Results
Singapore, Singapore
A 40-seat cocktail bar and restaurant on Neil Road, Side Door earned a place on Tatler's Best Bars Asia-Pacific 2025 list and ranked #260 on Top 500 Bars in the same year. The husband-and-wife operation brings a living-room intimacy to one of Singapore's most historically layered streets, sitting comfortably in the city's growing cohort of personality-driven, format-conscious bars.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Perched on the 37th floor of Vattanac Capital Tower, Sora is Phnom Penh's most decorated bar, ranked #65 in Asia's Best Bars 2025 and #141 in the Top 500 Bars globally. Open daily from 7am to 9pm, it occupies a tier above the city's standard rooftop offering, with award-level cocktail programming and a 4.6 Google rating from nearly 700 reviews.
Miami, United States
Ranked #78 on North America's Best Bars 2025 and carrying a Pearl Recommended designation, Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery on Collins Avenue is one of South Beach's most-recognized rum-focused programs. With a 4.9 Google rating across more than 1,300 reviews, it holds a consistent position at the top of Miami Beach's cocktail bar tier, where rum heritage and tropical format meet serious technical intent.
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
On Hollywood Road in Central, The Opposites holds a place in both Asia's 50 Best Bars (ranked #80 in 2025) and the Top 500 Bars global list. The bar operates from the lower ground floor of Hilltop Plaza, positioning it within one of Hong Kong's most concentrated corridors of serious drinking. A Google rating of 4.3 from early reviewers signals consistent execution at a recognized tier.
Los Angeles, United States
Death & Co's Los Angeles outpost on East 3rd Street carries the technical credibility of the New York original into the Arts District's after-dark scene. Ranked #30 on North America's Best Bars in 2023 and Pearl Recommended in 2025, it sits in a narrow tier of LA bars where programme depth and cocktail precision matter as much as atmosphere. The room delivers both.
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Tell Camellia has tracked an arc from #23 on Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2021 to #300 on the global Top 500 in 2025, a trajectory that reflects the increasingly crowded field of serious cocktail programmes in Hong Kong's Central district. The bar occupies a lower-ground space on Pottinger Street, inside a neighbourhood where refined drinking culture has taken deliberate hold over the past decade.
Macau, China
Ranked #22 on Asia's Best Bars 2024 and #394 in the global Top 500, The St. Regis Bar in Macau occupies a different tier from the city's casino lounges — one defined by serious cocktail craft, a 4.5-star Google rating across 212 reviews, and placement alongside the region's most recognised bar programs. For Cotai's cocktail scene, it sets a credible benchmark.
Venice, United States
Ranked #204 on the 2025 Top 500 Bars list, Arts Bar occupies the Grand Canal-facing ground floor of one of Venice's landmark hotels at San Marco 2159, pairing story-driven cocktails with bespoke Murano glassware. The programme sits inside a broader hotel bar tradition that prizes material craft as much as liquid precision. For visitors working through Venice's serious drinking circuit, it belongs on the same itinerary as Aman Bar and Al Covino.
Milan, Italy
Ranked #96 in the Top 500 Bars 2025 list, Backdoor 43 is one of the world's smallest cocktail bars, positioned along the Navigli canal on Ripa di Porta Ticinese. Homemade ingredients, takeaway canal-side serves, and a format built on restraint over spectacle set it apart from Milan's larger bar programs. The address alone tells you where to find it; everything else is a matter of timing.
Pagani, Italy
Ranked #98 in the Top 500 Bars 2025, Cinquanta Spirito Italiano brings a 1950s Italian bar aesthetic into conversation with contemporary mixology in Pagani, Campania. The programme draws on nostalgia as a creative framework rather than a decorative one, positioning this southern Italian address as a genuine entry in the national cocktail conversation. Booking ahead is advisable given its recognition.
Sydney, Australia
On the 22nd floor of 2 Hunter Street, Dean & Nancy on 22 occupies a rarefied perch above the Sydney CBD, pairing 1950s-inflected interiors with live piano, panoramic skyline views, and an inventive cocktail program that earned a place in the Top 500 Bars global ranking for 2025. It is the kind of address that earns its keep for celebrations rather than casual drop-ins.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Door 74 on Reguliersdwarsstraat has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list multiple times since 2011, reaching as high as #15 in 2013. One of Amsterdam's most consistently recognised cocktail addresses, it operates behind a discreet entrance on a street better known for its nightlife than its craft bartending. A 4.5-star Google rating across more than 1,700 reviews confirms its standing with a broad cross-section of visitors.
Sydney, Australia
Beneath a Wynyard Lane laneway entrance, Eau de Vie operates as one of Sydney's most credentialed cocktail bars, having held a World's 50 Best Bars ranking continuously from 2011 through 2014, peaking at number 13. The program sits in a tier defined by technical precision rather than theatrical novelty. Holding a 4.6 Google rating across nearly 700 reviews, it remains a reference point for serious drinking in the CBD.
