Hope & Sesame claims top spot at Asia's 50 Best Bars
Hope & Sesame in Guangzhou earns the title of The Best Bar in Asia 2026. The list features 50 bars across 22 cities, including 14 new entries, highlighting China's rising cocktail scene and Asia's expanding bar culture.
HOPE & SESAME IN GUANGZHOU TAKES THE NO.1 SPOT AT ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS 2026
The annual ranking features bars from 22 cities across Asia, with 14 new entries, marking continued innovation and creativity in the region
- Hope & Sesame in Guangzhou is ranked No.1 and is named The Best Bar in Asia 2026
- The list features 14 new entries and two re-entries across 22 cities
- Lennon's in Bangkok debuts at No.7 and wins the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award
- Bar Sathorn in Bangkok rises 31 places to No.17 and earns the Nikka Highest Climber Award
- Three Hong Kong bars earn major accolades, including Coa (No.24) receives the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award, Kinsman wins the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award and Mius (No.36) wins the SevenRooms Best Bar Design Award
- Indra Kantono, co-founder of Jigger & Pony (No.9), Singapore receives the Roku Industry Icon Award 2026
- Workshop14 in Hanoi (No.34) is named The Best Bar in Vietnam and wins the Three Cents Best New Opening Award
- Bar Us (No.6) in Bangkok claims the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award
- Hats Bar (No.77) in Jakarta takes the Campari One To Watch Award
Hope & Sesame in Guangzhou has been crowned The Best Bar in Asia 2026, at a glittering ceremony celebrating Asia's 50 Best Bars held in Macau this evening. The bar also takes the title of The Best Bar in Mainland China, marking a landmark year for China's fast-evolving cocktail scene. The full line up of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 was announced at Wynn Palace, Macau, and honoured 50 bars from 22 cities, including 14 new entries and two re-entries, underscoring the region's dynamism, creativity and cross-cultural exchange.
The title of The Best Bar in Asia continues a remarkable rise to international renown for Guangzhou's Hope & Sesame, a mainstay on the 1-50 list for the past seven years and also ranked No.29 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025. At a secret location tucked behind a traditional Cantonese store in the historic Dongshankou district, the quaint speakeasy clinches the most coveted prize for boldly rewriting China's cocktail playbook. The recognition rewards founders Bastien Ciocca and Andrew Ho – the latter of whom scooped the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award in 2025 – for continuing to push technical boundaries with a constant stream of inventive elixirs inspired by the shared culinary heritage of Chinese communities worldwide and Cantonese cuisine. Themes shift seasonally and thematically, drawing on regional flavours, cultural narratives and nostalgic tastes reimagined through a modern lens.
Hope & Sesame's victory also crowns a milestone year for Mainland China, with a new generation of bars soaring into the list and capturing China its highest ever tally with seven places. Shenzhen comes of age with two bars in the top 10 – MO Bar Shenzhen rises to No.5 for its "liquid tribute to Chinese cultural heritage" atop the sky-high Mandarin Oriental, while gothic-chic hotspot Obsidian Bar, perched atop the Ping An Finance Centre, is a high-flying debutante at No.10. On Shanghai's lively Jinxian Road bar strip, Pony Up is a new entry at No.19. In Chengdu, Ralph's Bar at Ralph Lauren's first dining store in China debuts at No.28. In Beijing, Tiao, tucked within a hutong at Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, joins the list at No.50.
Bangkok is reinforced as a regional powerhouse, retaining its crown as Asia's most densely-represented cocktail capital with eight spots in the 1-50 list. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio rises from its debut last year to No.4, clinching The Best Bar in Thailand, sponsored by Torres Brandy. One of Bangkok's most talked-about cocktail legends, Bar Us, retains the No.6 spot and claims the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award. Soaring into No.7, debutante Lennon's atop the Rosewood hotel captures the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award for its retro Great Gatsby-style speakeasy inspired by a home recording studio. Genteel Bar Sathorn, set within the heritage House on Sathorn, is the highest climber of the list, jumping 31 places to No.17 and taking the Nikka Highest Climber Award. BKK Social Club, where Latin American glamour meets Thai hospitality at Four Seasons Bangkok beside the Chao Phraya River, places No.20. Hidden speakeasy Opium, named after the location's previous life as an opium den, rises to No.25. Located above celebrated restaurant Potong, it draws on the soul of Bangkok's Chinatown and classic New York bars. In a serene courtyard of lush greenery and a koi-carp pond at Anantara Siam Bangkok, chic jazz spot Aqua Bar is another new entry at No.48, in the heart of Bangkok's vibrant Ratchaprasong district.
Hong Kong remains a regional authority in bar culture, with seven bars placing on the prestigious list. Last year's No.1, Bar Leone, which is inspired by the bars of Rome's Trastevere district where founder Lorenzo Antinori grew up, comes in at the No.3 spot, garnering continued recognition as The Best Bar in Hong Kong, sponsored by Amaro Lucano. Gokan, the eponymous bar by internationally renowned Japanese mixologist Shingo Gokan, rises to No.22. Inspired by Mexican drinking dens with agave tequila and traditional mezcal cocktails, perennial favourite Coa ranks No.24 and collects the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award for sustained renown at the forefront of Asia's cocktail scene. True to her belief in "doing simple things exceptionally well", Shelley Tai not only wins the pre-announced Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award for her first Hong Kong cocktail bar Mius, but also joins the list at No.36 and wins the SevenRooms Best Bar Design Award. Newly opened Montana pays homage to Cuba's golden age through an exuberant Miami disco haze at No.47. Beyond the ranking, Kinsman is recognised with the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award in Asia for its inventive drinks programme that pays tribute to Hong Kong's Cantonese heritage through a contemporary cocktail lens.
