pony, makes it to spot #9 on the World’s Best Bars 2025. Awarded Singapore’s Best Bar 2025 by Torres Brandy at Asia’s 50 Best Bars, Jigger & Pony has placed near the top of the global list in recent years, peaking at #5 in last year’s rankings.

The bar’s “menuzines”, or seasonal editorial-style menus, show a highly conceptual drink-making process: the current menu is titled “Embrace”, inviting patrons to choose between “embracing change” and “embracing tradition”. The more experimental drinks on “Change” are based on reimagined single notes: the “Red Revival” combines house-roasted coffee, strawberry and tequila for a creative take on beetroot. The “Tradition” menu shows flawless renditions of the classics: the Paloma is given complexity with aged tequila, house-made guava, and pink grapefruit soda.

Jigger & Pony is located at 165 Tanjong Pagar Road, Amara Hotel, Singapore 050335. Make a reservation online.

Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne – #19 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2025; Best Bar in Australasia 2025, Sponsored by Tia Maria

Caretaker’s Cottage takes its name from what it used to be: the home of the caretaker of the church next door. Offering modern hospitality with a simple, brick-house exterior (it’s billed the “smallest bar in Victoria”), this bar is extraordinarily welcoming to both tourists and locals alike.

The inside of the bar resembles the quintessential British pub, while keeping nearly all of the house’s features intact: there are still bedrooms, a staircase, and the original wallpaper. The bar itself is tiny but sufficiently cosy: patrons visit for Guinness on tap and the signature martini, served straight from the freezer. Since its opening. Caretaker’s Cottage has also kept a seasonal milk punch on the menu: right now it’s a Negroni Sbagliato Milk Punch, with gin, bitter cherry and prosecco.

Caretaker’s Cottage is located at 139-141 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia. No reservations are required.

Mirror Bar, Bratislava – #25 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2025; Disaronno Highest New Entry Award

Disaronno’s Highest New Entry this year is the beautifully bohemian Mirror Bar in Bratislava: located in the historic Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, it’s a celebration of sensuality and excess from its furnishings to its menu. Velvet couches, cabinets of bonsai trees and signatures on the walls welcome you into a maximalist fantasy.

Mirror Bar’s concept centers on three principles: “Classy, Art and Nature”. Each drink on the menu is served in unique glassware from local artisans, and are on the experimental side. The Lantern of Infinity is a clarified rum-based drink with rosehip and goji, and the Lux is a gin-based, lush fruity cocktail served under one of the bar’s own bonsai trees. The bar also has a non-alcoholic cocktail menu, crafted with the same precision and artistry as the regular menu.

Mirror Bar is located at Hviezdoslavovo námestie 3, Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, Old Town, Bratislava 811 02, Slovakia. Make a reservation online.

Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore – #50 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2025

Singapore’s Nutmeg & Clove draws heavily on Singapore’s history and heritage spaces around the island: the Nanyang coffee house, neighbourhood provision shops, and more. When compared with some of the bars on this list, it’s a pretty big space: Nutmeg & Clove can seat 50 to 60 at once. Along with the signature bright pink uniforms of its bartenders and staff, the bar resembles a bistro: lively, casual, and brimming with community.

The bar works closely with local artisans and honours their work through cocktails: the signature Dirty Kopi pays tribute to a local coffee roaster in a drink with cold brew, rum, cherry and sesame foam. Another cocktail, the “Kid Me Not”, comes inspired by the local provision shops that feature in Singapore’s childhoods: sarsaparilla sodas, hawthorn sweets and five-spice are combined in an edible memory.

Nutmeg & Clove is located at 8 Purvis Street, #01-01, Tan See Swan & Sons Building, Singapore 188587. Make a reservation online.

The full list below, with places 51-100, is below: Singapore’s Native comes in at #84.

Room for a snack? The World’s 50 Best Restaurants are here for your consideration.