Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Jochan Embley

World’s 50 Best Bars: London’s Tayēr + Elementary claims second place as Connaught Bar loses top spot

Cheers to that: Alex Kratena and Monica Berg, founders of Tayēr + Elementary

(Picture: Handout)

London was named “the cocktail capital of Europe” as five of its bars were named among the 50 best in the world — but the Connaught Bar in Mayfair was knocked off top spot after two years in first place.

Paradiso, a bar tucked away behind a pastrami shop in Barcelona, rose to number one in the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars, with its victory revealed at a ceremony in the Spanish city last night (October 4). It’s the time since the list launched 13 years ago that a bar outside of London or New York has claimed the honour.

It was closely followed in second place by Tayēr + Elementary, the bar on London’s Old Street whose cocktails were described by judges as “the liquid equivalent to fine dining, though with none of the pretence”.

The Connaught Bar, which for two consecutive years had claimed the accolade of the world’s best bar, dropped down to number eight, while Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green was placed at number 23 — its first appearance on the 50 Best list.

Paradiso celebrate their win at the 2022 ceremony (Handout)

Elsewhere in the capital, there was a re-entry for Soho bar Swift at number 30, while Hackney spot A Bar with Shapes for a Name claimed its first ever place on the list at number 37.

New York City has six bars on the list — more than any other city in the world — while Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong were each represented by two bars. Dubai led the way in the Middle East with three entries.

The list was compiled by votes from more than 650 drinks experts, including bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists, drawn from around the world with a 50/50 gender split. The full list is below:

  1. Paradiso, Barcelona
  2. Tayēr + Elementary, London
  3. Sips, Barcelona
  4. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
  5. Little Red Door, Paris
  6. Double Chicken Please, New York
  7. Two Schmucks, Barcelona
  8. Connaught Bar, London
  9. Katana Kitten, New York
  10. Alquímico, Cartagena
  11. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
  12. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
  13. Hanky Panky, Mexico City
  14. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
  15. Salmon Guru, Madrid
  16. Drink Kong, Rome
  17. Coa, Hong Kong
  18. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
  19. The Clumsies, Athens
  20. Baba au Rum, Athens
  21. Café La Trova, Miami
  22. Attaboy, New York
  23. Satan’s Whiskers, London
  24. Tropic City, Bangkok
  25. Kumiko, Chicago
  26. Sidecar, New Delhi
  27. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
  28. Argo, Hong Kong
  29. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
  30. Swift, London
  31. Line, Athens
  32. Baltra Bar, Mexico City
  33. Manhattan, Singapore
  34. Overstory, New York
  35. 1930, Milan
  36. Dante, New York
  37. A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
  38. Zuma, Dubai
  39. Locale Firenze, Florence
  40. Red Frog, Lisbon
  41. Cantina OK!, Sydney
  42. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
  43. Himkok, Oslo
  44. Carnaval, Lima
  45. Galaxy Bar, Dubai
  46. L’Antiquario, Naples
  47. Employees Only, New York
  48. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
  49. Lucy’s Flower Shop, Stockholm
  50. Bulgari Bar, Dubai
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.