Speakeasies Worldwide

The Clumsies ★ 4.9 · Athens

syntagma-historic-centre · Praxitelous 30, Athina 105 61

The Clumsies on Praxitelous near Syntagma is the all-day cocktail bar by Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis, ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2015 with a UV-light cocktail list and an upstairs private room called The Room.

Tip: Walk in for the ground-floor bar; reservations required for The Room upstairs. The Mediterranean Gimlet is the canonical pour; signature menus rewritten yearly.

1930 Cocktail Bar ★ 4.9 · Milan

Cinque Vie · Via Edmondo de Amicis 22, 20123 Milano

1930 hides a members-only speakeasy in the basement of its sister bar Mag Cafe in the Cinque Vie quarter, with a password-and-membership entry, an antique vinyl room and Flavio Angiolillo's cocktail programme that has held a World's 50 Best Bars slot since 2019.

Tip: Membership and the password come via the Farmily Group sister venues; reservations are required and there is one seating per evening. No street signage at the door.

Handshake Speakeasy ★ 4.9 · Mexico City

juarez · Calle Amberes 65, Juarez, Cuauhtemoc, 06600 Ciudad de Mexico

Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City sits on Calle Amberes in Juarez behind an unmarked door 13, ranked No. 2 on the 2025 Worlds 50 Best Bars and Best Bar in North America, with a Gatsby ground floor and a louder basement, all run by Walter Meyenberg's culinary-cocktail team.

Paradiso ★ 4.9 · Barcelona

born · Carrer de Rera Palau 4, 08003 Barcelona

Paradiso is the Born speakeasy hidden behind the door of a working pastrami shop on Carrer de Rera Palau, run by Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader and ranked the world's best bar at the 50 Best in 2022.

Tip: The pastrami counter at the front is the entrance; the bar is through a curved freezer door at the back. Walk-ins fill the room by 20:00; reserve online for a seat.

The Connaught Bar ★ 4.9 · London

Mayfair · The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL

Agostino Perrone's bar inside the Connaught in Mayfair has won World's Best Bar more than once and runs the table-side martini trolley service that the rest of the industry copies.

Tip: Order the martini trolley, the choice of vermouth and bitters at the table is the experience. Reservations open one month ahead.

Baba Au Rum ★ 4.8 · Athens

monastiraki · Klitiou 6, Athina 105 60

Baba Au Rum on Klitiou near Monastiraki has run for over 15 years as the Athens rum society with more than 400 rums on the back bar, ranked No. 27 on the 2025 World's 50 Best Bars list and the canonical Tiki and tropical-classics room.

Tip: Walk-in only, no reservations; the Supremus n. 58 (a Ti Punch twist) and Beatnik Paloma are the signature pours. Doors at 19:00, room peaks after 22:00.

Boutiq' Bar ★ 4.8 · Budapest

Terézváros (District VI) · Paulay Ede utca 5, 1061 Budapest

Boutiq' Bar in Budapest opened in 2008 on Paulay Ede utca and remains the city's reference cocktail room, with founder Zoltán Nagy bringing London LAB's discipline to a pálinka-friendly list rotating every season.

Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats are where the bartenders talk through builds, the corner banquettes are where dates land.

L'Antiquario ★ 4.8 · Naples

Chiaia · Via Vannella Gaetani 2, 80121 Napoli

L'Antiquario hides behind an antique-shop door on Via Vannella Gaetani in Chiaia, opened in 2015 by bartender Alex Frezza as Naples' first speakeasy, with red velvet curtains, William Morris wallpaper and a classics-led cocktail programme ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars list.

Tip: Wednesday nights add a live jazz set; reserve a banquette in advance as queues build past 22:00 on weekends. Cocktails around fourteen euros.

The Jerry Thomas Project ★ 4.8 · Rome

Ponte · Vicolo Cellini 30, 00186 Roma

The Jerry Thomas Project hides behind an unmarked door on Vicolo Cellini and has been Rome's canonical speakeasy since 2010, with bartender Antonio Parlapiano's classic cocktail programme placing the room on the World's 50 Best Bars list six times.

Tip: Reservation is required and the day's password comes with it, plus a five euro membership at the door. Tuesday to Saturday only, room holds maybe 30.

Drink Kong ★ 4.8 · Rome

Monti · Piazza di San Martino ai Monti 8, 00184 Roma

Drink Kong runs across 300 square metres of Monti split into a bar room, a softly lit lounge, a Jungle Room that hosts live rock and jazz and an Omakase room panelled in Japanese cherry wood, with Patrick Pistolesi's instinct-based cocktail programme as the through-line.

