The hardest part about trying to visit the top 100 bars in the world, is the fact that the list changes every single year.
And unlike my goal of visiting the best golf courses in the world, the turnover is usually quite a bit more dramatic.
Obviously it’s a lot more common for a bar to open or close, than it is for a world class golf course.
I go off off the rankings from World’s 50 Best Bars.
My most productive year so far is 2017. I’ve been to 59 of the top 100 from the list that year.
But my work on the 2018 list hasn’t been bad either, having visited 29 of the top 50 and 54 of the top 100.
At least a couple of the bars on this list have since closed (Dandelyan and Blacktail), while others have fallen off the most recent list completely (Bar Termini being the most notable.)
This post is mostly for posterity as I keep track of where I’ve been each year, and to serve as a reference point when the list changes over each year.
Best Best Bars in the World 2018:
- Top 50: 29/50
- Top 100: 54/100
✓ 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
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
✓ 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
Top 100 Bars in the World
Want to read more about my favorite bars in the world, or my quest to visit as many as possible? Here are some posts you might find interesting:
- My progress visiting the current top 100 bars in the world.
- My ranking for top 50 bars in the world
- The best bars in Singapore
- Backstory on my quest and my personal favorites and least favorites.
Check out the current list of the top 100 bars in the world, or take a look at my personal favorite bars in the world.