Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025: What The New Entrants Reveal About The Future of Cocktail Culture

The 2025 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards was held at Wynn Palace Macau on 15 July 2025, with Bar Leone from Hong Kong securing the first place for the second consecutive year. This prestigious gathering of Asia’s top bartenders and industry leaders celebrated innovation, creativity, and community across 20 cities, with 20 new bars joining the list. We’ve also listed the current bars’ highest rankings ever in the history of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

“We’re thrilled to gather in Macau with Asia’s vibrant and passionate drinks community. The region’s bars continue to redefine excellence in cocktail culture, as seen in the talent and creativity of this year’s winners. With 20 new entries, the most in recent years, this list is a testament to the boundary-pushing creativity of Asia, with truly memorable drink experiences waiting to be explored by cocktail enthusiasts. Congratulations to Lorenzo Antinori and the entire team at Bar Leone for the incredible feat of retaining the No.1 spot, and for delivering a consistently outstanding drinking and hospitality experience that brings a bellissimo slice of Rome to Hong Kong.” — Emma Sleight, Head of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

Best Bar in Asia: Bar Leone, Hong Kong

Bar Leone in Hong Kong has clinched the coveted title of The Best Bar in Asia and The Best Bar in Hong Kong, sponsored by Perrier, for the second year in a row. The bar, owned and operated by Lorenzo Antinori made 50 Best history in 2024 by being the first-ever establishment to debut on the list at No.1.

50 Best Signature Sessions: Macau

As part of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 celebrations in Macau, Wynn hosted exclusive Signature Sessions featuring two special mixology dinners. Drunken Fish, Sydney’s Maybe Sammy (No. 26, The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024) partnered with Chef Henry Zhang for an immersive seafood experience accompanied by theatrical cocktails while (No. 24) brought New York-Tokyo elegance to Sushi Mizumi, where Takuma Watanabe paired refined cocktails with Chef Hironori Maeda’s cuisine.

Malaysian Invasion: 4 Bars in The Top 50

For the first time in its history, Malaysia secured four bars in the top 50. Leading the pack is Penrose in Kuala Lumpur at No.10, crowned The Best Bar in Malaysia. Three X Co. re-enters the list at No.15 while Bar Trigona ranks No.39 and Reka follows at No.47. The extended list also includes Backdoor Bodega (No. 64) and Coley (No. 92).

From Penang, Backdoor Bodega is also the recipient of the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award. Tucked inside streetwear store The Swagger Salon serves a wide-ranging cocktail menu of classics, inventive signatures and zero-proof options, with playful use of regional ingredients like ulam, belacan, Penang soy sauce, and nutmeg fruit in unexpected, engaging combinations.

Representation Matters: What Has Changed?

The new entries in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 reveal a compelling shift in what defines excellence in modern cocktail culture: narrative-driven experiences, regional authenticity, and conceptual clarity now hold greater currency than traditional luxury alone. These venues succeed not because they mimic global trends, but because they embed themselves in their cultural context, amplifying local flavours, aesthetics, and identities in highly intentional ways.

The change of composition of voters has also affected the list. Where in the past it was made up of 50% bartenders and owners, 25% drink writers and 25% global cocktail experts, this year sees a shift of 1/3 to each segment. This means that to do well, a bar has to hit the three pillars. Impress their peers (through industry standards), the media (through storytelling) and their customers (through experience), in equal parts. What this does is it resets the grounds of years of dominance, but one where newcomers are allowed the opportunity to shine.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025

