The world’s best bar has an Italian accent. The runner-up is Italian through and through. At The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026 awards ceremony, held on October 7 at Palazzo del Ghiaccio in Milan, Bar Leone in Hong Kong claimed the top spot for the second consecutive year. Co-founded by Rome-born Lorenzo Antinori, the bar finished ahead of Moebius Milano in second place and Alquímico in Cartagena, Colombia, in third.
Bar Leone Does It Again. So Does Moebius
A single position in a ranking can represent years of work. That becomes clear at The World’s 50 Best Bars ceremony, when a bar’s name is called and, for a brief moment, the daily demands of service give way to celebration and recognition from peers across the industry.
On October 7, the ranking’s 18th edition brought bartending teams from around the world to Milan’s Palazzo del Ghiaccio. These were professionals accustomed to looking after other people’s nights, now waiting to see how their own work would be recognized. As the countdown approached the top spot, anticipation grew around the possibility of a hometown victory. Could Moebius take No. 1 on its own turf? It came remarkably close, finishing second. Ahead of it, once again, was Bar Leone, earning another well-deserved victory.
Bar Leone: A Roman Spirit at the Top of the World
London’s Connaught Bar achieved back-to-back victories in 2020 and 2021. Now Hong Kong’s Bar Leone has done the same. Lorenzo Antinori, the bar’s co-founder and creative force, has brought a distinctly Roman approach to hospitality to Hong Kong, one that feels familiar the moment guests walk through the door. People come for a drink, order something to eat and settle in, often finding themselves staying longer than planned.
Opened in 2023 by Antinori and Justin Shun Wah, Bar Leone takes its inspiration from Rome’s neighborhood bars, recreating their easy familiarity in Hong Kong’s Central district. Football memorabilia and Italian-inspired interiors set the scene for a cocktail menu built around classics that deliver exactly what guests hope for. A drink might arrive with a bowl of olives or a mortadella sandwich. These details are central to what Antinori calls cocktail popolari: approachable drinks, attentive hospitality and the simple pleasure of spending time at a bar, whether or not there is anything particular to celebrate.
The second consecutive victory recognizes the consistency of that vision. Antinori and his team have turned Bar Leone into an international destination while preserving the character of a neighborhood bar people return to out of habit, and because they genuinely enjoy being there. Three years after opening, Bar Leone is once again the bar everyone else is chasing.
Moebius: Milan Celebrates Lorenzo Querci and His Team
For Milan, this year’s result carries particular significance. After days of guest shifts, industry gatherings and collaborations with bartenders from around the world, one of the city’s own bars climbed from seventh to second place. Moebius moved closer to the top of the global ranking just as the awards arrived on its home turf.
Located on Via Cappellini, the bar occupies a former textile warehouse whose expansive interiors retain much of the building’s industrial character. Since opening Moebius in 2019, Lorenzo Querci has brought together a cocktail bar, a tapas bistro, live music and Sperimentale, the restaurant led by Michelin-starred chef Enrico Croatti.
It has been a collective achievement. Behind the bar, Giovanni Allario leads a team that first established Moebius as one of Milan’s most compelling destinations before taking it to No. 2 in the world, along with the title of Best Bar in Europe for 2026. Yet Moebius had already earned something important long before October 7: the affection of its guests. Its ability to accommodate different moods, occasions and ways of spending an evening, with hospitality that feels effortless and a distinctly cool personality, has made it a place people genuinely want to return to.
Alquímico: Cartagena Takes Its Place on the Podium
Third place takes the ranking to Cartagena, Colombia, where Alquímico also received recognition as the Best Bar in South America and for its hospitality. At Alquímico, Colombian ingredients give the cocktails a tangible connection to their surroundings. That relationship extends beyond the drinks themselves to the communities and people who contribute to the bar’s identity.
The work begins with what goes into the glass, but its ambitions reach further. Ingredient sourcing and community engagement are part of the same philosophy of hospitality. By reaching the global top three, Alquímico offers guests a compelling introduction to Colombia through its flavors, its people and its commitment to sustainability.
The Rest of the World’s Top 10
The remainder of the top 10 reflects the geographical breadth of today’s cocktail industry. Bar Us in Bangkok takes fourth place, followed by Line in Athens at No. 5, which also received recognition for its sustainability efforts. Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy ranks sixth, with Zest in Seoul taking seventh. London’s Connaught Bar comes in eighth, while Lady Bee in Lima claims ninth place. Rounding out the top 10 is Bar Mauro, giving Mexico City a second entry among the world’s ten highest-ranked bars.
Italy’s Bars: From the Top 50 to the Extended Ranking
Italy’s performance deserves a closer look. Alongside Moebius, Locale Firenze takes 33rd place. Housed in a historic palazzo on Via delle Seggiole, it remains one of Florence’s leading cocktail destinations.
Four more Italian bars appear in the extended 51–100 ranking, with their positions announced in the days leading up to the ceremony. Rome’s Freni e Frizioni ranks No. 62, followed by Florence’s Gucci Giardino at No. 91, Rome’s Drink Kong at No. 92 and Milan’s 1930 at No. 94. That brings Italy’s total to six bars in the world’s top 100, evenly divided among Milan, Florence and Rome. Despite the inevitable rises and falls in individual positions, the country maintains a six-strong presence among the world’s hundred highest-ranked bars.
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026: The Complete Ranking
50. Angelita — Madrid, Spain
49. Bar Snack — New York, United States
48. Virtù — Tokyo, Japan
47. Tlecān — Mexico City, Mexico
46. Martiny’s — New York, United States
45. Caretaker’s Cottage — Melbourne, Australia
44. Bar Benfiddich — Tokyo, Japan
43. Nouvelle Vague — Tirana, Albania
42. Mimi Kakushi — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
41. Gokan — Hong Kong, China
40. Barro Negro — Athens, Greece
39. Bar Carmen — Medellín, Colombia
38. Nutmeg & Clove — Singapore
37. Sastrería Martinez — Lima, Peru
36. Montana — Hong Kong, China
35. Tan Tan — São Paulo, Brazil
34. Mirror Bar — Bratislava, Slovakia
33. Locale Firenze — Florence, Italy
32. Waltz — London, United Kingdom
31. Victor Audio Bar — Buenos Aires, Argentina
30. BKK Social Club — Bangkok, Thailand
29. Satan’s Whiskers — London, United Kingdom
28. El Gallo Altanero — Guadalajara, Mexico
27. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio — Bangkok, Thailand
26. Danico — Paris, France 25. Argo — Hong Kong, China
24. Himkok — Oslo, Norway 23. De Vie — Paris, France
22. Mamba Negra — Medellín, Colombia
21. Tres Monos — Buenos Aires, Argentina
20. Exímia — São Paulo, Brazil
19. The Bar in Front of the Bar — Athens, Greece
18. Jigger & Pony — Singapore
17. Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
16. Sips — Barcelona, Spain
15. Bar Nouveau — Paris, France
14. Sip & Guzzle — New York, United States
13. The Cambridge Public House — Paris, France
12. Hope & Sesame — Guangzhou, China
11. Schmuck — New York, United States
10. Bar Mauro — Mexico City, Mexico
9. Lady Bee — Lima, Peru
8. Connaught Bar — London, United Kingdom
7. Zest — Seoul, South Korea
6. Handshake Speakeasy — Mexico City, Mexico
5. Line — Athens, Greece
4. Bar Us — Bangkok, Thailand
3. Alquímico — Cartagena, Colombia
2. Moebius Milano — Milan, Italy
1. Bar Leone — Hong Kong, China
Photo courtesy The 50
