The first edition of the Europe’s 50 Best Bars ranking marked a historic moment for the Central European bar scene. Bratislava’s Mirror Bar was named the eighth-best bar in Europe and also won the prestigious award for Best Hospitality. Furthermore, Prague’s Alma and Forbína bars also made it into the elite top 50. The results confirm that Prague and Bratislava are now among the continent’s most respected cocktail destinations.
On the evening of Tuesday 30 June, the FABRIK venue in Amsterdam hosted the very first Europe’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony—a new European ranking by the 50 Best organisation, which is also behind the prestigious projects The World’s 50 Best Bars, Asia’s 50 Best Bars and North America’s 50 Best Bars. The new platform was created with a single aim: to showcase the very best that the contemporary European bar scene has to offer and to recognise venues that provide guests with an exceptional experience. The rankings were determined by more than 300 anonymous experts, including bartenders, bar owners, journalists and other industry figures, who rated their best visits over the past 18 months.
The inaugural winner was Line in Athens, a bar that has built a reputation in recent years as one of the world’s most innovative venues. It prides itself on its own in-house fermentations, seasonal ingredients, a sustainable approach, and the integration of cocktail culture with gastronomy and an artisan bakery. The Greek capital’s success was further underlined by the second-place finish of The Bar in Front of the Bar, meaning Athens claimed the top two spots in the first-ever European ranking. Yet just a few years ago, the European bar scene was dominated by cities such as London and Barcelona.
A historic moment for Central Europe
From the perspective of Czech and Slovak fans of cocktail culture, however, this year’s results told a completely different story.
Bratislava’s Mirror Bar took a fantastic 8th place, placing it among the absolute European elite. Moreover, several weeks before the results were announced, it also won the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, a special prize awarded to the bar which, according to voters, offers the best hospitality, service and guest experience. This award is regarded as one of the most prestigious in the bar world, as it is not determined by the cocktails themselves, but by the overall experience of a visit.
Even more important, however, is the broader context. Two Prague venues—Alma and Forbína—also made it into the inaugural edition of the ranking. The fact that Bratislava and two bars from Prague appear side by side in the European top 50 represents a historic achievement for the entire region. Just a few years ago, the most prestigious bar rankings focused primarily on London, Paris, Barcelona or Milan. Today, it is clear that Central Europe has become an equal partner.
The prediction has come true
The results also confirm the words of Emma Sleight, Head of Content for the 50 Best project, who, in a recent exclusive interview for VisitChef, highlighted the extraordinary development of bar culture in Central and Eastern Europe.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is the idea that The World’s 50 Best Bars is a list based more on popularity than on the experience. In fact, it is essentially a ranking based precisely on experiences,” said Sleight. She added that Central and Eastern Europe, in particular, has seen an incredible boom in cocktail bars in recent years. The first edition of Europe’s 50 Best Bars confirmed her words almost symbolically. Mirror Bar made it into the top ten European venues, won the award for Best Hospitality, and Prague is celebrating a double entry thanks to Alma and Forbína.
This year’s results are therefore not merely a success for individual venues. They confirm the transformation of the entire European bar scene. Alongside Athens, which took the top two spots, Central Europe is also among the biggest winners. And it is precisely Bratislava and Prague that are proving today that world-class standards are no longer the preserve of traditional cocktail capitals.
