Bar Leone Named The World’s Best Bar 2025
Lorenzo Antinori's Roman-style neighbourhood bar on Bridges Street became the first Asian bar to lead the global ranking, announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong.
Photo: The World's 50 Best Bars Official sourceBar Leone in Central was named The World’s Best Bar on 8 October 2025, taking No.1 at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 at a ceremony held in Hong Kong. It is the first bar in Asia to top the global list, a year after placing second in the 2024 edition.
Opened in June 2023 at 15 Bridges Street, the bar is led by Roman-born bartender Lorenzo Antinori, formerly of Argo, Dandelyan and The American Bar. The win gives him a third No.1 across different venues, after The American Bar in 2017 and Dandelyan in 2018.
The concept is built around cocktail popolari, cocktails for the people, drawn from the neighbourhood bars of Rome, with an interior that pays tribute to the city in the 1980s and 1990s. The drinks list, updated monthly and shared as an online document with full recipes, favours simple classics; the house Bellini combines almond eau de vie and peach under a layer of cream, and mortadella sandwiches anchor the food offer.
“It’s a dream come true. Proof that simplicity, community and joy still matter most,” Antinori said. Emma Sleight, head of content for The World’s 50 Best Bars, said: “It is such a delight to unveil Bar Leone as The World’s Best Bar 2025.”
Coa was the other Hong Kong entry, at No.38. Elsewhere in Asia, Jigger & Pony in Singapore ranked ninth, Bar Us in Bangkok 15th and Zest in Seoul 16th, while Hope & Sesame at No.29 became the first bar from Guangzhou to appear on the list.