First two London bars in the worldwide top 100 best revealed
Cocktail royalty
The latest release of the Top 50 Bars in the World list is out, and London has snagged a respectable number of entries in the list.
Yes — despite the headline here, Top 50 is correct. In a slightly odd move, the Top 50 Bars team has actually only released numbers 51-100 in this latest update, with the actual top 50 due on 7th October.
It’s a teaser announcement, ahead of the big day. But there are still a couple of London highlights to sip over.
Our London picks sit at number 73, with Three Sheets’s Soho bar, and Scarfes Bar in Holborn at number 77.
This represents a bit of a fall for one of these in the rankings, compared to last year’s results. Scarfes Bar tumbles from number 31 to 77, but Three Sheets Soho has actually risen slightly, from 81 to 73.
The full list of top bars will be revealed as part of a ceremony in Milan — and the judging panel consists of upwards of 800 folks in the industry, including cocktail experts and journalists.
In last year’s rankings, London locales took up four slots in the top 50 positions, an additional three in places 51 to 100.
The top-billing establishment was Tayēr + Elementary at number five, an Old Street cocktail bar that was tragically forced to close following a fire in the building earlier this year.
Just last week the team confirmed the bar will not re-open in 2026.
“Being unable to open our doors for reasons completely outside of our control has been difficult, and we miss the bar, our routine, our regulars and the everyday rhythm of sharing our space with all of you more than we can say,” the team wrote on Instagram. But Tayēr + Elementary still plan to re-open, and it’s clearer than ever they still plan to.
Presumably, the bar will no longer be a valid contender for the list.
London’s other highest rated spots last year were Connaught Bar at number six — which is very much still open — and Satan’s Whiskers at number 21.
We expect to see that bar do well once more. Just a couple of months ago it won the Best International Cocktail bar at the 2026 Spirited awards, so clearly hasn't dropped off after a strong opening — it has been around since 2013, but had grown in reputation over the last couple of years.
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