Bar Leone in Hong Kong Retains Crown as Asia’s Best Bar for Second Year Running

In the ever-fizzing glass of Asia’s cocktail scene, where bittersweet spirits swirl and garnish is an art form unto itself, one bar has again floated triumphantly to the top: Bar Leone in Hong Kong. At this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 ceremony in Macau — that peculiar city where Portuguese pavements meet neon dreams — Bar Leone was named The Best Bar in Asia, sponsored by Perrier, for the second consecutive year.

To understand the magnitude of this feat, imagine a jazz pianist nailing the same impossibly complex improvisation not once, but two nights running, in two different smoky basements. In 2024, Bar Leone already made history as the first venue to debut at No.1; to hold that title again confirms its alchemy of elegance and warmth.

Helmed by the quietly magnetic Lorenzo Antinori, Bar Leone isn’t just a cocktail bar; it is a distilled love letter to classic drinks and neighborhood conviviality. The bar’s charm lies not in molecular showmanship or decorative excess, but in a return to essential pleasures — a negroni made with surgical precision, a martini that hums with quiet authority. In Antinori’s words, it is a bar “of the people, for the people,” a sentiment that echoes through every stirred, not shaken, glass.

Elsewhere on the list, Seoul’s Zest took the No.2 spot and was crowned The Best Bar in Korea, sponsored by Tia Maria. Singapore’s beloved Jigger & Pony held firm at No.3, taking home The Best Bar in Singapore, sponsored by Torres Brandy.

Emma Sleight, Head of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Bars, captured the mood: “With 20 new entries this year — the most we’ve seen in recent memory — this list is a testament to the region’s unstoppable creative energy. Congratulations to Bar Leone for this rare and brilliant repeat victory.”

Bangkok stood tall with seven entries. Notably, Bar Us ranked No.4, winning The Best Bar in Thailand, and Vesper (No.29) was honored with the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award. Further south, Penang’s Backdoor Bodega (No.64) scooped up The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award, while Hanoi’s Workshop14 (No.83) was named Campari One To Watch.

This year’s awards also spotlighted design, sustainability, and innovation: Phnom Penh’s Sora (No.65) won the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, and Bangkok’s Messenger Service (No.90) took Best Bar Design Award. The ever-evolving nature of Asia’s drinking landscape continues to challenge and enchant — and Bar Leone, it seems, has become its quiet, sophisticated north star.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 List

1. Bar Leone, Hong Kong — The Best Bar in Asia & The Best Bar in Hong Kong, sponsored by Perrier
2. Zest, Seoul — The Best Bar in Korea, sponsored by Tia Maria
3. Jigger & Pony, Singapore — The Best Bar in Singapore, sponsored by Torres Brandy
4. Bar Us, Bangkok — The Best Bar in Thailand, sponsored by Amaro Lucano
5. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok — Disaronno Highest New Entry Award
6. Bar Cham, Seoul
7. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou — The Best Bar in Mainland China, sponsored by Cointreau
8. Lair, New Delhi — The Best Bar in India, sponsored by Matusalem
9. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo — The Best Bar in Japan, sponsored by Mancino Vermouth
10. Penrose, Kuala Lumpur — The Best Bar in Malaysia, sponsored by Scrappy’s Bitters
11. Argo, Hong Kong
12. Modernhaus, Jakarta — Three Cents Best New Opening Award & The Best Bar in Indonesia, sponsored by Three Cents
13. Alice, Seoul — Nikka Highest Climber Award
14. Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya — The Best Bar in Sri Lanka, sponsored by Noam
15. Three X Co, Kuala Lumpur — Re-entry
16. CMYK, Changsha
17. Coa, Hong Kong
18. Virtù, Tokyo
19. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
20. Vender, Taichung — The Best Bar in Taiwan, sponsored by Naked Malt
21. MO Bar Shenzhen, Shenzhen — New entry
22. The St. Regis Bar, Jakarta — New entry
23. Offtrack, Singapore
24. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
25. Yakoboku, Kumamoto — New entry
26. G.O.D, Bangkok — New entry
27. Penicillin, Hong Kong
28. Soka, Bengaluru — New entry
29. Vesper, Bangkok — Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award
30. Boilermaker, Goa — New entry
31. ZLB23, Bengaluru
32. The Savory Project, Hong Kong
33. Gokan, Hong Kong — New entry
34. Carrots Bar, Jakarta — New entry
35. Barc, Kathmandu — Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award & The Best Bar in Nepal, sponsored by Michter’s
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
40. The Public House, Taipei
41. To Infinity & Beyond, Taipei — New entry
42. Moonrock, Tainan — New entry
43. Opium, Bangkok — New entry
44. Cat Bite Club, Singapore — New entry
45. Native, Singapore
46. Lamp Bar, Nara — Re-entry
47. Reka, Kuala Lumpur
48. Bar Sathorn, Bangkok — New entry
49. Bar Libre, Tokyo — New entry
50. Le Chamber, Seoul — New entry

Check out the extended 51-100 list for 2025
Check out the Best Bars in Bangkok
Check out the Best Bars in Hong Kong
Check out the Best Bars in Singapore