2017 World's 50 Asia's Best Bars: The Complete Rankings

Manhattan Singapore has spent a decade as one of Asia's most-awarded cocktail bars, reaching #1 in Asia's 50 Best Bars twice and climbing as high as #3 globally. Located on Level 2 of 1 Cuscaden Road, it trades in American whiskey-forward programming within a format that prizes depth over novelty. A Google rating of 4.7 across more than 1,000 reviews confirms the bar's consistency beyond its trophy shelf.

Once ranked among the world's twenty best bars, Speak Low on Fu Xing Zhong Lu remains one of Shanghai's most decorated drinking addresses, with a track record in the World's 50 Best that few Chinese bars have matched. Its multi-floor format and sustained critical recognition place it firmly in the city's upper tier, alongside a food programme designed to hold pace with its drinks list.

Among Tokyo's most decorated cocktail bars, Bar High Five has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2011, peaking at number three globally in 2013. Situated in a basement space on Ginza's Chuo-dori, it represents a specific strain of Japanese bartending — classical technique, guest-led service, and an absence of theatrical gimmickry — that has given Ginza its international standing in bar culture.

28 HongKong Street has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2012, making it one of Singapore's most consistently recognised cocktail bars. Located at 28 Hongkong St in the CBD fringe, it operates as a serious spirits-forward programme in an understated space that prioritises the glass over the room. A 4.4 Google rating across more than 1,100 reviews suggests it delivers consistently at scale.

Grace Tsai's innovative tea-based cocktails and Aki Wang's cultural vision define Indulge Experimental Bistro in Taipei, where Taiwan's multicultural heritage transforms into award-winning mixology. This Asia's 50 Best Bars mainstay reinvents its entire menu every 15 months, creating an ever-evolving luxury cocktail experience that serves as Taiwan's liquid cultural ambassador.

Operation Dagger at 76 Neil Rd has held consecutive placements in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year from 2016 to 2019, reaching #21 globally and #6 in Asia. The bar occupies a subterranean space in the Tanjong Pagar conservation shophouse belt, operating with a technical, ingredient-led cocktail program that sits at the serious end of Singapore's bar scene. Google reviews average 4.3 across 485 ratings.

On Hollywood Road in Central, Quinary has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2013, making it one of Hong Kong's most consistently recognised cocktail bars. Its technically precise program sits at the serious end of the Central bar scene, attracting regulars who return for the craft rather than the occasion. A measured, research-driven approach to cocktails has kept it relevant across more than a decade of industry change.

Literary mystique defines Stockton Hong Kong, where Victorian gentlemen's club opulence meets Hunter S. Thompson's rebellious spirit in a hidden speakeasy setting. Suraj Gurung's narrative-driven cocktails and century-old antique furnishings create an immersive experience that has earned recognition among Asia's 50 Best Bars.

Union Trading Company on Fen Yang Lu has held a place in the World's 50 Best Asia's Best Bars rankings every year from 2016 through 2022, peaking at #9 in both 2016 and 2017. That sustained recognition positions it among Shanghai's most consistently decorated cocktail programs. The bar sits in the French Concession, a neighbourhood whose leafy streets and colonial-era architecture set the tone before you've ordered a drink.

Lobster Bar at Pacific Place has held a position inside Asia's 50 Best Bars every year from 2015 through 2020, peaking at number four in Asia and number 18 globally. Situated on Level 6 of Pacific Place in Central, it sits within Hong Kong's most consistently ranked cocktail tier, drawing a crowd that expects serious programme depth alongside the harbour-adjacent address.

Tippling Club has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2011, making it one of the most consistently recognised cocktail bars in Asia. Located on Tanjong Pagar Road in Singapore's former warehouse district, the bar operates at the intersection of technical precision and theatrical presentation. A 4.6 Google rating across nearly 740 reviews reflects sustained performance over more than a decade of competition.

Among Singapore's most decorated bars, Atlas has held a World's 50 Best Bars ranking every year since 2017, peaking at #4 globally in 2020. Set inside the Parkview Square lobby on North Bridge Road, it operates at the intersection of grand Art Deco architecture and serious gin and spirits programming, placing it in a distinct tier above the city's cocktail-forward independents.

