6 of the Most Stylish and Luxurious Bars in the World Right Now

Truth be told, a great bar is not just about what remains inside the glass, but also about the ambience. When you walk into a truly great bar, the lighting hits before anything else does. Then the smell of the room. Then the music, at exactly the right volume. At Paradiso in Barcelona, that moment happens behind a fridge door inside a pastrami shop. At Artesian in London, it happens the second you clock the Doric columns and the purple leather chairs. A great bar does not need to explain itself. Simply put, the room does the talking before the drink even arrives. The world's best bars have always known this and have built entire worlds around it. Below is a list of six of the most stylish and luxurious bars from around the world— so unforgettable, you won’t stop talking about them long after your visit. 

Lair, New Delhi

If there is one bar in India that has earned its place in a global conversation, it is Lair in New Delhi. Ranked number 8 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, announced at Wynn Palace in Macau in July, Lair is the highest-ranked Indian bar ever to appear on the list and holds the title of Best Bar in India 2025, sponsored by Matusalem. The concept draws directly from 1920s Prohibition-era America: a modern speakeasy in format, old-world in atmosphere, tucked away from the street with the kind of considered interiors that reward attention.

Beverage Director Navjot Singh leads a programme built on inventive mixology that balances theatrical presentation with genuine technical rigour. The signature Blueberry Cheesecake, made with blueberry and cream liqueur, is the bar's most ordered drink. The Mountain Breeze, which uses regional Indian ingredients to evoke the flavours of the Himalayas, is the one that tells you what the bar is actually trying to do. Asia's 50 Best is determined by votes from over 300 industry experts across the region.

Bar Leone, Hong Kong

Bar Leone made history in 2025 as the first Asian bar to top The World's 50 Best Bars list, an achievement more notable given that it only opened in May 2023 in Hong Kong's Central district. Founded by Rome-born bartender Lorenzo Antinori, whose previous posts include the acclaimed Argo and the now-defunct Dandelyan, the bar is built around the concept of cocktail popolari, or cocktails for the people, rooted in the neighbourhood aperitivo bars of Rome's Trastevere, where Antinori grew up. The walls carry AS Roma football jerseys and Italian memorabilia, the signature Leone Martini is made with Italian gin, marsala wine, and orange blossom water, garnished with an almond-stuffed olive, pre-batched and poured straight from the freezer into a chilled glass, and the King Kong Negroni, a local riff on the classic built with toasted coconut chips and banana liqueur, is equally popular. The mortadella focaccia sandwich, loaded with mascarpone, ricotta, pickled green chilies, and smoked olives, has become as discussed as the cocktails themselves. For those who love to recreate cocktails at home, the bar shares its full drink recipes on its website.

Paradiso, Barcelona

Paradiso is accessed through a retro refrigerator door set inside an ordinary-looking sandwich shop in Barcelona's El Born neighbourhood, and behind it sits a room with a Gaudi-inspired curved wood ceiling, dramatic glass light fittings, and a cocktail menu built around storytelling as much as flavour. Founded by Giacomo Giannotti, Paradiso ranked No.1 on The World's 50 Best Bars in 2022 and currently holds the No.4 position in 2025. The Paradiso Big Bang, a two-person cocktail served with a smoke effect, is the bar's most ordered signature, while the Supercool Martini uses supercooled gin to build a visible iceberg in the glass before being finished tableside. There are no advance reservations for the main bar, and a virtual queue via QR code outside the venue opens each day at 3pm.

Artesian, The Langham, London

Artesian held the title of World's Best Bar for four consecutive years between 2012 and 2015, a record no bar has matched since, and the room features Doric columns, floor-to-ceiling bay windows, chandeliers, and signature purple leather chairs that have remained unchanged across every iteration of the bar's programme. The cocktail menu, now run by head bartender Giulia Cuccurullo, operates under the Ingredients of the Future concept, working with chicory, daikon, porcini mushroom, rooibos tea, and Oloroso sherry to rebuild classic formats. The Wood cocktail, a martini reworked with rooibos tea, Oloroso sherry, and porcini mushroom, is among the most discussed drinks on the current list, and the bar's ice is produced using technology that slows the melt and holds temperature longer in the glass. Artesian sits inside The Langham on Portland Place and was named one of the Best Cocktail Menu Award finalists at The World's 50 Best Bars 2023.

Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City

Handshake Speakeasy sits behind an unmarked black door in Mexico City's Colonia Juarez neighbourhood, inside a bi-level Art Deco space with 32 seats on the upper deck and 50 in the basement bar, with all glassware imported from Japan and cocktails that co-owner and head bartender Eric van Beek develops using advanced culinary techniques, with some drinks taking up to 48 hours to produce from start to finish. The Once Upon a Time in Oaxaca, made with mezcal and absinthe and presented with a fire element tableside, is the bar's most ordered signature, while the Cariño, built with aged rum, yellow Chartreuse, and Greek yogurt, is among its most recognised creations. Handshake held No.1 on The World's 50 Best Bars in 2024, sits at No.2 in 2025, and has been named North America's Best Bar for both years. It is essential to note that reservations are required at least one month in advance and a strict dress code is enforced at the door.

Gold Bar at EDITION, Tokyo

The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon was designed by architect Kengo Kuma and opened in 2020 across 206 rooms with views over Tokyo Tower and the city skyline, and the Gold Bar within it is designed to evoke a Prohibition-era New York speakeasy, a deliberate contrast to the hotel's broader minimalist Japanese aesthetic. The bar has featured on Asia's 50 Best Bars extended list for two consecutive years, ranked within the top three for Best Cocktail Menu Award at The World's 50 Best Bars 2023, and the annual Gold Bar Cocktail Festival held each February brings together six of Japan's leading bartenders for a single evening built around 12 specially crafted cocktails in an all-you-can-drink format. The hotel is located in Toranomon, within reach of Roppongi, Ginza, and Tokyo Tower.