Barcelona has successfully held its grip on the coveted World’s Best Bar trophy.
For the second year in a row, a bar in the Spanish city ranks number one in The World’s 50 Best Bars awards, with Sips in Barcelona’s Eixample neighbourhood declared 2023’s winner.
London, however, dominates overall with five bars on the list, more than any other city, including two in the top 10 – Connaught Bar, which ranks fifth, and Tayer + Elementary in eighth place. There’s also Satan’s Whiskers (28th), A Bar with Shapes for a Name (35th) and Scarfes Bar (41st). They’re not the only UK bars to make the ranking – Edinburgh’s Panda & Sons appears on the list in 39th place.
New York, meanwhile, has three bars in the ranking, with Double Chicken Please crowned the No.2 bar in the world and the Best Bar in America. Fellow Manhattan bars Overstory (17th) and Katana Kitten (27th) also make the top 50. Two more U.S bars appear in the ranking – Miami’s Café La Trova ranks 24th and Jewel of the South in New Orleans takes 49th place.
Sydney’s Maybe Sammy (15th) has been crowned The Best Bar in Australasia for a fifth time in a row, whilst Melbourne’s Caretaker’s Cottage joins the list for the first time in 23rd place.
The winners of The World’s 50 Best Bars awards have been revealed, with Sips in Barcelona (above) declared the Best Bar in the World for 2023
London has five bars on the list, which is more than any other city. Above is the city’s Connaught Bar, which ranks fifth overall
London cocktail bar Tayer + Elementary (pictured above) ranks in eighth place. The winners were revealed at an awards ceremony in Singapore this week
The only UK bar outside London to make the top 50 ranking, Edinburgh’s Panda & Sons (pictured) takes 39th place on the list
The Perrier-sponsored awards ceremony took place on Tuesday night in Singapore, with the list compiled by votes from The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises more than 680 drinks experts, including renowned bartenders and consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists.
Winner Sips – which opened its doors in Barcelona in 2021 – combines ‘elegant design with cutting-edge technique to create an unfussy and playful “drinkery house”’.
Its design is said to remove ‘any barrier between guest and bartender, with the aim of centring the human aspect of service to create a multi-sensory, immersive drinking experience’.
William Drew, Content Director of The World’s 50 Best Bars, says: ‘As the brainchild of cocktail-world icons Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale, Sips was destined for greatness even before it rocketed into the list at No.37 just a few short months after opening in 2021. The bar seamlessly translates contemporary innovation and technical precision into a playful cocktail programme, accompanied by the warmest hospitality, making it a worthy winner of The World’s Best Bar 2023 title.’
The ranking is compiled by votes from The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises more than 680 drinks experts, including renowned bartenders and consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists
New York bar Double Chicken Please has been crowned the No.2 bar in the world and the Best Bar in America
Sydney ’s Maybe Sammy, which ranks 15th, has been crowned The Best Bar in Australasia for a fifth time in a row
Sips is joined on the list by two more Spanish bars – Barcelona bar Paradiso, which was last year’s number one but now ranks fourth, and Madrid’s Salmon Guru (16th).
Five Italian watering holes make the top 50 ranking – Drink Kong (21st) and Freni e Frizioni (33rd) in Rome; 1930 (42nd) in Milan; L’Antiquario (44th) in Naples and Locale Firenze (46th) in Florence.
Athens has three bars on the list – Line (12th), Baba Au Rum (25th) and The Clumsies (47th).
Elsewhere in Europe, Parisian bars Little Red Door (sixth) and The Cambridge Public House (38th) and Berlin bar Wax On (29th) make the cut. Of the Nordic countries, Oslo’s Himkok ranks 10th while Röda Huset in Stockholm takes 31st place.
The Best Bar in South America is Cartagena’s Alquímico – a title it also held last year. It ranks ninth overall.
Pictured is Barcelona bar Paradiso, which was last year’s number one but now ranks fourth
Two Parisian bars make the top 50 ranking – one is Little Red Door (pictured), which lands in sixth place
Mexico City bar Handshake Speakeasy (above) has risen eight places to take the overall bronze medal in the awards
The Best Bar in South America is Cartagena’s Alquímico, which ranks ninth overall
A drink served at gold medal-winning bar Sips in Barcelona
Mexico City has several standout bars to visit – Handshake Speakeasy has risen eight places to take the overall bronze medal in the awards, while Licorería Limantour ranks seventh, Hanky Panky slides into 22nd place and Baltra Bar is 45th.
Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo each feature two bars in the list, with Bangkok’s BKK Social Club (13th overall) taking the top spot as The Best Bar in Asia, usurping last year’s victor, Singapore’s Jigger and Pony, which ranks 14th.
In Dubai, newcomer Mimi Kakushi storms into the list in 40th place overall as The Best Bar in The Middle East and Africa.
William Drew comments: ‘At 50 Best, we take great pride in highlighting the unparalleled diversity of the global bar industry and we extend our sincere congratulations to each bar that has earned a place on this illustrious ranking. We have once again seen the number of cocktail cities represented here increase, and hope this list continues to ignite the spark of wanderlust for cocktail lovers around the world.’