The inaugural edition of Europe’s 50 Best Bars 2026, sponsored by Perrier, was revealed at a live ceremony in Amsterdam, with Athens’ Line crowned The Best Bar in Europe.
Announced on 30 June 2026, the debut ranking from the team behind The World’s 50 Best Bars features venues from 22 cities across the continent, spanning long-established cocktail capitals and emerging scenes from Tirana to Innsbruck. Athens dominates the top of the list, London claims seven entries, and Italy returns nine bars, underscoring just how broad the European drinks landscape has become in 2026.
Line Crowned The Best Bar in Europe
At No.1, Line takes both The Best Bar in Europe and The Best Bar in Greece. Set inside a former art gallery in Kato Petralona, the bar was created by Vasilis Kyritsis and Nikos Bakoulis as a hub for fermentation-led creativity, with house-made fruit wines, beers, and sourdough produced on site and every byproduct reworked into cocktails or food.
Central to the offer are the bar’s Why-ins, a range of house fruit wines developed with winemaker Thanos Georgilas, sitting alongside small plates from chef Pavlos Kyriaki and fermentation-driven breads. Ranked No.8 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025, Line moves fluidly between daytime coffee-and-wine spot and late-night cocktail destination, a model that has become emblematic of where Athens’ bar culture is heading.
“Their remarkable hospitality and stunning creativity have not only earned them this accolade but have truly cemented Athens’ position on the global map,” said Faye Huggett, Director of Community for Europe’s 50 Best Bars.
Athens, London and Barcelona Lead the Pack
Athens’ depth is striking. The Bar in Front of the Bar lands at No.2, followed by Barro Negro (No.13), Baba au Rum (No.14), and The Clumsies (No.30), with Thessaloniki’s Gorilla at No.33 extending the Greek footprint.
London cements its status as the continent’s cocktail capital with seven entries, taking The Best Bar in the UK via Connaught Bar at No.10. Satan’s Whiskers (No.11) and Tayēr + Elementary (No.12) sit just behind, joined by Waltz (No.23), Kwānt Mayfair (No.40), Three Sheets Soho (No.41), and Scarfes Bar (No.47). Edinburgh’s Panda & Sons rounds out the UK contingent at No.20.
Barcelona’s Sips holds No.3 and The Best Bar in Spain, with Paradiso (No.9), Aldea (No.26), 14 De La Rosa (No.35), Boadas (No.36), and Foco (No.48) reinforcing the city’s reputation. Madrid contributes Angelita (No.45) and Salmon Guru (No.46).
Paris, Scandinavia and Italy
Paris places five venues on the list, led by Bar Nouveau at No.5, named The Best Bar in France. New opening De Vie (No.34) joins The Cambridge Public House (No.7), Danico (No.19), and Harry’s Bar Paris (No.27).
Oslo’s Himkok takes No.4 and The Best Bar in Norway, with Svanen at No.15. Copenhagen’s Bird (No.24) earns The Best Bar in Denmark, while Stockholm contributes Tjoget (No.37) and Röda Huset (No.43). Amsterdam’s Super Lyan lands at No.42 and is named The Best Bar in the Netherlands.
Italy returns nine bars, headed by Milan’s Moebius Milano at No.6 as The Best Bar in Italy. Milan also delivers Camparino in Galleria (No.18), 1930 (No.22), and Rita (No.49). Florence is represented by Locale Firenze (No.21) and Gucci Giardino (No.29); Rome by Freni e Frizioni (No.31) and Drink Kong (No.32); and Naples by L’Antiquario (No.28).
Central Europe and the Wider Map
Central and Eastern Europe make a strong showing. Bratislava’s Mirror Bar ranks No.8 and is named The Best Bar in Slovakia, also collecting the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award. Berlin’s Wax On (No.17) takes The Best Bar in Germany, Alma Prague (No.25) is The Best Bar in Czechia with fellow Prague venue Forbína Bar at No.38, and Krakow’s Tag (No.39) earns The Best Bar in Poland. Zurich’s Late Bloomers (No.44) is The Best Bar in Switzerland, and Innsbruck’s Dunlin (No.50) The Best Bar in Austria. Tirana’s Nouvelle Vague at No.16 is named The Best Bar in Albania, one of the list’s clearest signals that the European map is widening.
Special Awards
Salvatore Calabrese received the Roku Industry Icon Award, capping a five-decade career that helped shape modern bartending, from his work establishing Duke’s Bar as a global Martini destination to the creation of the Breakfast Martini.
Giorgio Bargiani won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award, recognised by his peers across the European bar community.
Waltz in London, the first solo project from Gento Torigata, former bar manager of Kwānt Mayfair, took the Three Cents Best New Opening Award. Its micro-seasonal, Japanese-influenced cocktail program debuts on the list at No.23.
Edinburgh’s Panda & Sons won the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award for Transcend, a menu built entirely around sub-zero freezing techniques and the effect of pressure and dehydration on flavour, texture, and aroma.
Paris’s De Vie took the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award for its season-led, low-waste approach, and Budapest’s Hide won the SevenRooms Best Bar Design Award for an interior the judges singled out as both distinctive and functional.
What the Inaugural List Signals
The first edition of Europe’s 50 Best Bars confirms what the broader 50 Best ecosystem has been pointing to for several years: the continent’s cocktail culture is no longer concentrated in three or four capitals. Athens has moved decisively into the top tier, fermentation and circularity have become serious editorial themes rather than fringe experiments, and cities such as Tirana, Bratislava, Innsbruck, and Krakow are now part of the conversation alongside London, Paris, and Milan. As a benchmark for where European bartending sits in 2026, the list reads less like a ranking and more like a map of an industry redrawing its own centre of gravity.
