World’s 50 Best Bars 2025: Hong Kong’s Bar Leone takes top spot, first time for the city

Bar Leone, named Asia’s Best Bar for the past two years, is known for perfecting Italian classics. We spoke to co-founder Lorenzo Antinori

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The team from Hong Kong’s Bar Leone accepts the award for the World’s Best Bar 2025 from The World’s 50 Best Bars at a ceremony in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 11:09am, 9 Oct 2025Updated: 4:53pm, 9 Oct 2025

Bar Leone in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan neighbourhood has topped the World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list, the first time a Hong Kong bar has topped the rankings.

The list was announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on October 8, also the first time the awards have been held in the city.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be here in Hong Kong and to be recognised for this award in our city,” said Lorenzo Antinori, co-founder of Bar Leone, in an exclusive chat with the Post just minutes after the awards ceremony.

“We want to dedicate this to Hong Kong and our amazing bar community. We put a lot of effort and quality into what we do, and I think [the award] is really a testament to the work of the team.”

The No 2 spot went to Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City, Mexico, while third was Sips in Barcelona, Spain. Another Hong Kong bar, Coa, came in at 38th.

Bar Leone, an Italy-inspired cocktail bar, unprecedentedly debuted at the top of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list despite only being in its first year of operation. Then, earlier this year, it took the continental throne again.

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