Singapore maintains stability across multiple tiers of the list with four spots, led by plush drinking den stalwart Jigger & Pony at No.9 to claim The Best Bar in Singapore, sponsored by Back to the Roots. Its co-founder Indra Kantono is honoured with the Roku Industry Icon Award in recognition of his transformative influence on Asia's bar landscape and his role in shaping Singapore's emergence as a global cocktail capital. With cocktails that pay homage to Singapore's rich history, personalities, landmarks and hawker food culture, Nutmeg & Clove places No.12, followed by music-centric Offtrack at No.16. Plush, theatrical Origin Bar at the Shangri-La Hotel brings its old-school train station vibe back to the list at No.43 as a re-entry.
Jakarta emerges as a rising Southeast Asian hub, with four bars securing spots on the list. Modernhaus places highest at No.11 and is named The Best Bar in Indonesia, sponsored by Monkey Shoulder, with its stylish living room embracing an ingredients-first philosophy that celebrates the rich biodiversity of Indonesia. Convivial cosmopolitan cocktail bar Cosmo Pony at the Grand Hyatt places No.15. Intimate Carrots Bar rises to No.21 with a culinary-focused cocktail menu. The Golden Tooth in Melawai, South Jakarta, is a newcomer at No.40, applauded for its laid-back New York-style "cocktail and chats" experience. Further underscoring the city's momentum, Hats Bar is honoured with the Campari One To Watch Award, spotlighting its rising influence on the regional cocktail scene.
Seoul also sustains its elite positioning with four bars securing spots on the list, once again led by minimalist Zest at No.2. A sustainable celebration of all things local, the bar is voted The Best Bar in Korea for the third consecutive year. Alice, inspired by the classic Lewis Carroll tale and hidden behind a flower shop in Seoul's trendy Gangnam district, places No.13. In a traditional Korean hanok house, Bar Cham places No.33. Fashion-forward M+MS Bar, where each cocktail reads like a designer collection, is a new entry at No.42.
India's rising influence is reflected by a deepened presence with three placings. Boilermaker in Goa secures The Best Bar in India, sponsored by Rémy Martin at No.8, with its experience of traditional spirits akin to a freewheeling house party with the soul of a dive bar. Bengaluru emerges as a cocktail capital in its own right, led by high-energy Soka's rise to No.18, while refined Bar Spirit Forward reinforces the southern city's ascent at No.30 with its Japanese omakase approach.
Taiwan continues to perform steadily in the rankings, with three bars securing spots on the list. Vender in Taichung leads the island at No.14 and clinches The Best Bar in Taiwan, sponsored by Langjiu, for the second year running. In Taipei, space-themed To Infinity & Beyond edges higher to No.35 with cocktails paying tribute to the planets. With industrial-designed high ceilings and exposed brick, The Han-Jia in Tainan is a new entry completing the trio at No.41.
Tokyo continues consistently unveiling a creative bar scene with three placings, headed by sophisticated Punch Room Tokyo. Inspired by 19th-century London private clubs, it placed highest at No.23 and is crowned The Best Bar in Japan, sponsored by Mancino Vermouth. Billed as a cocktail bar and cognac lounge, Virtù on the 39th floor of Four Seasons Hotel places No.26. Bar Libre, a fixture speakeasy of Tokyo's cocktail scene beloved by industry insiders and devoted regulars rises to No.39.
Bars in Kuala Lumpur retain two spots on the list, with speakeasy Three X Co – hidden behind a pop-up barbershop in Bangsar Shopping Centre – ranking at No.32 to take The Best Bar in Malaysia, sponsored by Noam. Opulent, beehive-inspired Bar Trigona at Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur follows at No.38.
The 2026 list also signals expansion beyond established capitals, with bars in emerging new cities strengthening Asia's cocktail map. In Hanoi, down a quiet lane in a former architect's studio beside West Lake, effortlessly refined Workshop14 continues its meteoric rise from last year's Campari One To Watch Award to No.34 and is named The Best Bar in Vietnam as well as capturing the Three Cents Best New Opening Award. Hanoi's growing depth is further reinforced by The Hudson Rooms as a new entry at No.46. In Makati, bold and unconventional Problem Child gains immediate recognition as a new entry voted The Best Bar in the Philippines, sponsored by Roku Gin placed at No.44. Paying homage to local traditions and ingredients, south coast resort Hiriketiya puts Sri Lanka on the best bar map with rustic coastal bar Smoke & Bitters, which placed at No.29, earning The Best Bar in Sri Lanka, in addition to receiving the pre-announced Michter's Art of Hospitality Award. In Macau, opulent The St. Regis Bar (Macau), inspired by New York's Golden Age at its namesake hotel, returns to the 1-50 list at No.45 and is named The Best Bar in Macau.
Faye Huggett, Director of Community, Asia's 50 Best Bars, says:
"This year's ranking, voted for by over 300 independent Academy members across the region, showcases the remarkable depth and diversity of Asia's bar scene - from Hope & Sesame's well-earned ascent to No.1, to 14 new entries spanning emerging cities like Hiriketiya, Hanoi and Makati. It's a clear reflection of how Asia's cocktail culture is being shaped not just by its traditional capitals, but by a new generation of bars redefining what hospitality looks like across the region."
Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 reached its grand finale at Wynn Palace, Macau. Alongside a red-carpet reception and live awards ceremony revealing the region's 50 best bars and The Best Bar in Asia 2026, this year's event programme includes the Bartenders' Feast showcasing Macau's diverse F&B scene and Meet the Bartenders, an exclusive media roundtable session.
