[Nightlife] The Bar Gods Have Spoken: Bar Leone Shanghai is #1

Nightlife is our semi-regular wander into Shanghai after dark – when we duck into whatever bar is new this week, lose track of time in someone's neon basement, and see which dance floor is actually worth the cab ride. Clubs, dive bars, questionable late-night snacks, karaoke decisions we'll regret by Monday… if it happens after 10pm and involves flashing lights or mysterious drink specials, chances are we were there pretending to "research" it.

The halo that surrounds Bar Leone Hong Kong – currently the number one bar in the world – translates to sky-high expectations for Bar Leone Shanghai, and, in short, it rises to the occasion.

The Snapshot

Bar Leone, backed by co-founders Lorenzo Antinori (previously of The American Bar at The Savoy, Dandelyan, Argo, etc.) and Justin Shun Wah, originally debuted in Hong Kong less than three years ago. The menu is an opportunity for this seasoned barman to flex his mixologist muscles, and in the world of cocktail artistry, Antinori is a bodybuilder.

The award-winning formula orbits the concept of cocktail popolari – or "cocktails for the people," resulting in unpretentious, approachable and downright smashable revived classics inspired by the bars of the trendy Trastevere neighborhood's backstreets in Rome where Antinori spent his formidable years.

The Backstory

Before diving into the Shanghai outpost's details (I know you're all pining to know if the 138 yuan/US$19.5 mortadella sandwich is worth the hype or highway robbery), a little backstory on Bar Leone's rise to the top: Within less than a year of opening in the summer of 2023, Bar Leone clinched all the titles at the 2024 Asia's 50 Best Bar Awards – best bar in Hong Kong, the highest new entry, and – most importantly – the coveted número uno spot as the best bar in Asia. This marked the first time in 50 Best history that the best bar in Asia had been a new entry on the list. That same year, the team celebrated as they also scored the sought-after seat as the number two bar in the world, according to World's 50 Best.

Then, in 2025, the Bar Leone team did it again, living la dolce vita as the number one bar in Asia for a second year in a row, and the best bar in the world, the first-ever Asia bar to snag the top spot.

The Space

Bar Leone Shanghai's first floor is dubbed Bar di Passo, an Italian "passing bar" that encourages quick conversation, to-the-point aperitivo drinks, and a community feel influenced by neighborhood haunts like the institution that is Milan's Camparino.

The focal point is a horseshoe-shaped stainless-steel bar with a backdrop of prints of Italian sports icons and religious figures, interspersed with vintage jerseys, trophies, family emblems, crests and retro movie posters – a nostalgic nod to the old school Italian sports pub of the 1980s and 1990s.

The second floor, which just opened this week, is more akin to the Hong Kong location, with an intimate, living room-style, date-night vibe and additional booze-forward drinks that align with that same sentiment. The mustard yellow walls, burnt orange banquettes and dark wood accents are warmly illuminated by flickering candles. A standing bar cuts through the middle of the 50-person space, dividing the bar counter (brightened by the same hanging lamps as Hong Kong) and the table and booth seating – making for the ideal way to experience the top-ranked bar in the world that costs far less than a plane ticket to Hong Kong.

The Cocktails

The opening bar menu mirrors that of Hong Kong, with every drink either matching exactly or an iteration of a favorite. Playing into the bar's tagline of cocktail popolari, the team decided to give the people what they want.

And what they want is the original Bar Leone experience.

That experience can be had on both floors as the menu is the same upstairs and down, save for the Vecchi & Rari (Old & Rare) collection, only available on the second floor (more on that later). Over time, however, the Shanghai menu will slowly diverge from Hong Kong to include several Shanghai-specific sippers.

Led by head bartender Melinda Hong (previously of J. Boroski), the menu is approachable for bar nerds and noobs alike, removing the confusion around highly curated ingredient lists that can seem a foreign language for those outside of the industry.

A step up from your standard whisky sour, the Olive Oil Sour (128 yuan) is the top seller across both locations, and for good reason. Banana masala and a touch of honey lend both complexity and balance to a brandy and bourbon blend, rounded by a dusting of nutmeg for one glorious gulp.

A caprese salad in drinkable form, the Il Cacciatore (128 yuan) – meaning "the hunter" in Italian – refers to foraged ingredients a hunter might find in the wild, like fresh herbs, tomatoes and alliums. This tomato-forward, low ABV libation sees a vermouth sour base amplified by muddled cherry tomatoes, piney mastika and fresh basil leaf – so unmistakably Italian, you're left feeling like you should be paying in euros.

The Latina lovechild of a margarita and a taco, the Masa Margarita (128 yuan) spotlights toasted masa harina- (the corn flour used to make tortillas) infused mezcal, tempered by the treacly sweetness of sloe gin, and crowned with a charred baby corn.

