World’s hottest bar openings from summer 2025
Excuse us if our thoughts are still on summer – the season’s hottest bar openings are lingering in our minds…
It might be October, but we aren’t afraid to say we’re still clinging onto summer, particularly as the warmer months blessed us with tons of new places to drink.
Over the season, New York stamped its authority as the world’s cocktail capital with three new offerings, while London and Hong Kong had their say too. Elsewhere, there were new bar openings far and wide, from Boston to Barcelona, and even Ibiza.
For the full list of 12 hottest bars that opened their doors between May and August, read on.
After more new bar openings? See our last roundup from spring.
Kyara, Barcelona
Wherever Monica Berg and Alex Kratena go, we follow. That now means to the SLS hotel in Barcelona, where the pair have opened their newest bar, Kyara.
The co-founders of London’s Tayēr + Elementary are exploring ‘a dystopian post-modern cocktail world’ in the 90-cover space, described as a ‘villain’s lair’ meets ‘multi-sensory laboratory’, with decor that blends Scandinavian functionality and Japanese minimalism. Within, guests can receive a ‘bespoke Martini diagnosis’ in a compounding room from the team of expert mixologists, who uncover your aromatic profile through chemistry and initiation. ‘It starts with a spray,’ they say.
The cocktail menu explores creating cocktails as a perfumer would with fragrances, with the menu divided into seven sections: fruits, citrus, florals, amber, chypre, leather, and woods.
Address: Port Forum, Carrer de la Pau, 2, 08930, Barcelona
Montana, Hong Kong
Two of the biggest bartenders in the game right now teamed up over the summer to open Montana on Hollywood Road in Hong Kong.
The super-duo – Sips Barcelona’s Simone Caporale and Bar Leone’s Lorenzo Antinori – have shaped Montana around the heady days of Miami in the 1970s, when Cuban cocktails were at their peak and disco ruled the dancefloor.
The menu draws from Club de los Cantineros, Cuba’s legendary bartenders’ guild. Guests can opt for Cuban classics like the El Presidente, or the Santa Marta Daiquiri, which is based on the original recipe created by the Club de los Cantineros in the 1930s, combining rum, lime, Maraschino and a float of kirsch eau de vie.
Address: Shop A, G/F, 108 Hollywood Rd, Central, Hong Kong
Hello Hello, New York
New York, say hello twice to Hello Hello, which arrived in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood at the start of July, acting as a cafe by day and morphing into a (serious) dive bar by night.
The venue has its own small batch distillery, which powers the nighttime menu. Coffee plays just as large a part in the evening as it does in the day, with the bar’s own house-distilled coffee liqueur making its way into drinks like the Irish Tiramisu and French Carajillo. Elsewhere, standout cocktails include a reimagined Porn Star Martini and the Talented Mr Banner (with Cognac, green banana and pink peppercorns). The Vodka Red Bull on draft, made with Ketel One and clarified cucumber and green apple juice, lives up to the dive bar theme.
“We didn’t want to overcomplicate it,” said co-founder Luiz Hernandez. “This is the kind of place we’d actually want to drink at. No gimmicks. Just good music, great drinks, and the right energy from day to night.”
Address: 151 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001
Foolproof, New York
Ask for a niche whisky from Austria and you might well be in luck at Foolproof, considering the Williamsburg bar’s extensive list that stretches to more than 400 bottles. It’s that kind of place.
Founder Andy Lock – an industry veteran, previously of The Lobster Club and Gotham Bar & Grill – has assembled a lineup that covers nearly every corner of the globe – from the traditional whisky heavyweights in the US and Scotland to unsung heroes in countries like South Korea and Sweden. Alongside drams, Foolproof offers flights and boilermakers, and no matter how deep whisky/whiskey experiences, all drinkers are welcome, Lock says: “This is a place to drink well with an extensive list of options, eat well, and actually have fun doing it.”
And that includes cocktail drinkers, with star serves including a Trinidad Sour and a Truffled Old Fashioned, which is made with black truffle-infused Prunier VSOP Grande Champagne Cognac.
Address: 476 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Darling, Cambridge
A new opening in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Darling’s speciality is dim sum and cocktails, and what we’d say is one of life’s great pairings.
The space takes over from what used to be Chinese restaurant Mary Chung’s, known for serving Sichuan dishes for 40 years. At Darling, new owners Brian Callahan and Zimu Chen are sticking to the Chinese heritage, with dim sum and a cocktail menu of rotating seasonal serves.
Drinks make use of both local and Chinese ingredients, with a riff on a Gibson (called the Holy Trinity, featuring ginger, garlic and spring onions) and a Flip-style cocktail inspired by Hong Kong-style French toast demanding attention. And, if you’re feeling peckish, the food also more than holds up to its end of the bargain. Filet-O-Fish bao buns, anyone?
Address: 464 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Paradiso at Pacha, Ibiza
Ibiza’s hottest ticket in town might have been a cocktail bar this summer, and for good reason, considering it’s Paradiso’s second outpost.
Giacomo Giannotti and his team from the famed Barcelona bar entered the island armed with 14 cocktails, including signatures from the original site, such as the Great Gatsby, which blends The Macallan 12 Years Old Double Cask with white truffle honey and amaro.
