The 50 Best Bars 2026: Bar Leone Retains the Crown as São Paulo Claims Two Places on the Global Stage
Credits: 50 Best
The global cocktail community gathered in Milan on 7 October for the unveiling of The 50 Best Bars 2026, a ranking that brought together venues from 26 cities and recognised 50 establishments at the forefront of contemporary drinking culture. At the top, Hong Kong’s Bar Leone retained its title as The World’s Best Bar, while the results offered plenty of reasons to look beyond the familiar names.
For Brazil, the evening brought a particularly encouraging result. São Paulo secured two places on the list, with newcomer Exímia entering at No.20 and Tan Tan appearing at No.35. Across South America, nine bars made the ranking, underlining the continent’s growing presence in a conversation that has often been dominated by European, North American and Asian destinations.
The awards are more than a celebration of individual venues. They offer a snapshot of an industry in which the cocktail bar has become a meeting point for culinary culture, design, music, local ingredients and new approaches to hospitality. The 2026 results suggest that the most compelling bars are not necessarily those chasing the next international trend, but those developing distinctive identities that resonate well beyond their immediate neighbourhoods.
Bar Leone and the appeal of Cocktail Popolari
Bar Leone’s second consecutive year at No.1 is a remarkable achievement for a venue that opened in Hong Kong in 2023. Co-founded by Italian bartender Lorenzo Antinori, the bar draws inspiration from the traditional establishments of Trastevere, the historic Roman neighbourhood known for its informal drinking culture and convivial streets.
Its philosophy, Cocktail Popolari, translates as cocktails for the people. Rather than relying on elaborate theatrical techniques or pursuing novelty for its own sake, Bar Leone places emphasis on familiar pleasures: well-made drinks, straightforward hospitality and an atmosphere that encourages people to return.
Credits: 50 Best
Vintage Italian references, wood finishes, football memorabilia and nostalgic details contribute to an environment that feels lived-in rather than designed exclusively for spectacle. The drinks programme follows a similar principle, combining expertly executed classics with Italian influences and premium ingredients. Smoked olives and a mortadella sandwich reinforce the idea that a bar can be a place for a simple, satisfying ritual as much as a destination for a special occasion.
Bar Leone’s trajectory has been swift. It debuted at No.1 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2024, retained its regional title in 2025 and went on to become The World’s Best Bar that same year. Its return to the global summit in 2026 demonstrates the lasting appeal of a concept rooted in clarity and consistency.
The result also preserves Hong Kong’s position at the centre of the international cocktail conversation. Bar Leone is joined in the top 50 by Argo at No.25, alongside new entries Montana at No.36 and Gokan at No.41. The city is tied with Paris and New York as the ranking’s most represented destination, with four bars apiece.
São Paulo makes its presence felt
For Brazil, the inclusion of Exímia and Tan Tan offers a compelling perspective on São Paulo’s cocktail scene. Exímia enters the ranking at No.20, immediately placing it among the world's 20 highest-ranked bars. Tan Tan, meanwhile, secures No.35, adding another year of international recognition to a venue that has become a familiar name in conversations about Brazilian gastronomy and drinks.
Credits: 50 Best
Together, the two establishments demonstrate the importance of São Paulo as a place where food and beverage cultures intersect. The city’s scale, diversity and restless creative energy provide fertile ground for hospitality concepts that draw on multiple influences while responding to distinctly Brazilian experiences and audiences.
Their presence also matters within the broader South American picture. Cartagena’s Alquímico reached No.3 and was named The Best Bar in South America, following its earlier recognition with the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award. Lima’s Lady Bee climbed to No.9, while Buenos Aires’ Tres Monos ranked No.21. Medellín’s Mamba Negra and Bar Carmen reached No.22 and No.39 respectively, and Lima’s Sastrería Martinez appeared at No.37.
Buenos Aires newcomer Victor Audio Bar entered at No.31, joining a list that reflects a region with an increasingly varied collection of cocktail destinations. Rather than representing one unified style, these bars emerge from different local histories, ingredients and social cultures. Their collective visibility suggests that South America’s contribution to global drinking culture cannot be reduced to a single aesthetic or approach.
For Brazilian hospitality in particular, international recognition provides an opportunity to bring more attention to the people, ideas and local contexts shaping the country's bars.
A changing map of cocktail culture
Although Bar Leone retained the highest position, the rest of the top five reflects the breadth of the contemporary bar scene. Milan’s Moebius Milano rose to No.2 and was named The Best Bar in Europe. Cartagena’s Alquímico placed third, followed by Bar Us in Bangkok at No.4 and Athens’ Line at No.5.