Tip: Tell the bartender bitter, dry or sweet and let them choose; the menu is a starting point, not a script. The Jungle Room runs live music most weekends.

Bar Benfiddich ★ 4.8 · Tokyo

Nishi-Shinjuku · 1-13-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023

Bar Benfiddich in Tokyo's Nishi-Shinjuku is Hiroyasu Kayama's 17-seat counter built around herbs and spirits he grows on his Chichibu farm. World's 50 Best every year since 2016.

Tip: Take the lift to 9F; no menu, just describe what you like. Cover charge applies, reservations help on weekends.

Gen Yamamoto ★ 4.8 · Tokyo

Azabu-Juban · 1-6-4 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0045

Gen Yamamoto in Tokyo's Azabu-Juban is the eight-seat counter run solo by Yamamoto-san. Seasonal-fruit tasting cocktails in four or six courses, no menu, no shaker theatrics.

Tip: Reserve the four or six-course tasting in advance; phones discouraged, photos rarely permitted. Closed Mondays.

Licoreria Limantour ★ 4.8 · Mexico City

roma-norte · Avenida Alvaro Obregon 106, Roma Norte, Cuauhtemoc, 06700 Ciudad de Mexico

Licoreria Limantour in Mexico City on Avenida Alvaro Obregon in Roma Norte is the two-storey art-deco cocktail room overseen by Jose Luis Leon, a fixture on the Worlds 50 Best Bars list since 2014 and No. 32 in 2024, with a new backroom drinks-library called Licoreria.

Salmón Gurú ★ 4.8 · Madrid

las-letras · Calle de Echegaray 21, 28014 Madrid

Salmon Guru on Calle de Echegaray in Las Letras is Argentine bartender Diego Cabrera's 2017 cocktail bar, ranked No. 37 on the 2025 World's 50 Best Bars list with a comic-book-themed neon room.

Tip: Walk-ins only, no reservations; queues outside from 21:00 on weekends. The Pantera Jackson milk punch and La Mano de Dios cocktails are the headline pours.

Bar Us ★ 4.8 · Bangkok

asoke-phrom-phong · 1 Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110

Bar Us in Bangkok's Sukhumvit 26 is the multi-course cocktail room from the Messenger Service team. Ranked Asia's 50 Best Bars number 4 in 2025, all-black laboratory feel.

Tip: Reservations essential via Instagram or phone, eight seats only. The full tasting runs 90 minutes; allow two hours including the all-night portion.

Happiness Forgets ★ 4.8 · London

Hoxton · 8-9 Hoxton Square, Hoxton, London N1 6NU

The Hoxton Square basement run by Alastair Burgess pairs a tight rotating cocktail list with a no-nonsense room policy that has kept it on the World's 50 Best Bars list more or less continuously since 2014.

Tip: Bookings open one week ahead at 12:00 sharp, set a reminder. Walk-ins get the bar if anything.

The Office ★ 4.8 · Chicago

West Loop · 955 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

The Office in Chicago is the 21-seat speakeasy beneath The Aviary, hidden behind an unmarked door with vintage spirits, Persian rugs and one bartender per night.

Tip: Reservations through Tock only. The vintage spirits list goes deep; tell the bartender what era or distillery you want and they pull the bottle.

Williams & Graham ★ 4.8 · Denver

highland · 3160 Tejon Street, Denver, CO 80211

Williams & Graham on Tejon Street fronts as a corner bookstore in LoHi. Pull Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book from the shelf and the bookcase slides open onto a 60-seat speakeasy.

Tip: Open 17:00 to 01:00 daily, no reservations. Walk in early on weeknights; weekend waits stretch to 90 minutes from 19:00.

Bandista ★ 4.8 · Houston

Downtown · 1300 Lamar Street, Houston, TX 77010

Bandista hides behind a bookcase inside the Four Seasons Houston, off Toro Toro. Twenty seats, a 1920s Latin lounge concept, and a spot on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 at number 47.

Tip: Reservations through OpenTable in 90-minute slots; the staff opens with bespoke flights tailored to your spirit preference. No standing-only entry.

Jewel of the South ★ 4.8 · New Orleans

French Quarter · 1026 St Louis Street, New Orleans, LA 70112

Jewel of the South, by Chris Hannah and partner John Stubbs, runs the renovated 1830s Creole cottage as a World's 50 Best cocktail room with a stocked back garden and a small dining menu.

Tip: Reserve via Resy; the garden tables sit two and four. The Brandy Crusta is the order, served at the front bar.