1. Bar Leone, Hong Kong (Highest No. 1 in 2024)
2. Zest, Seoul (Highest No. 2 in 2024)
3. Jigger & Pony, Singapore (Highest No. 3 in 2024)
4. Bar Us, Bangkok (Highest No. 21 in 2024)
5. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok (New Entry)
6. Bar Cham, Seoul (Highest No. 20 in 2024)
7. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou (Highest No. 14 in 2024)
8. Lair, New Delhi (New Entry)
9. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo (Highest No. 5 in 2024)
10. Penrose, Kuala Lumpur (Highest No. 8 in 2024)
11. Argo, Hong Kong (Highest No. 9 in 2024)
12. Modernhaus, Jakarta (New Entry)
13. Alice, Seoul (Highest No. 11 in 2016)
14. Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya (Highest No. 29 in 2024)
15. Three X Co, Kuala Lumpur (Highest No. 47 in 2021)
16. CMYK, Changsha (New Entry)
17. Coa, Hong Kong (Highest No. 1 in 2023)
18. Virtù, Tokyo (Highest No. 11 in 2024)
19. BKK Social Club, Bangkok (Highest No. 7 in 2024)
20. Vender, Taichung (Highest No. 30 in 2024)
21. MO Bar, Shenzhen (New Entry)
22. The St. Regis Bar, Jakarta (Highest No. 88 in 2024)
23. Offtrack, Singapore (Highest No. 25 in 2024)
24. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore (Highest No. 6 in 2024)
25. Yakoboku, Kumamoto (Highest No. 84 in 2023)
26. G.O.D, Bangkok (New Entry)
27. Penicillin, Hong Kong (Highest No. 24 in 2024)
28. Soka, Bengaluru (New Entry)
29. Vesper, Bangkok (Highest No. 11 in 2020)
30. Boilermaker, Goa (New Entry)
31. ZLB23, Bengaluru (Highest No. 40 in 2024)
32. The Savory Project, Hong Kong (Highest No. 19 in 2024)
33. Gokan, Hong Kong (New Entry)
34. Carrots Bar, Jakarta (New Entry)
35. Barc, Kathmandu (Highest No. 39 in 2024)
36. Punch Room Tokyo, Tokyo (New Entry)
37. Bar Spirit Forward, Bengaluru (New Entry)
38. Cosmo Pony, Jakarta (New Entry)
39. Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur (Highest No. 12 in 2021)
40. The Public House, Taipei (Highest No. 44 in 2024)
41. To Infinity & Beyond, Taipei (Highest No. 61 in 2024)
42. Moonrock, Tainan (Highest No. 100 in 2024)
43. Opium, Bangkok (Highest No. 73 in 2024)
44. Cat Bite Club, Singapore (Highest No. 77 in 2024)
45. Native, Singapore (Highest No. 6 in 2020)
46. Lamp Bar, Nara (Highest No. 55 in 2024)
47. Reka, Kuala Lumpur (Highest No. 41 in 2024)
48. Bar Sathorn, Bangkok (New Entry)
49. Bar Libre, Tokyo (New Entry)
50. Le Chamber, Seoul (Highest No. 19 in 2019)
51. Obsidian Bar, Shenzhen (New Entry)
52. Pine & Co, Seoul (Highest No. 52 in 2024)
53. Side Door, Singapore (New Entry)
54. Soko, Seoul (Highest No. 51 in 2024)
55. Bar Outrigger, Goa (New Entry)
56. Sago House, Singapore (Highest No. 15 in 2024)
57. Lab, Taipei (New Entry)
58. Craftroom, Osaka (Highest No. 28 in 2024)
59. The Han-jia, Tainan (Highest No. 79 in 2024)
60. Origin Bar, Singapore (Highest No. 32 in 2024)
61. Stir, Ho Chi Minh City (Highest No. 58 in 2024)
62. Sidecar, New Delhi (Highest No. 84 in 2024)
63. Gong Gan, Seoul (Highest No. 89 in 2024)
64. Backdoor Bodega, Penang (Highest No. 52 in 2024)
65. Sora, Phnom Penh (New Entry)
66. Wu (Nothingness), Taipei (Highest No. 94 in 2024)
67. Gold Bar, Tokyo (Highest No. 76 in 2024)
68. Pantja, Jakarta (Highest No. 27 in 2024)
69. The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai (Highest No. 59 in 2024)
70. Tokyo Confidential, Tokyo (Highest No. 53 in 2024)
71. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok (Highest No. 18 in 2024)
72. Bar Mood, Taipei (Highest No. 13 in 2020)
73. Under Lab, Taipei (Highest No. 72 in 2024)
74. Epic, Shanghai (Highest No. 52 in 2022)
75. Maltail, Kaohsiung (New Entry)
76. Bee’s Knees, Kyoto (Highest No. 75 in 2024)
77. Night Hawk, Singapore (Highest No. 16 in 2024)
78. The Curator, Manila (Highest No. 33 in 2024)
79. The Bellwood, Tokyo (Highest No. 34 in 2024)
80. The Opposites, Hong Kong (New Entry)
81. Sober Company, Shanghai (Highest No. 92 in 2024)
82. Firefly, Bangkok (Highest No. 83 in 2024)
83. Workshop14, Hanoi (New Entry)
84. Raa, Hiriketiya (New Entry)
85. Coa, Shanghai (New Entry)
86. The Hudson Rooms, Hanoi (Highest No. 81 in 2024)
87. The Haflington, Hanoi (Highest No. 47 in 2024)
88. Mostly Harmless, Hong Kong (Highest No. 45 in 2024)
89. Employees Only, Singapore (Highest No. 38 in 2024)
90. Messenger Service, Bangkok (New Entry)
91. Quinary, Hong Kong (Highest No. 26 in 2024)
92. Coley, Kuala Lumpur (Highest No. 27 in 2019)
93. The Enigma Mansion, Ho Chi Minh City (Highest No. 96 in 2023)
94. Hideaway, Goa (New Entry)
95. Fura, Singapore (Highest No. 42 in 2024)
96. Charles H, Seoul (Highest No. 7 in 2022)
97. Pony Up, Shanghai (New Entry)
98. The Golden Tooth, Jakarta (New Entry)
99. The SG Club, Tokyo (Highest No. 3 in 2021)
100. Bar Nayuta, Osaka (New Entry)

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025: Special Awards

Best Bar in Asia: Bar Leone, Hong Kong
Best Bar in Hong Kong: Bar Leone, Hong Kong
Best Bar in India: Lair, New Delhi
Best Bar in Indonesia: Modernhaus, Jakarta
Best Bar in Japan: Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
Best Bar in Korea: Zest, Seoul
Best Bar in Malaysia: Penrose, Kuala Lumpur
Best Bar in Singapore: Jigger & Pony, Singapore
Best Bar in Sri Lanka: Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya
Best Bar in Taiwan: Vender, Taichung
Best Bar in Thailand: Bar Us, Bangkok
Best Bar in Nepal: Barc, Kathmandu
Best Bar in Mainland China: Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou

Campari One To Watch Award: Workshop14, Hanoi
Disaronno Highest New Entry: Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok
Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award: Sora, Phnom Penh
Three Cents Best New Opening: Modernhaus, Jakarta
Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award: Barc, Kathmandu
Nikka Highest Climber: Alice, Seoul
Rémy Martin Legend of the List: Vesper, Bangkok
Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award: Backdoor Bodega, Penang
Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award: Andrew Ho of Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou
Roku Industry Icon: Jay Khan of Coa, Hong Kong / Shanghai
Best Bar Design Award: Messenger Service, Bangkok

For our thoughts on Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
For our thoughts on The Worlds 50 Best Bars.
For all 50 Best related content, see 50 Best.

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