Bar Leone named The World's Best Bar for the second year in a row

The Hong Kong icon has achieved global dominance while maintaining its neighbourhood roots. 

At The 50 Best Bars 2026 awards ceremony in Milan's Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Hong Kong's Bar Leone was named The World's Best Bar 2026, sponsored by Perrier, holding on to the top spot for a second year running.

The victory adds to a remarkable run. Bar Leone was named The Best Bar in Asia in both 2024 and 2025 and took No.1 in the global edition last October. It holds four No.1 titles in as many years across the Asia and World lists. 

In the year since its win, the Rome-inspired neighbourhood bar has channelled its ambition into a string of ventures, including a pop-up with Louis Vuitton, a new Shanghai location and a line of merch with Italian sportswear brand Kappa. It was also recently announced that co-founders Lorenzo Antinori and Justin Shun Wah are set to debut a new venue at Rosewood Hong Kong – which took the gong for The World's Best Hotel 2026 – this coming November.


Bar Leone's façade draws on classic Roman plasterwork

"To be recognised for a second year in a row is magic," says owner-bartender Antinori. "We're surrounded by so many brilliant bars that we look up to in this room tonight, and to be put on the highest pedestal again, we are speechless," he adds.

But the achievement doesn't come without its pressures. "This huge spotlight on us gives us more responsibility because more people are travelling to the bar as a destination," says Antinori. "But that pressure also pushes us to do better and improve on the details every single day."

A year of non-stop growth

The most notable of the bar's recent ventures is its first permanent location outside of Hong Kong, which opened last year in Shanghai's Huangpu district. Set across two storeys, the space has a ground floor Bar di Passo, or 'passing bar', that draws on Italian aperitivo and sports-bar culture, while upstairs more closely resembles the Hong Kong original.


Both Bar Leone locations lean into dark wooden panelling, tiled floors and warm lighting

Antinori explains that Shanghai's thriving cocktail scene, its connection to Hong Kong and the team's knowledge of the local market made the city an obvious choice for Bar Leone's next opening.

From neighbourhood bar to lifestyle brand

Beyond the new opening, there's been a push to further harness the bar's brand.

Between January and March of this year, the team partnered with Louis Vuitton for a pop-up at the label's Causeway Bay store, serving snacks and drinks inspired by Hong Kong nightlife of the 1970s to 1990s.

In July, Bar Leone and Swedish glassware brand Bobo announced a four-piece glassware line inspired by Italian bar culture and 1990s football heritage. Including pieces for spritzes, highballs and martinis, the glasses have a curved rim and are made for durable workmanship, withstanding high-volume service. 

In October, the bar partnered with Kappa for a collection titled 'From the Counter to the Pitch', which includes a quarter zip and a football-style jersey – a spin on the shirt worn by the Italian national team at the 2000 European Championship.


Co-founder Lorenzo Antinori wears the quarter-zip from Bar Leone's capsule collection with Kappa (Image: Bar Leone)

Despite its stratospheric rise, the soul of Bar Leone hasn't changed. The Hong Kong bar is still walk-in-only and a week-long closure in August for renovations left its windows and wooden panelling refreshed and gleaming. The cocktails still carry the Italian-inflected conviviality that defined the bar since it opened in 2023. 

When it comes to the must-haves for first-timers, there is still a clear answer. "The mortadella focaccia, the olive oil sour and the smoked olives are the trifecta. Everyone has to try them at least once," insists Antinori.

Hong Kong's moment

Bar Leone's win is part of a broader story for the city. Four Hong Kong venues feature on this year's list, up from two in 2025: Bar Leone at No.1, Argo at No.25, Montana – marking Bar Leone sister venue's list debut – at No.36 and Gokan at No.41.


The signature filthy martini at Bar Leone is made with vodka, cherrywood-smoked olive brine and a pitted Spanish olive

"We are so lucky to be from a city that lives and breathes hospitality," says Antinori of his adopted home. "We're incredibly proud to be from Hong Kong. We have amazing bars and restaurants, and the community is very tight-knit."

The list of The 50 Best Bars 2026 was the result of the vote of more than 800 drinks experts from across the globe. Find out more about the voting Academy and how the list is compiled.

The list of The 50 Best Bars 2026 was revealed at a live awards ceremony in Milan on Wednesday 7 October.