Sydney, Australia
El Primo Sanchez on Crown Street in Surry Hills is Sydney's agave-focused late-night bar, ranked #409 in the 2025 Top 500 Bars list. The program centres on sustainable agave spirits and modern mezcal and tequila cocktails, with a colourful aesthetic that leans into the late-night energy of Surry Hills rather than away from it.
London, United Kingdom
Equal Parts on Hackney Road is East London's answer to the neighbourhood bar done seriously: vinyl on the turntable, aperitifs poured without ceremony, and a focused programme built around agave spirits and amaro. Ranked #261 in the Top 500 Bars 2025, it earns that recognition through restraint and specificity rather than spectacle. This is Bethnal Green's local for people who know what they're drinking.
Florence, Italy
Giacosa on Via della Spada carries a claim few bars anywhere can match: the Negroni was mixed here for the first time, at this address, in 1815. Ranked #215 in the Top 500 Bars (2025), the bar operates at the intersection of Florentine heritage and contemporary mixology, drawing drinkers who want historical grounding alongside a well-constructed glass.
Paris, France
Located inside the Ritz Paris at 38 Rue Cambon, the Hemingway Bar has ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2010 to 2014, reaching as high as #24. With a Google rating of 4.5 from 735 reviews and a 2025 Top 500 Bars listing at #303, it remains one of the most credentialed hotel bars in Europe, positioned at the upper tier of Paris cocktail culture.
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Ranked #148 in the Top 500 Bars for 2025, Hey Palu on Bread Street brings a relaxed, family-rooted Italian sensibility to Edinburgh's bar scene. The format sits somewhere between aperitivo hour and neighbourhood local: approachable enough for a Tuesday, considered enough for a special occasion. It occupies a different register from the city's more theatrical cocktail venues.
Los Angeles, United States
Attached to one of Los Angeles's most-watched restaurant operations, Kato Bar sits inside the Arts District complex at 777 S Alameda and carries the weight of the Kato name's critical momentum. A Pearl Recommended Bar in 2025, it occupies the tier of LA cocktail programs where industry recognition shapes the room as much as the drinks do. Bookings move quickly; plan accordingly.
Cardiff, United Kingdom
Ranked #306 in the Top 500 Bars 2025, Lab 22 occupies a narrow slot in Cardiff's cocktail scene where Welsh ingredients, interactive formats, and a deliberately intimate atmosphere converge. Caroline Street is not the obvious address for serious bar craft, which makes the programme here all the more deliberate. For the UK's regional bar circuit, this is one of the more considered entries.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Ranked #199 in the Top 500 Bars (2025), Salmon Guru Dubai occupies a surrealist corner of Business Bay's Opus building, where technical cocktail craft meets theatrical design. The Madrid original built a reputation on precise, playful drinking formats, and the Dubai outpost operates in that same register. Reservations are advisable for weekend visits to this architecturally dramatic bar.
Florence, Italy
Ranked #295 in the World's Top 500 Bars for 2025, Santa Cocktail Club occupies a prime position on Piazza Santa Maria Novella with a program that draws on Dante-era Florentine symbolism and contemporary technique in equal measure. The result is one of the city's more considered bar programs, where Italian hospitality and craft-forward thinking share the same counter.
Mykonos, Greece
Scorpios sits on Paraga beach on Mykonos's south coast, roughly 6 km from Mykonos Town, and occupies a different tier from the island's purely seasonal beach clubs. Recognised as a Pearl Recommended Bar in 2025, the venue combines carefully crafted food with high-end service in a setting where the drinks program carries as much editorial weight as the location itself.
Bologna, Italy
Among Italy's few Japanese-concept bars to earn global recognition, Sentaku Izakaya transplants the izakaya format to Bologna's medieval centre, pairing a zero-waste back-of-house philosophy with creative cocktail work that placed it at number 272 in the Top 500 Bars ranking for 2025. The address on Via Marchesana puts it in the dense heart of the old city, where the bar operates as an outlier in a neighbourhood defined by Emilian wine culture and centuries-old trattorias.
London, United Kingdom
Sexy Fish sits at the upper end of Mayfair's theatrical dining-bar spectrum, ranked #439 in the Top 500 Bars (2025) and known as a serious destination for Japanese whisky and forward-thinking cocktails inside one of London's most visually arresting rooms. The Berkeley Square address positions it firmly in the high-spend, high-spectacle tier — a place where the bar programme and the room design carry equal weight.
London, United Kingdom
Ranked #79 in the Top 500 Bars (2025), Side Hustle operates inside NoMad London's Covent Garden address as one of the city's most focused agave programs. The drinks menu draws on Latin American flavour traditions, with mezcal and tequila taking centre stage in a setting that plays against the neighbourhood's tourist-heavy grain. Serious spirits in a serious hotel bar.
London, United Kingdom
A subterranean cocktail bar on Denman Street in Soho, Soma draws on Indian inspiration to produce precision-crafted drinks in a setting that trades Soho's usual maximalism for spare, considered minimalism. Ranked #346 in the Top 500 Bars 2025 list, it represents the quieter, more technically focused end of London's bar scene, where the drink itself does the talking.