One of Bangkok's most decorated bars, The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental sits on the Chao Phraya riverfront in Bang Rak and carries a decade of continuous Asia's 50 Best recognition, including a peak ranking of #7 globally in 2020. With a 4.6 Google rating across more than 1,000 reviews, it holds a reference position in Bangkok's premium cocktail scene.

Gibson has held a place on Asia's Best Bars rankings every year since 2016, reaching #14 in 2017, and its second-floor address on Bukit Pasoh Road keeps it anchored in one of Singapore's most concentrated bar corridors. The cocktail program leans toward the kind of technical precision that earns sustained critical attention rather than passing trend cycles. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across 448 reviews, a consistency that tracks with its long award tenure.

Alice Cheongdam has held a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2016, climbing to #13 in 2025. Located one floor below street level on Dosan-daero 55-gil in Gangnam, it operates as one of Seoul's most consistently recognised cocktail programmes, drawing a clientele that spans the neighbourhood's fashion-industry crowd and serious bar travellers from across the region.

The Pontiac has held a position in Asia's Best Bars rankings every year from 2016 through 2022, reaching as high as #16 in 2017. Located on Old Bailey Street in Central, it occupies a niche distinct from Hong Kong's hotel bar circuit: casual in format, consistent in recognition, and built around a crowd that treats it as a neighbourhood local rather than a destination trophy. A 4.6 Google rating across 256 reviews reflects that sustained goodwill.

A Singapore outpost of the New York original, Employees Only has held a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2017, peaking at #17 in its debut year and maintaining consistent recognition through 2025. Set on Amoy Street in the Tanjong Pagar conservation district, it brings a prohibition-era cocktail sensibility to one of Singapore's most concentrated bar streets, earning a Google rating of 4.2 across nearly 1,000 reviews.

Backstage Cocktail Club Bangkok was a legendary speakeasy where six award-winning bartenders created theatrical mixology magic through innovative Thai-inspired cocktails and immersive backstage dressing room design. Though closed since 2021, this Asia's 50 Best Bars honoree remains Bangkok's most influential cocktail destination.

One of Shanghai's most-awarded bars, Sober Company on Yandang Road operates across four distinct areas — café, kitchen, cocktail lounge, and a hidden bar — anchoring its program in Chinese ingredients and contemporary technique. Consistent appearances on the World's 50 Best Bars and Asia's 50 Best Bars lists since 2017 position it among the most recognised multi-format drinking destinations in Asia.

Native on Amoy Street has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2017, reaching as high as #12 worldwide and #4 in Asia. The bar operates Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm, anchored in a forage-and-ferment philosophy that draws directly from Southeast Asian ingredients and traditions. It sits among Singapore's most recognised bars and is a reference point for the region's bar scene.

Ranked #3 in Asia and #5 globally on the World's 50 Best Bars list for 2025, Jigger & Pony has held a place in Asia's top tier of cocktail bars continuously since 2016. Operating from the lobby of the Amara Hotel in Tanjong Pagar, the bar is known for its annual 'menuzine' format and a drinks program that roots itself in classic technique while pushing contemporary presentation.

Bar Benfiddich occupies the ninth floor of a Nishishinjuku building, where Hiroyasu Kayama works a 17-seat walnut counter stocked with antique bottles, farm-grown botanicals, and homemade spirits including his own distilled absinthe. Ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars continuously since 2016 and placed ninth in Asia's Best Bars 2025, it operates nightly from 18:00 to 02:00.

One of Manila's most recognised bars, The Curator on Legazpi Street in Makati has appeared in Asia's 50 Best Bars every year since 2016 — peaking at number 16 in the region. Open from early morning through late night most days, it occupies a specific position in Makati's drinking culture: part coffee bar, part serious cocktail programme, operating across a longer daily arc than almost any comparable room in the city.

One of Dubai's most decorated bar and dining addresses, Zuma at DIFC has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars multiple times since 2011 and continues to collect Star Wine List awards across multiple categories. The izakaya-style format — Japanese sharing plates, serious sake, and a wine program with genuine depth — sits at the premium end of the DIFC dining circuit and draws a crowd that treats it as a default reference point for the neighbourhood.

Bar Orchard Ginza has held a consistent position in Asia's 50 Best Bars rankings every year from 2016 through 2020, peaking at number 25 in 2017. Located on the seventh floor of a Ginza building, the bar operates in the upper tier of Tokyo's fruit-forward cocktail scene. The 2025 Pearl Recommended Bar award confirms its continued standing among the city's serious drinking establishments.

