The Europe's 50 Best Bars ranking was unveiled on June 30 in Amsterdam. This is a first in the history of the 50 Best organization, which until now published a world ranking, a North American ranking, and an Asian ranking, but never a list dedicated to the European continent. Athens marks the most significant entry with Line in first place.
A ranking dominated by Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom
Of the 50 bars selected, Italy leads with nine establishments, spread across Milan, Florence, Rome, and Naples. Spain and the United Kingdom follow equally with eight bars each. London alone accounts for eight British addresses, making it the most individually represented city with Connaught Bar (10th), Satan's Whiskers (11th), and Tayēr + Elementary (12th).
Athens holds a special place, demonstrating its current dynamism, with six ranked bars, including the top two spots on the podium: Line and The Bar in Front of the Bar. Greece thus surpasses France, which has five establishments in the top 50.
French bars in the spotlight
The five French bars selected are all Parisian. Bar Nouveau leads the French delegation in 5th place, followed by The Cambridge Public House (7th), Danico (19th), Harry's Bar Paris (27th), and De Vie (34th). No establishment from outside Paris is featured in this first European ranking, not from Lyon, Marseille, or Bordeaux, which rightly hoped to vie for some places.
This Parisian concentration reflects the structure of the vote, based on feedback from over 300 voters from across Europe. It also confirms that the French cocktail scene remains, for now, perceived internationally through the sole prism of the capital.
Comparison with the 2025 World Ranking
Europe's 50 Best Bars being a recent creation, there is no previous edition to compare it to directly. The most relevant benchmark therefore remains the world ranking, The World's 50 Best Bars 2025, published last October in Hong Kong.
On this global list, only three French bars featured in the top 50: Bar Nouveau (17th), The Cambridge Public House (20th), and Danico (30th). Mechanically, these three establishments move up in the European rankings as they are no longer facing Asian or South American competition. Bar Nouveau thus moves from 17th to 5th place.
More interestingly: Harry's Bar Paris and De Vie (which had not yet passed its first year) appeared neither in the top 50 nor the top 100 of the 2025 world rankings. Their entry into Europe's 50 Best Bars 2026 reflects a specifically regional recognition, which the global filter did not allow us to measure until now.
On a continental scale, the table confirms an already known hierarchy: Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom form a leading trio, with Italy benefiting from the diversity of its local scenes, Greece emerging as a revelation with the Athenian duo at the top of the rankings, while France maintains a solid but concentrated presence, without geographical extension beyond Paris.
The complete ranking of Europe's 50 Best Bars 2026
1. Line, Athens
2. The Bar in Front of the Bar, Athens
3. Sips, Barcelona
4. Himkok, Oslo
5. Bar Nouveau, Paris
6. Moebius Milano, Milan
7. The Cambridge Public House, Paris
8. Mirror Bar, Bratislava
9. Paradiso, Barcelona
10. Connaught Bar, London
11. Satan's Whiskers, London
12. Tayēr + Elementary, London
13. Barro Negro, Athens
14. Baba au Rum, Athens
15. Svanen, Oslo
16. Nouvelle Vague, Tirana
17. Wax On, Berlin
18. Camparino in Galleria, Milan
19. Danico, Paris
20. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
21. Locale Firenze, Florence
22. 1930, Milan
23. Waltz, London
24. Bird, Copenhagen
25. Alma Prague, Prague
26. Aldea, Barcelona
27. Harry's Bar Paris, Paris
28. L'Antiquario, Naples
29. Gucci Giardino, Florence
30. The Clumsies, Athens
31. Freni e Frizioni, Rome
32. Drink Kong, Rome
33. Gorilla, Thessaloniki
34. De Vie, Paris
35. 14 De La Rosa, Barcelona
36. Boadas, Barcelona
37. Tjoget, Stockholm
38. Forbína Bar, Prague
39. Tag, Krakow
40. Kwãnt Mayfair, London
41. Three Sheets (Soho), London
42. Super Lyan, Amsterdam
43. Röda Huset, Stockholm
44. Late Bloomers, Zurich
45. Angelita, Madrid
46. Salmon Guru, Madrid
47. Scarfes Bar, London
48. Foco, Barcelona
49. Rita, Milan
50. Dunlin, Innsbruck
