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Bar Leone

Hong Kong

• The Best Bar in Hong Kong 2026, sponsored by Amaro Lucano

Your lounge, but cooler and with better drinks

Bar Leone is the kind of neighbourhood hangout now spoken about in hushed, reverent tones. Not only did it top Asia's 50 Best Bars list in 2024 and 2025, but it also went on to take the ultimate crown of The World's Best Bar in 2025. The place itself is not a new concept: from its walls adorned with framed football jerseys to the dual soundtrack of Italo disco and Pavarotti, there are dozens of charming spots like it in the Italian capital. But Leone is more than a simple transplant. Opened in mid-2023 in Hong Kong's Central district, it is the first solo venture from the effortlessly charismatic Lorenzo Antinori, who previously held the reins at Charles H, Caprice Bar and Argo.

After years working with scientific methodologies and advanced techniques in his previous roles, Antinori wanted to strip back all superfluity for his own venue. Everything at Leone is guided by its core philosophy: 'cocktail popolari,' meaning 'cocktails for the people'. Speed, consistency and simplicity guide its drinks programme, which majors on spirits and ingredients found on almost every backbar, with a particular penchant for Italian bottles.

The Leone Martini, for example, is pre-batched to be poured straight into a chilled glass at the point of service, with a twist or smoked olive in tow. Other cocktails, including the Spring Break Manhattan, see classics injected with a fun twist (chamomile-infused Mancino Rosso Amaranto Vermouth and saffron orange bitters in this case); some are also available canned and ready to take home. To pair with its drinks, the smoked olives and mortadella sandwich have already established their status as one of the world's finest bar snack offerings.

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