Canon ★ 4.8 · Seattle

Capitol Hill · 928 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122

Canon on 12th Avenue is Jamie Boudreau's Capitol Hill cocktail room with the largest spirits library in the country at 4,000 plus labels and a strict four guest cap per party.

Tip: Open Wednesday through Sunday from 17:00 to 00:00. Walk in friendly, limited reservations; the bar caps parties at four to keep service tight.

Tür 7 ★ 4.7 · Vienna

josefstadt · Buchfeldgasse 7, 1080 Wien

Tür 7 hides behind a plain Josefstadt door marked only with a brass 7, with a 35-seat parlour room, no printed menu, and bartenders building bespoke cocktails to each guest in turn.

Tip: Ring the bell and wait; if full nobody enters. Reserve by email for groups over two and brief the bartender on a spirit you like.

Hemingway Bar ★ 4.7 · Prague

nove-mesto · Opatovická 1737/3, 110 00 Praha 1

Hemingway Bar relocated in May 2025 from Karoliny Světlé to Opatovická 3 and opened with a 1930s-style room, leather banquettes, a marble counter and a 200-rum back bar. The cocktail list pairs classic builds with absinthe and rum riffs; the bar reached number 24 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2014.

Tip: Book ahead via the site; small room turns over twice in a night. The signature Hemingway Paparazzi pairs Havana 7 with Becherovka.

Ruby ★ 4.7 · Copenhagen

indre-by · Nybrogade 10, 1203 København K

Ruby opened in 2007 on Nybrogade in a 1740 townhouse facing the parliament buildings, with an unmarked black door, leather chesterfields across a string of small rooms and a list of pre-Prohibition classics.

Tip: Ring at the unmarked door; walk-in only, but the upstairs salon takes overflow. The 18th-century cellar is the date-night seat.

Schwarze Traube ★ 4.7 · Berlin

kreuzberg · Wrangelstrasse 24, 10997 Berlin

Schwarze Traube opened in 2012 on Wrangelstrasse with no menu and no obvious sign; bartenders Atalay Aktas and Yalcin Celik build daily-changing drinks from Markthalle Neun produce for 18 seats.

Tip: Ring the bell; if full nobody enters. No menu, brief the bartender on what you like. Cash plus card.

Schumann's Bar am Hofgarten ★ 4.7 · Munich

altstadt-lehel · Odeonsplatz 6-7, 80539 Munich

Schumann's Bar moved from Maximilianstrasse to Odeonsplatz in 2003 and keeps Charles Schumann's unfussy cocktail discipline intact, with a long counter facing the Hofgarten and a clientele that runs from suits to artists.

Tip: Closed Saturdays. Cocktail names skip the gimmicks; ask the bartender for an off-menu build to your taste.

Warmup Cocktail Bar ★ 4.7 · Budapest

Erzsébetváros / Jewish Quarter (District VII) · Nagy Diófa utca 26, 1072 Budapest

Warmup in Budapest runs without a menu since 2013, with bartenders on Nagy Diófa utca asking what mood you want, then building a drink for it, smart-casual dress and twelve seats at the bar.

Tip: Book through Instagram, walk-ins after 23:00 wait. Tell the bartender three flavours you love and one you hate and let them work.

Locale Firenze ★ 4.7 · Florence

Santa Croce · Via delle Seggiole 12R, 50122 Firenze

Locale Firenze occupies the thirteenth-century Palazzo delle Seggiole with a cocktail programme ranked fifteenth on the 2025 Top 500 Bars list, set across multiple basement levels of vaulted stone where the bar team pairs modern mixology with a restaurant kitchen.

Tip: Open every night to 02:00, with a dinner reservation easier to land than a bar-only seat on weekends. The vaulted lower rooms with original Renaissance stonework are the seat to ask for.

Rasputin ★ 4.7 · Florence

Oltrarno · Borgo Tegolaio 21R, 50125 Firenze

Rasputin tucks Florence's first true speakeasy behind an unmarked Borgo Tegolaio door in the Oltrarno, with a 45-seat candle-lit room dressed in red velvet, an extensive whisky back bar and a cocktail list that runs Prohibition classics alongside unexpected ingredient pairings.

Tip: Ring the bell, then wait for the hatch to slide open. Reservation is required, no standing inside, and photography is banned. The location is deliberately misplaced on Google.

Backdoor 43 ★ 4.7 · Milan

Navigli · Ripa di Porta Ticinese 43, 20143 Milano

Backdoor 43 packs a four-square-metre cocktail room and a takeaway slot into number 43 on the Naviglio Grande, billed as the world's smallest bar with three seats inside, a private one-hour booking system and a masked bartender for street-side orders.

