The list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 was released during a live awards ceremony held in Hong Kong. The top three rankings include Bar Leon from Hong Kong, Zest from Seoul and Jigger & Pony from Singapore.
Bengaluru’s ZLB23 emerged as the sole Indian representative on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list, securing the 40th spot. This Kyoto-inspired speakeasy located within The Leela Palace Bengaluru has also been recognised as the Best Bar of the Year. This is a significant milestone for the Indian bar scene which is rapidly growing and securing its place in global prominence.
Bar supervisor Priyanka Mande has been praised for her innovative cocktails, including the Japanese Old Fashioned and the Shiso Negroni.
To reach this secret bar, customers have to go through a quiet garden, past the hotel’s busy kitchen and upstairs via an elevator.
In addition, Yangdup Lama was honored with the Roku Industry Icon Award 2024. Lama is the visionary behind the renowned New Delhi bar Sidecar, recognizing his exceptional cocktail-making skills that have significantly contributed to elevating India’s bar scene.
Other notable mentions
Last week, an expanded list of Asia’s best bars from 51 to 100 was also released. The expanded list includes several Indian bars such as The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai at 59th place, Layer in New Delhi at 68th, Sidecar in New Delhi at 84th and Home in New Delhi at 96th.
Last year, Sidecar was recognised as the best bar in India, other Indian entries on the 2023 list include The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai), The Living Room by Mask (Mumbai) and Copitas (Bengaluru).
Asia’s 50 Best Bars for 2024
1. Bar Leon (Hong Kong)
2. Zest (Seoul)
3. Jigar & Pony (Singapore)
4. KOA (Hong Kong)
5. Bar Benfiddich (Tokyo)
6. Nutmeg and cloves (Singapore)
7. BKK Social Club (Bangkok)
8. Penrose (Kuala Lumpur)
9. Argo (Hong Kong)
10. The Aubrey (Hong Kong)
11. Virtu (Tokyo)
12. The Cocktail Club (Jakarta)
13. Vesper (Bangkok)
14. Hope & Sesame (Guangzhou)
15. Sago House (Singapore)
16. Night Hawk (Singapore)
17. Darkside (Hong Kong)
18. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar (Bangkok)
19. The Savoury Project (Hong Kong)
20. Bar Cham (Seoul)
21. Bar As (Bangkok)
22. The St. Regis Bar (Macao)
23. SG Club (Tokyo)
24. Penicillin (Hong Kong)
25. Offtrack (Singapore)
26. Quinary (Hong Kong)
27. Pantja (Jakarta)
28. Craftroom (Osaka)
29. Smoke and Bitters (Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka)
30. The Vendor (Taichung, Taiwan)
31. Native (Singapore)
32. Origin Bar (Singapore)
33. The Curator (Manila)
34. The Bellwood (Tokyo)
35. Analog Initiative (Singapore)
36. Bar Trigona (Kuala Lumpur)
37. Bar Mood (Taipei)
38. Employees Only (Singapore)
39. BARC (Kathmandu)
40. ZLB23 (Bengaluru, India)
41. Reka (Kuala Lumpur)
42. Fura (Singapore)
43. CMYK (Changsha, China)
44. The Public House (Taipei)
45. Mostly Harmless (Hong Kong)
46. Alice (Seoul)
47. The Haflington (Hanoi)
48. Le Chamber (Seoul)
49. Atlas (Singapore)
50. Pine & Company (Seoul)
first published: July 19th 2024 | 12:33 pm First
