Bar Leone wins third best bar in Asia, with Guangzhou’s Hope & Sesame taking the crown

Asia’s 50 Best Bars has just wrapped up its 2026 edition on July 28, having returned to Wynn Palace in Macau for the second time in a row. Hong Kong has unfortunately lost our crown as the best bar in Asia, but Bar Leone has come in at a very respectable rank No. 3!

Seven of our city’s top bars have also made it onto this annual prestigious list, so aside from Bar Leone, we are also represented by Gokan at No. 22, Coa at No. 24, Mius at No. 36, Argo at No. 37, Montana at No. 47, and Penicillin at No. 49. Notably, Hong Kong was also further honoured by Shelly Tai, founder of Mius, taking home the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award. This is the only peer-judged accolade within the Asia’s 50 Best Bars programme, which means that Tai has earned significant recognition from fellow professionals in the bar industry who know their craft best. 

In addition to the prestigious rankings, Asia’s 50 Best Bars also has a range of special awards, and Hong Kong also has a part in these accolades: in particular, our Cantonese spirits-based bar Kinsman has won the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu award for creating a top-notch cocktail programme that is unique and highlights its cultural origins.

Other special awards include Hats Bar from Jakarta winning the Campari One to Watch award; Smoke & Bitters from Sri Lanka winning the Michter’s Art of Hospitality award; Hanoi’s Workshop14 winning the Three Cents Best New Opening award; and Bangkok’s Bar Us taking home the Ketel One Sustainable Bar award.

As for the best bar in Asia for 2026? The honour goes to Guangzhou’s Hope & Sesame, founded by Hongkonger Andrew Ho. Zest in Seoul takes second spot, followed by Bangkok’s Dry Wave Cocktail Studio and MO Bar Shenzhen rounding out the top five.

Every year, the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list is curated by over 300 industry experts including esteemed consultants, influential writers, and talented bartenders from across the region. The awards ceremony may be over for another year, but you can still be a part of the buzz by attending one of the various bar guest shifts happening in Hong Kong and Macau until as late as July 30. 

See the complete list for Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2026:

1. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou
2. Zest, Seoul (Best Bar in Korea)
3. Bar Leone, Hong Kong (Best Bar in Hong Kong)
4. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok (Best Bar in Thailand)
5. MO Bar Shenzhen, Shenzhen
6. Bar Us, Bangkok (Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award)
7. Lennon’s (Disaronno Highest New Entry Award; New entry) 
8. Boilermaker, Goa (Best Bar in India)
9. Jigger & Pony, Singapore (Best Bar in Singapore)
10. Obsidian Bar, Shenzhen (New entry)
11. Modernhaus (Best Bar in Indonesia)
12. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
13. Alice, Seoul
14. Vender, Taichung (Best Bar in Taiwan)
15. Cosmo Pony, Jakarta
16. Offtrack, Singapore
17. Bar Sathorn, Bangkok (Nikka Highest Climber Award)
18. Soka, Bengaluru
19. Pony Up, Shanghai (New entry)
20. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
21. Carrots Bar, Jakarta
22. Gokan, Hong Kong
23. Punch Room Tokyo (Best Bar in Japan)
24. Coa, Hong Kong (Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award)
25. Opium, Bangkok
26. Virtù, Tokyo
27. CMYK, Changsha
28. Ralph’s Bar, Chengdu (New entry)
29. Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya (Best Bar in Sri Lanka; Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award)
30. Bar Spirit Forward, Bengaluru 
31. G.O.D, Bangkok
32. Three x Co, Kuala Lumpur (Best Bar in Malaysia)
33. Bar Cham, Seoul
34. Workshop14, Hanoi (Best Bar in Vietnam; Three Cents Best New Opening Award; New entry)
35. To Infinity & Beyond, Taipei
36. Mius, Hong Kong (Sevenrooms Best Bar Design Award; New entry)
37. Argo, Hong Kong
38. Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur
39. Bar Libre, Tokyo
40. The Golden Tooth, Jakarta (New entry)
41. The Han-Jia, Tainan (New entry)
42. M+MS Bar, Seoul (New entry)
43. Origin Bar, Singapore
44. Problem Child, Makati (Best in the Philippines; New entry)
45. The St. Regis Bar, Macau (Best in Macau)
46. The Hudson Rooms, Hanoi (New entry)
47. Montana, Hong Kong (New entry)
48. Aqua Bar, Bangkok (New entry)
49. Penicillin, Hong Kong
50. Tiao, Beijing (New entry)

To dive further into Asia’s fantastic bar scene, check out the extended list of 51-100 rankings as well. Happy drinking!

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