Tip: Reserve the inside hour ahead via the Farmily Group site; the takeaway slot serves passers-by through a hatched window without a booking.

Nottingham Forest ★ 4.7 · Milan

Porta Venezia · Viale Piave 1, 20129 Milano

Nottingham Forest has run on Viale Piave at the foot of Porta Venezia since 1980, with owner Dario Comini pioneering molecular mixology behind a tribal-art-lined bar that has held a World's 50 Best Bars slot for years and is the city's canonical fusion cocktail room.

Tip: The room is small and the line forms before 22:00 on weekends; no reservations so arrive early. The menu changes seasonally and runs to over 200 builds.

Harry's Bar ★ 4.7 · Venice

San Marco · Calle Vallaresso 1323, 30124 Venezia

Harry's Bar opened on Calle Vallaresso in 1931 under Giuseppe Cipriani and remains the city's most photographed cocktail room, the birthplace of the Bellini and the Carpaccio and a national heritage site since 2001 with a stand up bar that holds about thirty.

Tip: Stand at the bar for the Bellini at half the table price; the dress code tightens after 19:00 and bookings are for the dining room, not the cocktail counter.

Bar Trench ★ 4.7 · Tokyo

Ebisu · 1-5-8 Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0021

Bar Trench in Tokyo's Ebisu has been Rogerio Igarashi Vaz's absinthe and herbal liqueur room since 2010. Eight-seat counter, vintage European fit-out, on the World's 50 Best Bars list.

Tip: Tiny room, eight seats. Cash and card accepted; the absinthe selection is the through-line, ask for a guided pour.

The SG Club ★ 4.7 · Tokyo

Shibuya · 1-7-8 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0041

The SG Club in Shibuya is Shingo Gokan's three-floor cocktail house opened in 2018. Standing Guzzle on ground, basement Sip for classics, top-floor Savor for cigars and pairings.

Tip: Guzzle is walk-in and casual; Sip downstairs needs a reservation and applies a cover. Eight years running on Asia's 50 Best.

Hanky Panky ★ 4.7 · Mexico City

juarez · Turin 52, Juarez, Cuauhtemoc, 06600 Ciudad de Mexico

Hanky Panky in Mexico City on Turin in Juarez is the speakeasy Walter Meyenberg opened in 2016 behind the kitchen of a small Oaxacan fonda, the city's first in the format, with a classic Twelve Wonders of Mixology menu and No. 35 on the 2025 North America 50 Best.

Tlecan ★ 4.7 · Mexico City

roma-norte · Avenida Alvaro Obregon 228, Roma Norte, Cuauhtemoc, 06700 Ciudad de Mexico

Tlecan in Mexico City on Avenida Alvaro Obregon in Roma Norte is Eli Martinez Bello's agave-spirits room, the name meaning place of fire in Nahuatl, sourcing mezcal, bacanora, sotol, pox and raicilla direct from producers, ranked No. 23 on the 2025 Worlds 50 Best Bars.

Door 74 ★ 4.7 · Amsterdam

centrum · Reguliersdwarsstraat 74I, 1017 BN Amsterdam

Door 74 opened in November 2008 as Western Europe's first speakeasy bar in a former garage workshop off Reguliersdwarsstraat, with an unmarked black double door, classic pre-Prohibition list and a candlelit, low-seated room.

Tip: Reservation by SMS to the bar's number, then ring the bell at the unmarked door beside the Shiva Indian restaurant. Two seatings nightly from 19:00.

Flisak '76 ★ 4.7 · Gdańsk

Main Town · ul. Chlebnicka 9/10, 80-830 Gdańsk

Flisak '76 in Gdańsk's Main Town is the subterranean cocktail bar on ul. Chlebnicka run by the third generation of the Rathnau family since 1976, with the current Greatest Show vintage-circus concept and presentations in perfume bottles and tiny cannons.

Tip: Walk down the stairs at Chlebnicka 9/10, no sign at the door. Cocktails 38-55 PLN; the Clown with gin, strawberry and shiso is the order.

Mercy Brown ★ 4.7 · Kraków

stare-miasto · ul. Straszewskiego 28, 31-113 Kraków

Mercy Brown above the Smakołyki restaurant on ul. Straszewskiego in Kraków's Stare Miasto is the unsigned art-deco speakeasy, with jazz and burlesque nights, in-house tinctures and a spot on the World's 500 Best Bars list.

Tip: No street signage; enter through Smakołyki and ask for the cloakroom. Cocktails from 24 zł. Book burlesque nights two weeks ahead.

