5 British Bars Have Made The 2025 World’s Top 50 List

There are likely some sore heads in Hong Kong this morning following last night’s World’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony, an annual celebration of the great and good of the global drinks scene. Voted for by over 800 drinks experts from around the world, it’s one of the most prestigious events on the hospitality calendar. For 2025, the top gong went to a venue from the host city, Bar Leone in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan area, but five UK spots also made the list – four of which are located in London.

World’s 50 Best Bars 2025: Which UK Bars Made The List?

Tayēr + Elementary, London

The highest ranking bar for 2025 is Tayēr + Elementary, an innovative two-part bar in Shoreditch which landed in fifth place. Owners Monica Berg and Alex Kratena are no strangers to the list, having scored fourth in the 2024 awards and eighth in 2023. Elementary is a minimalist, diner-style bar serving cocktails on tap – but don’t let the pre-batched element fool you. Each served in the same glass with a cube of ice (a bid to ‘democratise’ cocktails), these are some of the capital’s most expertly crafted drinks, from black walnut negronis to frozen yuzu margaritas. Then, on the other side of the partition, there’s Tayēr, a moodier space which feels more like a classic cocktail bar. Drinks have a slightly more experimental feel, and rather than having names they highlight a key ingredient.

Tayer + Elementary, London

Connaught Bar, London

In sixth place was another World’s 50 Best Bars favourite, the bar at five-star London hotel The Connaught – which claimed the number one spot in both 2020 and 2021. The Mayfair bar is renowned for its ceremoniously served martinis, prepared from a travelling trolley, but if that’s not your bag there’s plenty more to try on the current Of The Moment menu. World-leading bartenders Agostino Perrone and Giorgio Bargiani mix up tipples like the Silver Seventeen, a retro drink which harks back to the Connaught Bar’s early days, made with Jack Daniels whisky, ginger wine and fresh lemon juice. If you’re feeling extra rich, delve into the Vintage Cocktails menu: a selection of premium drinks made from vintage spirits – just watch out for the Silver Jubilee Rob Roy, which will set you back over £2k.

Satan’s Whiskers, London

Filled with taxidermy and retro posters, and blaring out a hip hop soundtrack, Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green might initially resemble a dive bar. But it’s actually one of London’s most prestigious cocktail bars, named 21 in this year’s World’s Top 50 list. Opened in 2013, the intimate bar focuses on classic cocktails created to perfection, from martinis to margaritas, alongside specials like the East 8 Hold-Up, a blend of vodka, Aperol, pineapple and lime juice. 

Scarfes Bar, London

Found within the Rosewood London hotel in Holborn, Scarfes Bar is C&TH’s go-to spot for cosying up to interviewees. It’s also one of the best bars in the world, landing spot number 31 in the latest list (up a few places from last year, when it came 37th). The bar is named after the great British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, and nods to him are spotted throughout – including the cocktail menu which he personally illustrated. This includes fun, creative drinks like the Naked Italian, made with The Macallan whisky, cantaloupe melon and fortified mandarin, and Rock Star, a punchy tequila cocktail blended with watermelon and scotch bonnet.

Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

The only British bar to feature in the list from outside London is Panda & Sons, a speakeasy-style bar located on Queen Street in Edinburgh. In-the-know guests enter through a hidden bookcase beneath a barbershop façade on Queen Street – and despite its Prohibition theme, the bar was created to feel friendly and welcoming, just like your local pub. Drinks are created using pioneering techniques including freeze distillation, which enhances the flavour, while waiters don signature panda-emblazoned aprons.

World’s 50 Best Bars 2025: The Top 10

1. Bar Leone – Hong Kong
2. Handshake Speakeasy – Mexico City
3. Sips – Barcelona
4. Paradiso – Barcelona
5. Tayēr + Elementary – London
6. Connaught Bar – London
7. Moebius Milano – Milan
8. Line – Athens
9. Jigger & Pony – Singapore
10. Tres Monos – Buenos Aires

Find the full list at theworlds50best.com