For as long as I can remember, I’ve been someone who likes the idea of lists and quests.
10 years ago my life was completely transformed when I published my bucket list on my main website Location Rebel. You can learn more about me and the backstory on our About page, but the short version is, that doing this led to me leaving my job, moving to Thailand, and spending the next decade building a business, while also checking off items on my personal bucket list.
This expanded a few years later when I set off on a quest to play both the top 100 golf courses in the US and the world. On the most recent Golf magazine list I’ve played 49 of the top in America and 45 of the top in the world.
Well, in late 2014 I was in New York City and it was around 11pm on a rainy Sunday night. I’d come across a CNN post that published the latest iteration of the Top 50 Bars in the World.
Upon reading it I first learned of The Dead Rabbit, which at the time was #2 in the world.
I turned to my friend Dan, and said ‘Hey Dan, want to go on an adventure downtown?”
And it was at that moment around midnight that I started a quest to visit the best bars in the world that has taken me to more places than I ever could have imagined.
As it sits right now I’ve been to 52/100 on the 2018 list of the world’s best bars, which I’ve published below.
This is very much a quest I never expect to finish, as bars close, lists change, and well, I’m not made of money.
The list I go off of is from the 50 Best list – which primarily focuses on cocktail bars.
Best Best Bars in the World 2018: 31/100
- Top 50: 29/50
- Top 100: 54/100
Best Bars in the World 2017:
- Top 50: 32/50
- Top 100: 58/100
Best Bars in the World 2016:
- Top 50: 31/50
- Top 100: 49/100
Alternatively, here is the list of my 50 favorite bars in the world.
World’s Best Bars: Current List Progress (52/100)
✓ 1. Dandelyan – London, UK
✓ 2. American Bar – London, UK
✓ 3. Manhattan – Singapore
✓ 4. The NoMad – New York, USA
✓ 5. Connaught Bar – London, UK
✓ 6. Bar Termini – London, UK
7. The Clumsies – Athens, Greece
✓ 8. Atlas – Singapore
✓ 9. Dante – New York, USA
10. The Old Man – Hong Kong, China
11. Licorería Limantour – Mexico City, Mexico
✓ 12. Bar High Five – Tokyo, Japan
✓ 13. Native – Singapore
14. Florería Atlántico – Buenos Aires, Argentina
✓ 15. Attaboy – New York, USA
✓ 16. The Dead Rabbit – New York, USA
✓ 17. Oriole – London, UK
✓ 18. Coupette – London, UK
19. Himkok – Oslo, Norway
✓ 20. Speak Low – Shanghai, China
21. Sweet Liberty – Miami, USA
22. Baba Au Rum – Athens, Greece
✓ 23. Operation Dagger – Singapore
✓ 24. Le Syndicat – Paris, France
25. Lost & Found – Nicosia, Cyprus
✓ 26. Employees Only – New York, USA
27. Central Station – Beirut, Lebanon
✓ 28. Scout – London, U.K.
✓ 29. Three Sheets – London, U.K.
30. Black Pearl – Melbourne, Australia
✓ 31. Tales and Spirits – Amsterdam, Netherlands
32. Linje Tio – Stockholm, Sweden
✓ 33. Little Red Door – Paris, France
✓ 34. 28 HongKong Street – Singapore
✓ 35. Happiness Forgets – London, UK
36. La Factoría – Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
37. Paradiso – Barcelona, Spain
38. Indulge Experimental Bistro – Taipei, Taiwan
39. El Copitas – St Petersburg, Russia
40. Tommy’s – San Francisco, USA
✓ 41. BlackTail – New York, USA
✓ 42. Candelaria – Paris, France
✓ 43. Schumann’s – Munich, Germany
44. Trick Dog – San Francisco, USA
45. Fifty Mils – Mexico City, Mexico
✓ 46. Swift – London, UK
47. Salmon Guru – Madrid, Spain
48. Buck and Breck – Berlin, Germany
✓ 49. Bar Benfiddich – Tokyo, Japan
50. Lost Lake – Chicago, USA
✓ 51. Sober Company – Shanghai, China
52. Jerry Thomas Speakeasy – Rome, Italy
53. Presidente Bar – Buenos Aires, Argentina
✓ 54. Quinary – Hong Kong, China
✓ 55. The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental – Bangkok, Thailand
56. ABV – San Francisco, USA
✓ 57. The Gibson – London, UK
✓ 58. Tippling Club – Singapore
59. Dry Martini – Barcelona, Spain
✓ 60. The Broken Shaker – Miami, USA
61. Panda & Sons – Edinburgh, UK
✓ 62. Lobster Bar & Grill – Hong Kong, China
✓ 63. Bar Orchard Ginza – Tokyo, Japan
64. Charles H – Seoul, South Korea
✓ 65. Bar Trench – Tokyo, Japan
66. Alice Cheongdam – Seoul, South Korea
✓ 67. Bramble – Edinburgh, UK
68. Carnaval – Lima, Peru
69. Zuma – Dubai, UAE
70. Bar Raval – Toronto, Canada
71. Guilhotina – Sao Paulo, Brazil
✓ 72. Untitled – London, UK
✓ 73. Danico – Paris, France
✓ 74. Amor Y Amargo – New York, USA
75. Bulletin Place – Sydney, Australia
✓ 76. Gibson – Singapore
✓ 77. Mace – New York, USA
78. The Baxter Inn – Sydney, Australia
✓ 79. The Bar with No Name – London, UK
80. 1930 – Milan, Italy
81. Anvil – Houston, USA
82. Subastor – Sao Paulo, Brazil
83. Aviary – Chicago, USA
✓ 84. The Long Island Bar – New York, USA
85. Le Chamber – Seoul, South Korea
86. Frank Bar – Sao Paulo, Brazil
87. Two Schmucks – Barcelona, Spain
✓ 88. Herbs and Rye – Las Vegas, USA
✓ 89. Aviary – New York, USA
90. Dr. Stravinski – Barcelona, Spain
✓ 91. Maison Premier – New York, USA
✓ 92. Dirty Dick – Paris, France
✓ 93. The Other Room – Singapore
94. Imperial Craft – Tel Aviv, Israel
95. Above Board – Melbourne, Australia
✓ 96. PDT – New York, USA
✓ 97. Leyenda – New York, USA
98. Hanky Panky – Mexico City, Mexico
✓ 99. Nottingham Forest – Milan, Italy
✓ 100. Potato Head Beach Club – Bali, Indonesia