‘Hong Kong is everything to me’: Jay Khan’s Coa tops Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 for the third year in a row, but Singapore has most entries in list at 11
- Held for the first time in Hong Kong, the Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony was a high-energy event with international bartending talent in attendance
- Jay Khan’s bar Coa edged out Singapore’s Jigger & Pony for the top spot, and was one of eight Hong Kong bars ranked in the top 50
The eighth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars was announced at a celebratory black tie event at Rosewood Hong Kong on July 18, with the region’s top bartending talent convening in Hong Kong for the first time to witness the results.
In the end, Coa beat Singapore’s Jigger & Pony for the top spot (for the second year running).
A visibly shocked Jay Khan, founder of Coa, took to the stage to accept the award along with team members Ajit Gurung and Lok Cheung. “Six years ago we opened Coa without any expectations. We didn’t know where it would lead us,” he said. “Today we’re here on this stage, and in our hometown.”
Later, speaking to the press, Khan reflected on what the hat trick meant to him – particularly receiving the honour on his home turf.
“It’s the best, to be honest,” he says. “Among all the number ones, this means the most. I was born here. I grew up here. And Hong Kong is everything to me.”