Four consecutive appearances on Asia's 50 Best Bars list — peaking at #24 in 2018 — position 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana as one of Central's most consistently recognised bar programmes. The bar sits within the celebrated Italian restaurant of the same name on Chater Road, where the cocktail offering draws on the kitchen's European sensibility and a drinks culture shaped by Hong Kong's most competitive fine-dining corridor.

Charles H in Seoul has held a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2016, reaching as high as number seven on the Asia ranking in 2022 and number 42 globally in 2021. Located in Jongno District, it represents the longer-running, internationally recognised tier of Seoul's cocktail scene, sitting well above entry-level hotel bars in both ambition and recognition.

Bar Trench in Tokyo's Ebisu district has held a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2016, reaching as high as #16 in 2018. The bar earned a spot on the global World's 50 Best Bars ranking in 2025 alongside a Pearl Recommended designation. With a 4.7 Google rating across 780 reviews, it sits among Tokyo's most consistently recognised cocktail destinations.

On Bukit Pasoh Road, D.Bespoke has held a place in Asia's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2016, peaking at number 13 on the continent. The bar operates within Singapore's mature cocktail culture, where format discipline and technical precision define the upper tier. A Google rating of 4.4 across 351 reviews suggests consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance.

Nutmeg & Clove on Purvis Street is one of Singapore's most awarded cocktail bars, ranked #24 on Asia's Best Bars 2025 and #28 globally in 2024. Now in its 11th year and third home, the bar builds its menu around Singapore's vernacular food culture — kopi shops, mama stores, hawker nostalgia — translated into technically precise cocktails for a room that seats around 50.

Few bars in Tokyo carry a ranking history as consistent as Star Bar Ginza, which appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list across multiple years between 2010 and 2014, and on Asia's Best Bars through 2021. Set in a basement in Ginza's 1-chome, it operates as a reference point for the classic Japanese bar tradition — serious, unhurried, and built around technique rather than spectacle.

Le Chamber has held a position inside Asia's 50 Best Bars every year since 2016, making it one of Seoul's most consistently recognised cocktail addresses. Located one floor below street level on Dosan-daero 55-gil in Gangnam's Cheongdam neighbourhood, the bar operates within a scene that has redefined what premium cocktails look like in East Asia over the past decade.

One of Beijing's most recognised cocktail bars, Janes & Hooch ranked in Asia's 50 Best Bars three consecutive years, peaking at No. 18 in 2016. Positioned in the Sanlitun embassy district, it operates in the upper tier of Beijing's bar scene, where technique and programme depth matter more than spectacle. A serious address for anyone tracking China's cocktail evolution.

Vudi Somboonkulavudi's train carriage-inspired Q&A Bar transforms Bangkok cocktail culture through personalized "Cocktail Journey" experiences, where expert bartenders craft bespoke drinks from 52 revived classic recipes in an intimate speakeasy setting that celebrates heritage, storytelling, and technical mastery.

A cocktail bar inside the Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel on Orchard Road that has placed on Asia's 50 Best Bars three consecutive years, peaking at number 35 in 2017. The Other Room operates in the more intimate, hotel-bar tier of Singapore's cocktail scene, where the drinks program and format carry the weight of the experience rather than neighbourhood theatre.

Lamp Bar has appeared on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2017, making it one of the most consistently recognised cocktail programmes operating outside a major Japanese city. Located in Nara's historic centre, it draws a focused international crowd to a city better known for deer and temples than bar culture — which is precisely what makes it worth understanding.

On the 34th floor above Worli, AER Bar & Lounge positions Mumbai's skyline as its defining feature. Ranked #319 in the Top 500 Bars (2025) and previously listed on Asia's Best Bars, it sits at the upper end of the city's rooftop drinking culture, drawing a crowd that comes for both the altitude and the cocktail programme. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across nearly 3,000 ratings.

Sugarhall Singapore elevates the cocktail pub concept through its sophisticated rum-forward program and convivial English pub atmosphere. Located above Cecil Street in a heritage art deco building, this Jigger & Pony Group venue offers expertly crafted cocktails like their signature Dark & Stormy and Mulata Daiquiri, alongside curated rum flights that make the spirit accessible to all.