For those seeking caffeinated inspiration to get the evening going, the Caffe Paradiso (128 yuan) is a mix of spiced rum, bitter Italian amaro, cold brew coffee and salted cream coupled with freshly grated green cardamom. Like being hit by the aromatic waft of Christmas Eve itself, it's a scent I wish I could capture and candle.

The crux of the cocktail program is the draft spritzes and highballs – a Yuzu Americano (128 yuan) with sake and amaro; an earl gray Spumoni (118 yuan) with orange foam; and the Herbert Highball (118 yuan) with sherry wine, cucumber and elderflower that together culminate in the taste of a Tuscan summer beach town poured over ice. No more waiting half an hour for your next drink while your buzz dwindles; prepare to be – and remain – equally inebriated and intrigued from the moment you walk through the door.

As evening marches on into late night, patrons seep up the stairs for more spirit-forward drams, namely the aforementioned Vecchi & Rari series that highlights aged cocktails and rare spirits. A holy trinity of three reimagined classics – a Dry Martini, a Godfather and a Manhattan with balsamic and olive oil – this Old & Rare menu rotates seasonally, underscoring hyper-local mainland ingredients.

The current iteration shines light on earthy Yunnan black truffle, an homage to a black truffle negroni Antinori first crafted while working at Caprice in the Four Seasons Hong Kong. Yunnan black truffle is infused over time, at once softening the spirit's bite while developing tertiary flavors.

The Dry Martini (220 yuan) is rich with umami from five-month aged truffle yet clean, a direct contrast to the iconic Filthy Martini (128 yuan), a drink so dirty it should come garnished with an Only Fans link.

The Food

Now that you're good and liquored up, onto the snacks.

To start, come for the olives. Stay for the olives.

"We tasted every single Gordal olive available in Shanghai, and still couldn't find exactly what we are looking for, but we got close. We ultimately have a supplier importing the olives we want, but they won't arrive for another two months," adds Shun Wah while popping a cherry-wood-smoked, briny (Maybe) World's Best Smoked Olives (88 yuan) in his mouth.

If these aren't the best smoked olives on this side of the Pacific, I can't wait for what is.

Onto the moment of truth, the Internet-famous Mortadella Focaccia (138 yuan) – piled high with 150 grams of paper-thin sliced mortadella, pickled Spanish chilis, olives and a generous shmear of whipped mascarpone – a bite that requires you to unhinge your jaw just to take it all in.

"The Italian-imported mortadella we use in Hong Kong would clock in at 10 times the price to ship into Shanghai," mentions Shun Wah. Since Bar Leone goes through 300 kilos of mortadella in a month in Hong Kong alone, some quick back-of-the-napkin math reveals the need for an alternate solution. Said solution involves using a local supplier (Alimentari) as well as a Shanghai bakery for the schiacciata-esque bread, a six-month process in the making to emulate the specs of Hong Kong's carby crags and crannies.

From a kuai-to-calorie conversion rate standpoint, you're definitely paying a premium for the name above the door, but one that is still worth the extra maos for this meaty morsel.

A Shanghai exclusive, the Deep-Fried Baby Shrimp (89 yuan) are flanked by a zippy homemade tartar sauce with a gasp of lemon, paying tribute to the streetside snack of fritto misto.

Other noteworthy bites – like one of the team member's grandma's recipes for Meatballs (118 yuan), crispy mozzarella-stuffed Arancini (98 yuan) and Italian Fried Chicken (128 yuan) with romesco sauce – make a showing, with all recipes created by consulting chef Marco Xodo (previously of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana Shanghai and Testina in Hong Kong).

In the coming weeks, additional food options will debut, like a soft serve affogato with a Sicilian-style brioche bun, and a mini lobster roll (pictured above) using Canadian lobster laced with lime vinaigrette, lemon zest and lobster-head butter.

The Vibe

If bar culture were a religion, Bar Leone would be its church.

And its sermon doubles down on the same core tenet of thoughtful hospitality at the Shanghai venue. "When we opened Bar Leone Hong Kong, we had only five full-time staff. In Shanghai, we have 21," says Antinori. That's just the opening team, covering a grand total of 30 seats on the first floor. Which is also why anyone aiming to walk through the doors is stopped by a line snaking down the block. A line that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

Bar Leone has unrepentantly ascended because it's not trying to be the most exclusive cocktail lounge with the flashiest garnishes, ostentatious décor and the poshest clientele to match. Rather, its heart is its honesty of concept; a place where guests can enjoy a no-nonsense tipple that's guaranteed to deliver on what we all want out of any cocktail experience: a delicious drink amidst an inviting atmosphere filled with good company. With that doctrine as the foundation of Bar Leone's ideology, it summits the proverbial global bar pinnacle with ease.

In the name of the Pope, Campari and the holy Maradona, Shanghai praises you global bar gods for this Italian offering.

If you go

Address: Sinan Mansions, 525-527 Fuxing Rd M., near Ruijin No. 2 Rd, Huangpu District

复兴中路525-527号思南公馆(近瑞金二路)