The 50 Best Bars 2026: 10 bars worth travelling for

Unveiled in Milan on 7 October, The 50 Best Bars 2026 named Hong Kong’s Bar Leone the world’s best bar for a second consecutive year. Spanning 26 cities with 14 new entries, the list offers fresh inspiration for journeys built around exceptional hospitality and inventive drinks. For travellers exploring the best bars in the world 2026, these ten bars across ten cities each offer a distinctive reason to make cocktails part of your next trip.

What to know about The 50 Best Bars 2026

For readers looking for The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026, this is the same global ranking under its updated name. The organisation introduced The 50 brand in September 2026 without changing the ranking’s methodology.

The list reflects the votes of more than 800 drinks experts, including bartenders, consultants, writers, and cocktail specialists. Each selects eight bars based on experiences during the previous 18 months. There is no fixed scoring checklist, so the ranking recognises the overall visit rather than cocktails alone.

Bar Leone, Hong Kong – The world’s best bar with a neighbourhood spirit

Ranking: No.1

Bar Leone’s second consecutive global win celebrates relaxed, Roman-inspired hospitality. Co-founder Lorenzo Antinori pairs classic cocktails such as negronis, martinis, and old fashioneds, with nostalgic interiors, football memorabilia, and generous snacks, creating a welcoming neighbourhood atmosphere.

For a first visit, the olive oil sour, smoked olives, and mortadella focaccia provide an introduction to the bar’s personality. Make it part of an unhurried evening around Central rather than a tightly timed stop before dinner. Bar Leone remains walk-in-only, so even a carefully planned luxury stay should leave some flexibility around the visit.

The 50 Best Bars 2026 named Bar Leone the world’s best bar for a second consecutive year.

Moebius Milano, Milan – Cocktails, gastronomy, and live music

Ranking: No.2

Named Best Bar in Europe 2026, Moebius Milano brings cocktails, dining, design, and music into a former textile warehouse. The drinks take a culinary direction, with signatures including a Pesto Martini combining vodka, white balsamic, and basil pesto.

Set aside an evening for Moebius, where cocktails, sharing plates, and live performances come together under one roof. For a more formal dinner, the glass-enclosed Moebius Sperimentale above the main room offers a separate fine-dining experience. Together, they bring the variety of a Milan night out into one distinctive setting.

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Alquímico, Cartagena – Colombian ingredients and Caribbean energy

Ranking: No.3

Alquímico combines three floors of contrasting energy within a historic Cartagena building. The ground-floor cocktails explore regional Colombian ingredients, the upper level reinterprets familiar classics, and the rooftop brings a more party-focused atmosphere.

Its recognition as Best Bar in South America and winner of the 2026 Art of Hospitality Award reinforces that the experience extends beyond the drinks. This is the choice for travellers who want music, interaction, and a lively evening rather than a hushed lounge. Allow time to explore the different floors instead of assuming the first room tells the whole story.

Alquímico is one of the best cocktail bars 2026 with contrasting energy.

Bar Us, Bangkok – Thai flavours through a cocktail menu

Ranking: No.4

Bar Us approaches cocktails through the structure of a meal. Its menu moves through Starter, Main, and After, progressing from brighter flavours towards savoury combinations and aromatic finishes. Located in Sukhumvit, the restrained, dimly lit space places attention on drinks inspired by Thai ingredients, culinary techniques, and food memories.

The distinction is that Bar Us does not simply reproduce familiar dishes in a glass. It isolates flavours and textures, then uses them in a different form. For a Bangkok trip centred on gastronomy, consider the bar a continuation of the culinary itinerary.

Line, Athens – Greek produce and inventive fermentation

Ranking: No.5

Set inside a former art gallery in Kato Petralona, Line takes cocktail-making beyond mixing finished ingredients. The team produces fruit wines, ferments, and other components in-house, using Greek harvests as the starting point. Ingredients move between drinks and food preparations, with by-products finding further uses in vinegars, desserts, and other recipes.

