Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 List Announced, including Four Malaysian Bars

A look at the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list, including four Malaysian bars and a special award for Penang’s Backdoor Bodega.

Earlier this week, the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list for 2025 was unveiled during a live ceremony in Macau. Constructed out of the votes from more than 300 industry experts, it details the leading cocktail hangouts from around the continent, spanning 20 cities. It also expands into the extended 51-100 list, which was revealed about a fortnight ago. 

Of the 50 bars, 20 were debutant, making almost half of the list newcomers. Also on this year’s rankings are four Malaysian bars, one more than last year’s revelation. George Town’s Backdoor Bodega was also included in the celebrations as it received recognition for its outstanding menu design during the ceremony’s special awards segment. 

MALAYSIA MENTIONED

Bringing home the title of The Best Bar in Malaysia, sponsored by Scrappy’s Bitters is none other than Penrose at No. 10. The sleek Chinatown bar from Jon Lee, Maria Escobia, and team maintains its position in the top 10, despite a two-place fall from last year’s rankings. The bar’s monochromatic interiors are merely a stage for its technically sound and sophisticated drinks.

Bangsar’s Three X Co makes a jubilant return to the top 50 list, coming in at an impressive No. 15. It rose 41 spots from last year’s No. 56 position, a true testament of Amanda Wan and her team’s dedication to the art and community. The cocktail menu here is a story of hallmark Asian ingredients and flavours made into drinkable delights that would please any guest. 

The third Malaysian bar to make the list is none other than six-time honoree Bar Trigona. At No. 39, the Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur bar, run by Rohan Matmary and team, may have fallen three spots from last year’s rankings but retains its reputation as a figure of authority in KL’s booming cocktail sphere with its honey-focused lineup of drinks that is equal parts experimental and satisfying.

Reka of Bukit Damansara also returns to the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list at No. 47. Prior to its 2024 debut on the main list, it was also a recurring character on the organisation’s 51-100 list, all thanks to the work of none other than the brigade of Joel Poon, Anna Koh, and others. Guests at the bar can count on its makers and shakers to bring finesse into every pour, sprinkled with a dose of personality. 

SPECIAL MENTION

George Town’s Backdoor Bodega also went home with a surprise accolade, bagging the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award for its menu, dubbed ‘The Backdoor Bodega Guide to Penang’, which also doubles as an encyclopedia of the island’s history. Having made its mark on the 51-100 list of 2025 at No. 64, this recognition was more than a pleasant surprise for Koh Yung Shen and his troupe. 

REGIONAL LEADERS

The top three bars on the list remain unchanged from last year’s edition. Hong Kong’s Bar Leone clinched the top spot for the second year in a row after debuting at the same No. 1 position in 2024. Sustainability maven Zest from Seoul and Singaporean frontrunner Jigger & Pony follow at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. 

If we’re talking numbers, the Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China region come out on top with a collective 13 between the three, featuring Argo (No. 11), Vender (No. 20), and CMYK (No. 16). Thailand comes in second place with seven entries, including leader of the Thai pack Bar Us at No. 4 and Dry Wave Cocktail Studio at No. 5 AKA winner of the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award.

Japan comes in with six bars on the list from Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich at No. 9 to new entry Yakoboku of Kumamoto at No. 25. Our neighbours across the causeway are represented by five bars, matched by India’s quintet. Meanwhile, Indonesia and South Korea both claim four spots on the list respectively. Finally, Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka and Kathmandu, Nepal are represented by one bar each

THE FULL ASIA’S 50 BEST BARS 2025 LIST

An asterisk (*) denotes new entries on the list, while two asterisks (**) denote a re-entry.

1. Bar Leone, Hong Kong
2. Zest, Seoul
3. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
4. Bar Us, Bangkok
5. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok *
6. Bar Cham, Seoul
7. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou
8. Lair, New Delhi
9. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
10. Penrose, Kuala Lumpur
11. Argo, Hong Kong
12. Modernhaus, Jakarta *
13. Alice, Seoul
14. Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya
15. Three X Co, Kuala Lumpur **
16. CMYK, Changsha
17. Coa, Hong Kong
18. Virtù, Tokyo
19. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
20. Vender, Taichung
21. MO Bar Shenzhen, Shenzhen *
22. The St. Regis Bar, Jakarta *
23. Offtrack, Singapore
24. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
25. Yakoboku, Kumamoto *
26. G.O.D, Bangkok *
27. Penicillin, Hong Kong
28. Soka, Bengaluru *
29. Vesper, Bangkok
30. Boilermaker, Goa *
31. ZLB23, Bengaluru
32. The Savory Project, Hong Kong
33. Gokan, Hong Kong *
34. Carrots Bar, Jakarta *
35. Barc, Kathmandu
36. Punch Room Tokyo, Tokyo *
37. Bar Spirit Forward, Bengaluru *
38. Cosmo Pony, Jakarta *
39. Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur
40. The Public House, Taipei
41. To Infinity & Beyond, Taipei *
42. Moonrock, Tainan *
43. Opium, Bangkok *
44. Cat Bite Club, Singapore *
45. Native, Singapore
46. Lamp Bar, Nara **
47. Reka, Kuala Lumpur
48. Bar Sathorn, Bangkok *
49. Bar Libre, Tokyo *
50. Le Chamber, Seoul

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