A great speakeasy isn't just hidden — it's hidden for a reason. The cocktails behind the unmarked door have to justify the theatre. The 20 below all qualify. From Please Don't Tell (the phone booth inside Crif Dogs) to Paradiso (the El Born pastrami fridge that hides World's #1 Bar 2022) to Handshake (Mexico City's Roma Norte secret that's now World's #1 Bar 2024), these are the rooms where the secret is the point and the cocktail on the other side actually earns the entrance ritual.
The 20 best speakeasies in the world
01 · New York
East Village
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Iconic · Phone-booth entry
You enter through a phone booth inside Crif Dogs.
Order: Benton's Old Fashioned
02 · New York
Lower East Side
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Iconic · 1920s
Genuine 1920s Prohibition speakeasy — cocktails in tea cups.
Order: A Sazerac in a teacup
03 · New York
East Village
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Iconic · Through Japanese restaurant
Through an unmarked door inside a Japanese restaurant.
Order: A Japanese-spirit signature cocktail
04 · Barcelona
El Born
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World #1 · Pastrami fridge
World's Best Bar 2022 — entered through a pastrami fridge.
Order: Supercool
05 · London
Shoreditch
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Iconic · Live jazz
Hidden Shoreditch speakeasy — live jazz nightly.
Order: Old Cuban
06 · Mexico City
Roma Norte
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World #1 (2024)
Currently World's #1 Bar (2024 50 Best). Hidden Roma Norte speakeasy.
Order: Whatever's first on tonight's menu
07 · Paris
Le Marais
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World #50 · Conceptual
World's 50 Best regular with conceptual menus.
Order: Whatever the current menu is built around
08 · Singapore
Sago Street
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World #16 · Hidden upstairs
Hidden Sago Street upstairs cocktail bar.
Order: Whatever's seasonal tonight
09 · Hong Kong
Central
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Iconic · Through gentlemen's club
Central speakeasy through a gentlemen's club facade.
Order: A French 75
10 · London
Hoxton
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Iconic · Basement
Below a burger restaurant on Hoxton Square.
Order: Perfect Storm
The NYC modern-speakeasy originals
11 · New York
Flatiron
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Iconic · Reservation-only
Reservation-only Flatiron speakeasy — buzz to enter.
Order: Bartender's choice with their reserve gin
12 · Berlin
Mitte
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Iconic · 12 seats
Twelve seats, reservations only — Berlin's most precise counter.
Order: Buck and Breck cocktail
13 · Shanghai
French Concession
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Iconic · Behind a kitchenware shop
Behind a kitchenware shop in the French Concession.
Order: Whatever's seasonal
14 · Madrid
Las Letras
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World #15 · Theatrical
Diego Cabrera's theatrical Las Letras cocktail bar.
Order: Chipotle Chillón
15 · Tokyo
Ebisu
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Iconic · Counter
Tiny Ebisu absinthe-led speakeasy.
Order: An absinthe-forward signature
16 · New York
East Village
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Iconic · Behind a barbershop
Behind a working barbershop on 10th Street.
Order: A precise Manhattan
17 · Tokyo
Shinjuku
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Iconic · Foraged-herb
Hidden Shinjuku foraged-herb cocktail bar.
Order: A foraged-herb signature
18 · London
Soho
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Iconic · Hidden basement
Hidden Soho basement cocktail bar.
Order: Bartender's choice
19 · Chicago
Wicker Park
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Iconic · Behind a mural
James Beard-winning Wicker Park speakeasy behind an unmarked mural.
Order: A bartender's-choice signature
20 · San Francisco
Downtown
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Iconic · In a former newspaper office
Iconic Downtown speakeasy in a former newspaper office.
Order: A pour of rare Bourbon
The full guide, city by city
Each entry below is a deep dive into the best 10 bars in that city — picked by editors who live there.
Browse the full speakeasy indexSpeakeasies by city — every featured venue has a profile.
See the full list
What makes a great speakeasy
Forget the password. The best speakeasies work because of what's on the other side of the door. The 20 above all do that. Please Don't Tell and Angel's Share represent the NYC modern-speakeasy original. Paradiso and Handshake the World's #1 Bar trophy holders. Buck and Breck the Berlin precision counter. Bar Benfiddich the Tokyo foraged-herb temple. Pick the room that matches the cocktail you want.