This circular approach earned Line the 2026 Sustainable Bar Award, but its attraction for visitors is the flavour that results. Strawberry or pomegranate wines and inventive house-made ingredients offer something different from an internationally familiar cocktail menu.

Line is one of the best bars in the world 2026 for its self-produced fruit wines.

Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City – Hidden rooms and culinary precision

Ranking: No.6

The Best Bar in North America 2026 combines a theatrical setting with technically ambitious drinks. Handshake Speakeasy offers an intimate, Prohibition-inspired original room, and a separate livelier basement experience. Curtains, subdued lighting, and leather seating create the mood, while the cocktails take a distinctly contemporary direction.

Its clarified piña colada reworks a familiar drink into something lighter, while the Fig Martini has remained a signature since opening. Handshake suits travellers who enjoy discovering what lies behind an apparently simple presentation.

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Zest, Seoul – Korean seasonality and thoughtful craftsmanship

Ranking: No.7

Zest makes Korean ingredients central to the cocktail experience. Based in Cheongdam, the bar works closely with local producers and uses spirits such as soju and yakju alongside seasonal fruit and vegetables. Its approach extends to house-made mixers and finding further uses for peels, trimmings, and other ingredients that might otherwise be discarded.

Zest reinterprets familiar cocktails with Korean ingredients, complementing Seoul’s contemporary dining scene. Ask what is in season and let that conversation guide the choice rather than arriving with a fixed order in mind.

Connaught Bar, London – Timeless Mayfair hotel-bar glamour

Ranking: No.8

Connaught Bar provides the most traditional expression of luxury nightlife in this selection. Located within The Connaught in Mayfair, it has appeared in 17 of the ranking’s 18 global editions. Its enduring signature is the martini trolley, with guests choosing their spirit and aromatic bitters before the drink is prepared beside the table.

The experience suits an evening when service and setting matter as much as novelty. Combine it with a Mayfair stay or a special dinner, but keep the timing flexible: Connaught Bar operates a no-reservation policy. Its menu also evolves through new seasonal creations, offering a reason to look beyond the signature martini on a return visit.

Among The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026, Connaught Bar stands out for its martini trolley.

Lady Bee, Lima – Peru’s landscapes expressed through flavour

Ranking: No.9

Lady Bee explores Peru through seasonal fruits, vegetables, spirits, and the people who produce them. Founded by bartender Alonso Palomino and chef Gabriela León, it moved into a larger Barranco space in 2025 while retaining its ingredient-led identity. The team’s explanations connect the drinks with Peru’s farmers and geographical diversity.

Cocktails can feature Andean ingredients, stingless-bee honey, and unexpected combinations that reveal another side of Peruvian gastronomy. Make Lady Bee a deliberate part of a food-focused Lima stay, because it offers another way to understand the destination through flavour, with conversation adding context to what arrives in the glass.

Schmuck, New York – A new arrival with a culinary edge

Ranking: No.11

Schmuck entered the global ranking at No.11 and received the 2026 Best New Opening Award. Opened in New York in 2025, it combines contemporary interiors with technically detailed drinks. Stainless-steel counters, low seating, and mid-century touches create a setting closer to a stylish gathering than a formal cocktail lounge.

The food connection runs through both the menu and the kitchen. The Schmuck Martini combines gin, shochu, apple brandy, vermouth, and olive oil, while Mediterranean-influenced dishes give guests a reason to stay longer. Choose it for a New York evening that feels energetic and contemporary, with food and cocktails considered together.

Experience The 50 Best Bars 2026 with MA Hospitality Group

Exploring the best cocktail bars 2026 can become part of a wider journey shaped around dining, design, culture, and hospitality. The right choice might be a relaxed neighbourhood evening in Hong Kong, a music-led night in Milan, or a classic hotel-bar experience in London.

MA Hospitality Group can assist with VIP table bookings, fine dining reservations, luxury nightlife arrangements, private transportation, and tailored city itineraries. Reservations can be explored where venues accept them, subject to availability and each bar’s policies.

Contact us to plan your luxury nightlife experiences around The 50 Best Bars 2026.

See more: Best European cities for food and wine

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