Chicago, United States
The Aviary sits at the intersection of cocktail theatre and serious bar food in Chicago's Fulton Market district. Ranked as high as #13 on the World's 50 Best Bars list, it applies a kitchen-driven approach to drink-making that has kept it on the Pearl Recommended Bar list through 2025. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm, it operates at a level where reservations are not optional.
Bristol, United Kingdom
A veteran of the Bristol cocktail scene, The Milk Thistle on Colston Avenue earned a place in the Top 500 Bars global ranking at #315 in 2025. The bar trades in Prohibition-era style cocktails, a deep whisky collection, and an atmosphere dressed with taxidermy that sits somewhere between members' club and cabinet of curiosities.
London, United Kingdom
Ranked #144 in the Top 500 Bars globally for 2025, Velvet sits inside Whitehall's institutional core and operates as one of London's more serious hotel bar programs. The cocktail list runs toward the progressive end of the spectrum, and the service standard matches the address. A bar that earns its place on the list through execution rather than hype.
London, United Kingdom
Inside The Dorchester on Park Lane, Vesper Bar occupies one of London's most storied hotel bar addresses. Ranked #187 in the Top 500 Bars (2025), it represents the quieter, more formal register of London cocktail culture — polished marble, muted tones, and drinks made with the kind of precision the postcode demands. A considered choice for those who prefer authority over novelty.
Zürich, Switzerland
Ranked #250 in the Top 500 Bars for 2025, Widder Bar occupies a storied address in Zurich's old town, drawing a loyal crowd that returns not for novelty but for consistency. The bar operates within the Widder Hotel complex, where the connected restaurant runs Stefan Heilemann's Asian-inflected European kitchen. For serious drinkers in the Swiss-German circuit, it sits in a different tier from the city's casual hotel bars.
Kumamoto, Japan
Ranked #25 on Asia's Best Bars 2025, Yakoboku occupies a quiet corner of Kumamoto's Chuo Ward, where bartender Shinya Koba builds cocktails from the flora and wild landscapes of Kyushu. The programme reads as a serious botanical argument, placing this bar inside a small peer set of Japan's most craft-focused independents. For anyone tracing the regional bar scene beyond Tokyo and Osaka, this is a significant stop.
Tokyo, Japan
On the tenth floor of a Ginza tower, Bulgari Ginza Bar carries both the weight of its address and the recognition to justify it — ranked #86 in Asia's Best Bars 2024 and #363 in the Top 500 Bars globally in 2025. The bar operates within the precise register that Ginza's premium drinking scene demands: considered design, unhurried service, and a drinks program that answers to one of the world's most demanding clienteles.
Las Vegas, United States
Herbs & Rye has held a position among North America's 50 Best Bars every year from 2022 through 2025, making it the most consistently recognised cocktail bar in Las Vegas. Located away from the Strip on West Sahara Avenue, it operates where serious drink programs and food pairings matter more than spectacle. The 4.7 Google rating across more than 5,000 reviews suggests that reputation holds in practice.
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Honky Tonks Tavern occupies a lane-level address in Central that places it at the quieter edge of Hong Kong's most competitive bar district. Ranked #67 on Asia's Best Bars 2024 and #499 on the Top 500 Bars list in 2025, it holds verified ranking position across two independent indices. A Google rating of 4.8 from 305 reviews adds consistent audience signal to the award credentials.
Singapore, Singapore
Ranked #65 on Asia's 50 Best Bars (2024) and #219 in the Top 500 Bars globally (2025), The Elephant Room occupies a tight counter space on Tanjong Pagar Road where South Asian reference points drive a cocktail programme that sits well outside Singapore's mainstream bar circuit. A Google rating of 4.5 from 428 reviews signals consistent delivery rather than hype-cycle attention.
Toronto, Canada
Beneath the Dutch-Indo restaurant Little Sister on Portland Street, Xxx is a 20-seat subterranean bar that trades in show-stopping cocktails and outlier ingredients — ants, rare spirits, a $125 Grand Cadillac Margarita. The 1970s Netherlands-influenced décor and the bar's lead, H (formerly of Gift Shop), set a tone that sits somewhere between serious technique and deliberate irreverence.
London, United Kingdom
Donovan Bar occupies a measured corner of Mayfair's hotel drinking circuit, holding a Top 500 Bars ranking of #55 (2025) and a World's 50 Best placement of #92 (2023). The room trades in considered craft rather than spectacle, with a 4.6 Google rating across 267 reviews confirming a consistent experience. For London bar-goers who prefer precision over performance, Albemarle Street delivers.
Manchester, United Kingdom
Ranked #95 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2023 and #224 in the Top 500 Bars for 2025, Schofield's occupies a handsome corner of Sunlight House in central Manchester, positioning itself among the UK's most credentialled cocktail addresses. The bar draws a crowd with serious intent, earning a Google rating of 4.7 across nearly 500 reviews — numbers that reflect a sustained rather than a fleeting reputation.