Lorenzo Antinori’s Bar Leone made history last month becoming the first new entry bar to top Asia’s 50 Best Bars. In the heart of Hong Kong, the Rome-inspired bar was opened in mid-2023 and in just over a year it’s become the hottest property in the world’s most populous continent.
“It was a crazy night. I had a feeling we would do well but to hit number one blew me away – we’ve only been open 13 months,” says Antinori, whose career was built on five-star hotel bars in London and Seoul before he arrived in Hong Kong in 2019.
“This is my first independent space and I wanted it to be somewhere I would hang out. I like somewhere comfortable with good vibes, nice bites with tasty drinks without hearing about the theories and processes behind them – and I don’t want to empty my wallet either.”
Antinori’s first role in five-star service was at The American Bar at The Savoy working under Erik Lorincz. From there he went on to become head bartender at legendary bar Dandelyan before joining the team at Charles H in Seoul. However, it was opening Argo at the Four Seasons which brought Antinori to Hong Kong.
“Given my background, I think people were expecting a highly conceptual, innovative bar but our industry works in cycles. We’ve reached a point where menus have become too complex and ingredients too exotic so there’s a demand for simple, easy-to-understand drinks but with all the detail.”
The focus of the drinks offering is classics – or ‘cocktail popolari’ – without creating new ingredients using a rotovap or similar lab equipment. The concept is stripped right back, simply using off-the-shelf ingredients which its guests can understand.
“For me, creating quality in simplicity is the hardest, but most effective, thing you can do with drinks. At some of my old bars the budgets for creating new ingredients was huge, but we’ve flipped it around.”
Inspiration sources
Raised in the Trastevere neighbourhood of Rome, Antinori took much of his inspiration for Bar Leone from the Italian capital. The walls are littered with Italian memorabilia, from legendary Serie-A football shirts to celebrated actors to vintage Martini signs.
“We obviously have a major Italian influence, but we’re not trying to replicate a Rome bar. We’re in the heart of Hong Kong and we want our guests to interpret the space in their own way, taking their own elements of Rome home with them.
“The bar itself is as warming as possible and we want it to be comfortable. We’ve really focused on the 360° aspect of the bar from the lighting, sound and food as well as the drinks. Ultimately the cocktails are nice, the food is good, but the vibe is great.”
In the history of The World’s 50 Best Bars there has never been a more immediate impact from a single venue. It’s the first time, across any regional list, that a new entry has come first and the reason, according to Antinori, is simplicity done well.