On the third floor of a Da'an District building, East End earned a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2017, ranking 39th across the continent. The bar occupies a specific niche in Taipei's cocktail scene: considered, low-key, and firmly in the craft-focused tier. With a Google rating of 4.4 across nearly 700 reviews, it holds consistent standing among the city's serious drinking destinations.

Vesper has held a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2016, making it one of Bangkok's most consistently recognised cocktail programmes. Located on Soi Convent in Silom, it operates in the upper tier of a city that has built a serious regional reputation for bar culture. With a 4.5 Google rating across more than 1,100 reviews, the consensus among repeat visitors is clear.

Omakase + Appreciate pioneered Kuala Lumpur's speakeasy culture through personalized cocktail experiences where bartenders crafted bespoke drinks based on individual preferences. Hidden behind unmarked doors, this intimate basement bar became Malaysia's first top-10 Asia's 50 Best Bars entry, transforming the city's cocktail landscape through Japanese-Western fusion mixology.

A listed entry on Asia's 50 Best Bars (ranked #42 in 2017), The Chinnery at Mandarin Oriental occupies a particular position in Hong Kong's Central bar scene: a hotel bar with genuine standing in the city's spirits and cocktail conversation. Located on the first floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong on Connaught Road, it carries the institutional weight of the property alongside a drinks program taken seriously on its own terms.

Ranked among Asia's 50 Best Bars in both 2017 (#43) and 2018 (#36), Potato Head Beach Club is one of Seminyak's most recognised drinking destinations. Set on Jl. Petitenget, it occupies a sprawling open-air complex where the bar program and spirits curation carry genuine regional authority, drawing a crowd that arrives as much for the back bar as for the sunset.

Bar D.Still operates out of Mapo-gu's Hongdae corridor, a neighbourhood that has shaped Seoul's independent bar culture more than any other. Twice ranked inside Asia's 50 Best Bars, in 2016 and 2017, it sits in the tier of Seoul cocktail bars that competed on the regional stage before the city's programme became as internationally dense as it is today.

ABV on 16th Street in the Mission has earned back-to-back placements on the World's 50 Best Bars list and a 2025 Pearl Recommended Bar nod, making it one of San Francisco's most consistently recognised cocktail programs. Open daily from 4pm until 2am, it sits at the serious end of the Mission's bar scene without sacrificing neighbourhood accessibility. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 1,000 responses.

Teens of Thailand has ranked on Asia's 50 Best Bars list every year from 2016 through 2021, peaking at #27 in its debut year. Tucked into the Nana district of Bangkok's Pom Prap neighbourhood, the bar has built a sustained reputation on cocktails that draw from Thai botanicals and local produce without losing technical rigour. A Google rating of 4.4 across 769 reviews confirms the consistency that awards alone cannot capture.

Keepers occupies a measured position in Cheongdam's bar tier, twice ranked No. 47 on Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2017 and 2018. The Gangnam address places it inside Seoul's most concentrated cluster of serious cocktail programs, where the drink-and-food relationship is taken as seriously as the spirits list itself.

Theatrical mixology meets botanical medicine at Dr. Fern's Gin Parlour + Hong Kong, where white-coated bartenders prescribe bespoke gin cocktails from a collection of 300+ rare spirits. This immersive speakeasy transforms The Landmark's basement into Dr. Robben Fern's whimsical laboratory, delivering personalized "remedies" with satirical prescription labels.

A Wanhua District institution that earned a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars list in 2017, Club Boys Saloon operates within Taipei's older, more atmospheric drinking quarter rather than the polished corridors of Da'an or Xinyi. The bar holds a 4.5 Google rating across 272 reviews, pointing to consistent execution rather than one-off nights. For Taipei's cocktail circuit, it remains a reference point for craft-serious drinking in an area better known for history than high-concept bars.

Ranked #472 in the Top 500 Bars globally and a former Asia's 50 Best Bars pick, The Night Rooster is Ubud's most awarded cocktail destination. Set on a quiet lane in the heart of Bali's cultural capital, it operates in a tier well above the island's beach-club drink scene, drawing serious bar-goers alongside the town's creative traveller crowd. A 4.7 Google rating across 226 reviews confirms consistent execution.