28 Hongkong Street wins Asia's 50 Best Bars

28 Hongkong Street of Singapore has taken first place in Drinks International’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards, the first regional spin-off of The World’s 50 Best Bars.

The results were released via live social media countdown yesterday, with many of the 50 bars hosting parties with live streams.

Reviews of all 50 bars are now available to view from Worlds50BestBars.com/Asia

28 Hongkong Street, which is run by Michael Callahan, Zdenek Kastanek, David Cordoba and head bartender Logan Demmy, took first place after one third of the 154 Asian Academy members named it among their favourite bars across the region.

It was a good night for Singapore bars, as the country provided four of the top 10 bars in the list, and nine overall.

In second place was Speak Low of Shanghai, founded by Japanese bartender Shingo Gokan and in third was Hidetsuga Ueno’s High Five from Tokyo, which was home to eight bars on the list.

The top four bars each came from different cities, with Shangri-la’s Lobster Bar & Grill in Hong Kong finishing fourth. Hong Kong, as Singapore, had nine representatives in Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

Fifth place was awarded to Manhattan at Regent Hotel in Singapore, while the top ten also featured Omakase & Appreciate from Kuala Lumpur.

28 Hong Kong Street's: Zdenek Kastanek said of the awards: "28 was shocked but super happy and super proud, the scene here is amazing, collaborative but competitive too and so we can only thank to all our friend bar-teams for pushing us. Bars like Jigger & Pony, Operation Dagger and many more are truly top class and we are super happy to celebrate with them. 

"The very simple fact that we have 'Asia's 50 Best' is an amazing achievement, only possible because of the hard work by of all our bars, restaurants, hotels and all the passionate guests we serve everyday.

"There is nothing like seeing and living through such an amazing period. I'm humbled and so proud to be part of it!"

Hamish Smith, editor of Asia’s 50 Best Bars explained how Drinks International went about the poll: “In short, Asia’s 50 Best Bars is: By Asia, For Asia. We started from the position that not even the most intrepid of global bar hoppers knows Asian bars better than the people of Asia. So, unlike the World’s 50 Best Bars, which draws on the globetrotter’s perspective, Asia’s 50 Best Bars is what Asia thinks are its best bars.

The Academy of 154 bar experts that voted in the poll, were among the most knowledgeable and travelled members of the Asian bar industry. We chose high-level bartenders, who appreciate what makes a great bar and work in one. Bar consultants, expats or local experts, who are behind the best new venues, brand ambassadors, who travel more than anyone in the bar business and journalists, because it’s good to have the view from the drinking side of the bar while maintaining industry perspective.

"It's great to see the project come to fruition. 28 Hongkong Street, by all acounts, is a worthy winner of the first Asia's 50 Best Bars. Congratulations to the team at Proof & Company, the team behind Asia's best bar."