On the Menu | Hong Kong hosting World’s 50 Best Bars is proof its drinks scene is on the up
Hot new bar Montana will open ahead of the awards, while Macau’s bar scene is also looking rosy at it prepares to host Asia’s 50 Best Bars
It’s an exciting time to be in Hong Kong for enthusiastic imbibers like myself. A few weeks ago, it was announced that the World’s 50 Best Bars awards will be hosted in the city for the first time, on October 8.
Having previously hosted two editions of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, in 2023 and 2024 (both at Rosewood Hong Kong), the city has been upgraded to welcome the world’s finest bartenders, following in the footsteps of London, Barcelona, Singapore and Madrid.
Not bad for a place that, post-pandemic, had struggled to convince wary tourists that we had some serious “night vibes” going on.
The image is helped by Hong Kong’s own Bar Leone in Sheung Wan being crowned Asia’s Best Bar in 2024, and runner-up in the world edition of the awards a few months later. It only seems fair to bring the party back to this side of the world.
And this year, when the world’s most discerning drinkers descend upon Hong Kong, they’ll have a new spot to flock to.
Timed perfectly for their arrival is a new project by Bar Leone’s Lorenzo Antinori, who has teamed up with Simone Caporale of Barcelona’s Sips, which was crowned World’s Best Bar in 2023 and is currently ranked third.