Red Frog Speakeasy ★ 4.7 · Lisbon

principe-real · Rua do Salitre 5A, 1250-198 Lisboa

Red Frog on Rua do Salitre is Lisbon's prohibition-style speakeasy, opened in 2015, with entry through a doorbell hidden under a red frog and a craft cocktail programme listed on the 2022 World's 50 Best Bars.

Tip: Ring the bell under the red frog to be buzzed in; the room is small, walk-ins welcome on weeknights. The sea fennel gimlet and banana negroni are the headline pours.

The Blind Pig ★ 4.7 · San Sebastián

centro · Calle San Bartolome 23, 20007 Donostia

The Blind Pig on Calle San Bartolome in San Sebastian is Chef Paulo Airaudo's 2021 speakeasy off Amelia, with bartender Marco Ferreri behind a discreet gold-metal door reached by WhatsApp code.

Tip: Message the venue on WhatsApp ahead for the access code and arrival time; walk-ins occasionally accepted if space. The Negroni list is the headline pour.

Arraun Cocktail Bar ★ 4.7 · San Sebastián

parte-vieja · Calle Angel 4 bajo, 20003 Donostia

Arraun Cocktail Bar on Calle Angel in San Sebastian is the Old Town's quiet-conversation cocktail room, with a Magellan-themed list and house cocktails that rotate around ports of the 1519 voyage.

Tip: Open every evening from 19:00, weekends to 04:00; walk-in only, no reservations. Arrive before the 21:00 dinner exodus from the pintxos crawl.

Opium Bar ★ 4.7 · Bangkok

yaowarat · 422 Vanich 1 Road, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100

Opium Bar in Bangkok's Chinatown sits above Potong restaurant in a five-storey heritage shophouse. Asia's 50 Best 2025 entry, liquid-surreality cocktails with oyster salt.

Tip: Reservation only via the Potong site. The hidden staircase leads up two floors; allow two hours for the seasonal tasting.

Vesper ★ 4.7 · Bangkok

silom-sathorn · 10/15 Convent Road, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500

Vesper on Bangkok's Convent Road has been Choti and Debby Leenutaphong's Italian-leaning cocktail bar since 2014. Asia's 50 Best Remy Martin Legend of the List 2025.

Tip: Walk-in welcome at the bar; reserve a booth via the website. The White Matcha Negroni is the signature; closes 01:00.

Bramble ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh

New Town · 16a Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JE

The Queen Street basement is the Edinburgh cocktail benchmark, a stone-vaulted room with no booking line that has been a fixture on the World's 50 Best Bars list for years.

Tip: Arrive before 19:00 on a Friday or queue, ask the bar for off-menu sours and the team will build to the spirit you prefer.

Nightjar ★ 4.7 · London

Shoreditch · 129 City Road, Shoreditch, London EC1V 1JB

The basement on City Road behind an unmarked door is the standard against which every London speakeasy is measured, with nightly live jazz and a cocktail menu that takes the prohibition era seriously.

Tip: Bookings only, walk-ins are turned away after 19:00. The 22:30 second set is when the band loosens up.

Lyaness ★ 4.7 · London

South Bank · Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD

Ryan Chetiyawardana's ingredient-led bar at Sea Containers is built around the seven Pinnacle Guide ingredients that change every year, and the menu reads like a chef's tasting more than a drinks list.

Tip: Sit at the bar, the conversation with the bartenders is the menu's commentary track. Saturday afternoons are the quietest slot.

American Bar at The Savoy ★ 4.7 · London

Covent Garden · The Savoy, Strand, Covent Garden, London WC2R 0EU

The 1893 cocktail bar inside the Savoy is the oldest surviving American-style cocktail room in London, with the legacy of Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book still on every back-bar shelf.

Tip: Listen for the live piano from 18:30, the room transforms. The age limit is 14 plus accompanied, dress code is enforced.

Kimball House ★ 4.7 · Atlanta

decatur · 303 East Howard Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030

Kimball House inside the 1891 Decatur train depot pours one of the country's deepest absinthe lists and Atlanta's defining cocktail program, with a raw bar of Georgia and East Coast oysters.

Tip: Closed Mondays. Resy for tables, walk-in at the bar; the absinthe service and the oyster happy hour are the orders.

Midnight Cowboy ★ 4.7 · Austin

Downtown / Warehouse District · 313 East 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701

Midnight Cowboy on East 6th in Austin is the reservation-only speakeasy in a former massage parlor, tableside cocktails and parties of eight maximum behind an unmarked door.

Tip: Book on Tock; push the Harry Craddock button at the unmarked door. Walk-ins only when the red light above the door shows green.