The space itself is centred around a glowing circular bar with honeycomb-textured panels, and situated on the rooftop of the Pacha hotel. Pacha is also conveniently placed below, making it the prime pre-game destination for a night of partying at the iconic club.
Address: Paradiso Ibiza Av. 8 d’Agost, 07800 Eivissa, Illes Balears
All My Gods, London
Londoners who long for the gritty and grungy drinking holes that have left the city over the years – the gods have intervened.
All My Gods, in fact – a venue that pays homage to London’s dive bars of yore. It comes from the guys behind Dram (Chris Tanner, Martyn ‘Simo’ Simpson and Jack Wallis) and burlesque performer and tattoo artist Roxy Velvet. “So many of London’s great dive bars have closed over the years, like Crobar and 12 Bar Club,” Velvet said of the inspiration, “and in my opinion, the city is worse off for it.”
Don’t be surprised when ‘one or two’ ice-cold Martinis from the ‘Martininator’ here (£8, for the record) turns into a later-than-anticipated night of playing pool and raiding the vending machine for Buzzballz, soundtracked by a playlist of hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll classics.
Other house cocktails for consideration include a Nitro Garibaldi, Frozen Irish Coffees and Nuclear Daiquiris.
Address: 253 Paradise Row, Bethnal Green, London E2 9LE
Dolores, New York
Inspired by the cantinas of Mexico City, and more specifically, co-founder Emir Dupeyron’s childhood in the city, Dolores is New York’s latest spot for when you want to hole up for a well-made Margarita or three.
Located in Brooklyn, the bar’s tiled floors and hand-carved cantina-style tables set the scene, but its drinks programme, designed by Leanne Favre of Clover Club and Leyenda, gets the ball rolling.
Margaritas feature on tap with a housemade sour mix and there’s a Paloma too. For those surfing outside the crowd favourites, a Martini riff is served with cotija cheese-stuffed olives, while the Jerk Batanga is made with a house blend of jerk spices, banana and lime, and topped with Mexican Coke.
Address: 397 Tompkins Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216
Sugar King, Hong Kong
Situated on Peel Street, Sugar King was one of Hong Kong’s most-hyped bar openings from the summer, being from John Nugent, founder of The Diplomat (the city’s first Pinned bar).
It’s styled on a bodeguita – the lively little bars that populate Havana in Cuba – so standing room only, but there’s plenty here to keep you on your toes. The menu rotates daily, with cocktails like a Banana Old Fashioned or a twist on a Cuba Libre made with an amaro that has ‘certain cola qualities’. But it’s the Daiquiris that are the true stars of the show – a cocktail that Nugent has an obsession with and here is confident of serving the best version in Hong Kong.
“Sugar King is about realising a personal dream to fruition, opening a physical bar in a city where good bars are in no short supply,” Nugent said. “The concept focuses so much on collaboration from offerings to art and music, and the convivial spirit.”
Address: 59B Peel St, Central, Hong Kong
The Morris, Manchester
The Morris in Manchester’s Northern Quarter plays it down the middle between a pub and a cocktail bar. It was founded by Dan Berger, who masterminded another well-loved bar in the city called Blinker.
While the pub and a celebration of Manchester’s craft beer scene are found on the ground floor, the cocktail bar upstairs has taken a trip down memory lane to the 80s, with offbeat decor of red and pink hues, and nostalgic cocktails that come out in similar shades.
Drinks to try include the Black Forest with Grey Goose, chocolate cake and dark fruits, and The Tony Soprano, described as ‘unapologetically bold and a little dangerous… just like the man himself’, with Johnnie Walker Black Label, Pedro Ximénez and red wine caramel.
Address: 57 Thomas St, Manchester M4 1NA
Reynold’s Bar, Washington DC
DC isn’t short of places to feel like you’re having an important – perhaps illicit – rendezvous while sipping a Martini, but it’s got another in Reynold’s Bar. You can never have too many.
Named after Maria Reynolds (the woman Alexander Hamilton had an affair with, in a scandal which would have broken the internet if it existed back then), the bar sets the lighting to dim and the mood to sultry date night with an elegant interior of wood panels, velvet seats and flickering candles.
The menu is anchored by a strong Martini programme, with the Funky Business (with blue cheese olives and blue cheese-washed Grey Goose) and Nightshade (pesto-washed Tequila and tomato) standing out alongside the classic variations. There’s also a Porn Star variety, made with Absolut, chai curaçao, passionfruit, vanilla and lime. They’re all worth trying, really, but make sure to wash them down with some of the Americana-themed bar snacks while you do. East Coast oysters and corn dogs are on offer.
Address: 1320 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Goldsmith Bar, Bangkok
This new bar opening in Bangkok is well worth its gold, promising to immerse guests in the forbidden tales of old Chinatown.
Located up in the historic Goldsmith Building with the hustle and bustle of Yaowarat Road down below, the space feels like a faraway speakeasy from Shanghai in the 1920s, fitted in red lacquer and opulent fabrics.
Cocktails add to the old-world theatre, with the Nanjing Negroni combining Peddlers’ barrel-aged and salted plum gins with artichoke liqueur and Campari. The Liquid Gold also lives up to its name, put together with Lillet Blanc, Sanehaa luminous gin and gold silk chrysanthemum.
Address: Second floor, above Chop Chop Cook Shop, 328 Yaowarat Rd, Chakkrawat, Sampunthawong, Bangkok 10100
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