Cocktails for the People
Twice in a row at number 1: Bar Leone from Hong Kong confirms its exceptional position in Asia’s bar scene in 2025. What is behind the myth of the “Cocktail Popolari”? And what does this unpretentious concept for success mean for an industry that oscillates between spectacle and the search for meaning?
From Rome to Hong Kong - and all the way to the top
They say in Italy: “Nel bar di paese impari più dell'università.” Loosely translated: You learn more for life in a good bar than at university. Wisdom that Bar Leone - a tribute to the Italian way of life in the middle of Hong Kong - proves with every drink.
The bar made history back in 2024 when it entered the “Asia's 50 Best Bars” at number 1 - a first. In 2025, it has now achieved the feat of defending its title. Bar Leone is officially the best bar in Asia. For the second time in a row.
Less is bar: the success of simplicity
Leone dispenses with show effects, molecular fog or liquid-nitrogen theater. Here, everything revolves around what counts: honest, well-made drinks, excellent hosts and a spirit that pushes bar boundaries.
The team delivers what the menu promises without pretense: classics such as the Filthy Martini with smoked olive brine or signature serves that never get bogged down in complexity, but remain memorable. Plus a culinary understatement with symbolic power: mortadella focaccia.
Three ingredients for cult status
- Consistency instead of conceptual infatuation
Bar Leone serves fast, reliable, precise - always with the same commitment to quality, even when it gets late. - Character instead of scenery
Instead of design overkill, there's retro romance with hoodie merchandise. Those who love Leone proudly wear the “7” shirt - and become part of a community. - Vibes instead of VIPs
Bartenders, regulars and newbies dance together here - when only shots are served and the music gets louder, Leone is at its strongest.
The new tone in the international bar scene?
Bar Leone stands for a movement: away from the “bar architecture” craze and towards substance and soul. Other new additions to Asia's 50 Best Bars List 2025 also focus on local roots, playful ingredients and strong stories:
- Smoke & Bitters in Sri Lanka serves cocktails under palm trees - with homemade tinctures.
- To Infinity & Beyond from Taipei thinks of drinks as an intergalactic narrative.
- Yakoboku in Japan uses tree resin and wax - ingredients of local craftsmanship.
- Barc in Kathmandu wins the “Art of Hospitality Award” - with jazz, storytelling and charm.
What can European bars take away from this?
- A return to authenticity: guests don't want a show, they want a response.
- A place as an attitude: A bar is strong when it doesn't disguise itself, but rather professes itself.
- From the menu to the cult: If you don't just serve, but move, you become a brand.
Our conclusion for the future: the bar as a social stage
Bar Leone is not a pop-up, not a concept store, not an influencer venue. It is a real living room for a new generation of guests who long for authenticity, simplicity and excess at the same time.
If you want to win bar awards in the future, you no longer need a change of scenery - you need a strong feeling for people, moments and mixology with attitude.
Which bars from German-speaking countries could follow this path? Who dares to abandon theatricality and redefine the heart of bar culture?
50 Best Bars Asia at a glance:
- No.1 Bar Leone, Hong Kong
- No.2 Zest, Seoul
- No.3 Jigger & Pony, Singapore
- No.4 Bar Us, Bangkok
- No.5 Dry Wave Cocktail Studio – NEW ENTRY, Bangkok
- No.6 Bar Cham, Seoul
- No.7 Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou
- No.8 Lair – NEW ENTRY, New Delhi
- No.9 Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
- No.10 Penrose, Kuala Lumpur
- No.11 Argo, Hong Kong
- No.12 Modernhaus – NEW ENTRY, Jakarta
- No.13 Alice, Seoul
- No.14 Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya
- No.15 Three X Co – RE-ENTRY, Kuala Lumpur
- No.16 CMYK, Changsha
- No.17 Coa, Hong Kong
- No.18 Virtù, Tokyo
- No.19 BKK Social Club, Bangkok
- No.20 Vender, Taichung
- No.21 MO Bar Shenzhen – NEW ENTRY, Shenzhen
- No.22 The St. Regis Bar – NEW ENTRY, Jakarta
- No.23 Offtrack, Singapore
- No.24 Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
- No.25 Yakoboku – NEW ENTRY, Kumamoto
- No.26 G.O.D – NEW ENTRY, Bangkok
- No.27 Penicillin, Hong Kong
- No.28 Soka – NEW ENTRY, Bengaluru
- No.29 Vesper, Bangkok
- No.30 Boilermaker – NEW ENTRY, Goa
- No.31 ZLB23, Bengaluru
- No.32 The Savory Project, Hong Kong
- No.33 Gokan – NEW ENTRY, Hong Kong
- No.34 Carrots Bar – NEW ENTRY, Jakarta
- No.35 Barc, Kathmandu
- No.36 Punch Room Tokyo – NEW ENTRY, Tokyo
- No.37 Bar Spirit Forward – NEW ENTRY, Bengaluru
- No.38 Cosmo Pony – NEW ENTRY, Jakarta
- No.39 Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur
- No.40 The Public House, Taipei
- No.41 To Infinity & Beyond – NEW ENTRY, Taipei
- No.42 Moonrock – NEW ENTRY, Tainan
- No.43 Opium – NEW ENTRY, Bangkok
- No.44 Cat Bite Club – NEW ENTRY, Singapore
- No.45 Native, Singapore
- No.46 Lamp Bar – RE-ENTRY, Nara
- No.47 Reka, Kuala Lumpur
- No.48 Bar Sathorn – NEW ENTRY, Bangkok
- No.49 Bar Libre – NEW ENTRY, Tokyo
- No.50 Le Chamber , Seoul
Photo provided