Credits: 50 Best
The European results are particularly notable. Paris has overtaken London as the continent’s most represented cocktail destination, with four venues in the top 50: The Cambridge Public House at No.13, Bar Nouveau at No.15, newcomer De Vie at No.23 and Danico at No.26.
London retains three places. Connaught Bar ranks No.8, Satan’s Whiskers appears at No.29, and newcomer Waltz enters at No.32. Edinburgh’s Panda & Sons also received the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award for Transcend, a menu built around storytelling, technique and the exploration of flavour.
Athens is represented by Line at No.5, The Bar in Front of the Bar at No.19 and newcomer Barro Negro at No.40. The Bar in Front of the Bar also received the Nikka Highest Climber Award, rising 28 places from the previous ranking.
In Asia, Bangkok continues to close the gap with Hong Kong. Bar Us occupies No.4, while new entry Dry Wave Cocktail Studio debuts at No.27 and BKK Social Club ranks No.30. Seoul’s Zest reaches No.7, while Singapore’s Jigger & Pony and Nutmeg & Clove appear at No.18 and No.38. Tokyo is represented by Bar Benfiddich at No.44 and Virtù at No.48.
Credits: 50 Best
Across the Americas, Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy ranks No.6 and is named The Best Bar in North America. Newcomer Bar Mauro enters at No.10, receiving the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award, while New York’s Schmuck debuts at No.11 and wins the Three Cents Best New Opening Award.
The distribution is a reminder that the international bar scene is not organised around one centre. Different cities are developing their own identities, and the ranking captures a landscape in which established destinations and emerging voices increasingly share the same stage.
Beyond the ranking: sustainability, design and hospitality
The special awards provide another way to understand the priorities shaping the industry. Athens’ Line received the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, recognising an approach in which fermentation, circular production and zero-waste principles influence both ingredient development and the guest experience. Sustainability is embedded in the bar’s operating philosophy rather than treated as a separate statement of intent.
In Abu Dhabi, Saikindō received the SevenRooms Best Bar Design Award for its interpretation of the Japanese listening bar. Hidden behind a fashion atelier at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island, the venue combines speaker-inspired architecture, carefully considered acoustics and layered interiors to create an experience built around sound, design and storytelling.
Shingo Gokan received the Roku Industry Icon Award in recognition of his influence on contemporary cocktail culture. Through venues including Speak Low in Shanghai, The SG Club in Tokyo and Sip & Guzzle in New York, Gokan has helped connect different drinking cultures while inspiring bartenders and hospitality professionals internationally.
Other awards celebrated consistency, ambition and the people who make a bar more than its menu. Barcelona’s Paradiso received the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award, while Takuma Watanabe, co-founder and beverage director of New York’s Martiny’s, was named Altos Bartenders’ Bartender.
The 50 Best Bars Scholarship went to Ecuadorian bartender Isa Mejia, whose work draws on South and Central American heritage, ancestral ingredients such as Andean corn, fermentation and thoughtful low- and no-alcohol drinks. The scholarship will provide opportunities to gain experience at Line in Athens and Tres Monos in Buenos Aires.
These recognitions broaden the meaning of excellence. A successful bar is not defined solely by its position in a ranking or the complexity of its cocktails. Its contribution may also lie in how it supports its team, approaches its environmental responsibilities, develops new talent or creates a memorable experience through design and service.
What makes a bar worth travelling for?
The 50 Best Bars Academy comprises more than 800 drinks experts, including bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists across 29 geographical regions. Members vote anonymously on their best bar experiences from the preceding 18 months, with the process independently adjudicated by Deloitte.
The methodology gives the list an international scope, although any ranking inevitably reflects individual experiences and preferences. A bar’s appeal is difficult to quantify entirely. Some guests seek technical precision, others atmosphere, discovery, familiarity or the feeling of being welcomed somewhere that understands its community.
Perhaps that is why the 2026 results are most interesting when considered together rather than simply in numerical order. Bar Leone’s success rests on a clear philosophy and a distinctive sense of place. Line places sustainability at the heart of its practice. Saikindō makes design and sound central to the experience. In South America, bars such as Alquímico, Lady Bee, Exímia and Tan Tan demonstrate the diversity of a region whose cocktail culture continues to gain international attention.
These approaches are different, but each points towards the importance of identity. In an increasingly connected industry, a bar does not have to look or taste like anywhere else to be understood internationally. Its individuality may be precisely what makes it compelling.
For São Paulo, two places on the 2026 list represent more than a pair of positions. They offer a reminder that Brazilian bars belong in the wider conversation about the future of hospitality, alongside destinations that have shaped cocktail culture for generations.
And for Bar Leone, a second consecutive year at the summit reinforces a deceptively simple idea: excellence does not always require reinvention. Sometimes, it comes from knowing exactly what a bar wants to be, and delivering that experience with consistency, generosity and care.
