Asia’s 50 Best Bars expands its extended 51-100 list with fourteen new entries across twenty-three destinations, proving the region’s drinking scene refuses to stand still — with debut cities like Shenzhen, Phnom Penh, and Kaohsiung joining the ranks while established players like Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong continue to push boundaries.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars just dropped its 51-100 list and the region’s and the country’s drinking landscape just got more interesting. Vietnam had mixed fortunes, with five bars on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 51-100 list including a quick-fire new entry in the capital, but lots of bars were on the slide. 

The extended family of Asia’s finest drinking establishments has grown again. The 51-100 list for Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 arrives with fourteen new entries spanning twenty-three destinations — a testament to a region that refuses to slow down when it comes to liquid innovation.

The Cocktail Capitals Dominating Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 51-100 List

This year Singapore maintained its dominance with six bars on the extended list, including newcomer Side Door at No.53. Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo each claimed four spots, Hong Kong and Bangkok three, creating a competitive big-city landscape that speaks to the depth of Asia’s cocktail culture. 

Hong Kong’s entries reflect the territory’s entrepreneurial spirit. The Opposites makes its debut at No.80 — a walk-in-only establishment that bills itself as a “mixology playground.” Created by bar veterans Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok, it’s joined by Mostly Harmless at No.88 and Quinary at No.91, the latter being another Lai creation that has become a fixture on these lists.

Bangkok continues to be another regional cocktail powerhouse. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar leads the Thai capital’s contingent at No.71, followed by Firefly at No.82 — the elegant jazz-infused lobby bar at the Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel that proves hotel bars can transcend their surroundings. Then there’s Messenger Service at No.90, where creativity takes the form of cocktails crafted from betel leaf and fermented rice. It’s innovation rooted in local tradition, executed with modern technique.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 51-100 List Presents Some Exciting Newcomers

Shenzhen made its entrance with authority. Obsidian Bar at No.51 leads the extended list — a three-story monument to whisky and craft cocktails that embraces darkness as both an aesthetic and a philosophy. This isn’t just a bar making the list; it’s a bar making a statement.

Phnom Penh’s Sora, which we visited in March, occupied No.65. The bar, on the 37th floor of The Rosewood Phnom Penh, offers panoramic views of the Cambodian capital alongside its cocktails. Now it’s the first bar in Cambodia to ever feature on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars extended list. Meanwhile, Kaohsiung entered at No.75 with Maltail, a venue dedicated entirely to single malt whisky cocktails. 

Vietnam Represented North To South With Workshop14 The Exciting New Entry

Vietnam’s representation spanned both north and south.

Hanoi’s Workshop14, helmed by the “bearded beverage maestro” Richard McDonough, which only opened in late December 2024, debuted at No.83. The bar, positioned on West Lake, blends innovation with tradition using local ingredients. “West Lake’s history is one of craftsmanship – 13 villages, each dedicated to mastering a trade,” the Workshop14 team told us back in March. “We step in as the 14th village, where tradition and innovation merge in a new way. This isn’t just about honoring history – it’s about rewriting it.” And now, something like seven months after opening, they’ve done just that.

The city’s presence continued with Capella Hanoi’s dazzling Hudson Rooms at No.86 and cocktail bar as night-at-the-museum The Haflington at No.87 – a bar from the same team as Workshop14, ascended to the top 50 last year before returning to the outer echelons of the 51-100 list this year. 

Ho Chi Minh City maintained its foothold with Vietnam’s highest placed bar in Asia’s 50 best 51-100 list for 2025, Stir at No.61, while The Enigma Mansion returned to the rankings at No.93. All of which leaves the question, will a cocktail bar in Vietnam be in the top 50 at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025?

The Geographic Spread Of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 51-100 List 

But it’s the geographic spread that tells a broader story about Asia’s evolving drinking culture. From Goa’s rum-forward tiki bar Outrigger at No.55 to Osaka’s Bar Nayuta at No.100, where bespoke cocktails are tailored to each guest’s preferred spirit and style, this year’s extended list captures a region in constant motion.

New Delhi’s Sidecar climbs twenty-two spots to No.62, while Mumbai’s The Bombay Canteen holds No.69. Penang’s Backdoor Bodega follows at No.64, and Manila’s The Curator occupies No.78. Each represents not just a quality drinking experience, but a different interpretation of what makes a bar worth crossing continents for.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 51-100 List: More Than A Ranking

The extended list has become more than just a ranking — it’s a roadmap for understanding how Asia’s bar scene continues to evolve. With fourteen new entries and three debut destinations, this year’s 51-100 demonstrates that innovation in the region shows no signs of slowing down.

The full Asia’s 50 Best Bars list will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Macau on July 15, 2025. For those keeping track, that’s exactly two weeks to plan your next drinking expedition across Asia finishing up in the ‘Las Vegas of Asia.’