Cheers! PH bars The Curator, The Back Room among Asia’s Best Bars for 2023

MANILA, Philippines – Celebratory drinks are in order, because two Manila-based bars, The Curator and The Back Room, have made it to Asia’s 100 Best Bars List for 2023!

On Tuesday, July 18, the Asia’s Best Academy announced Asia’s 50 Best Bars for 2023 in a live ceremony in Hong Kong. Makati City’s The Curator returned to the list this year at number 34, re-earning the title of Best Bar in the Philippines.

According to The Curator’s website, the bar has been offering coffee by day and cocktails by night since 2013. From its hip space in Legazpi Village, The Curator serves specialty coffee at the front of the house and hand-crafted cocktails at the back at night. Focusing on “sincere and personal customer service,” The Curator has consistently made the list of Asia’s 100 Best Bars since first ranking 16th in 2016.

Ranking above The Curator is Hong Kong’s Mostly Harmless, while Mumbai’s Bombay Canteen took the 35th spot.

Ahead of the awarding ceremony, the academy first released the 51–100 list on Wednesday, July 12. The list includes Shangri-la at The Fort’s The Back Room in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, which ranked in 75th.

The Back Room, which opened in 2018, is a Prohibition Era-style speakeasy that serves up cocktails inspired by the 1920s. Its signature drink is the Bee’s Knees, a gin-based cocktail highlighting the local flavors of dalandan, malunggay, and sampaguita. The Back Room previously made the list in 2019 at the 50th spot; in 2020 at 45th; and in 2021 at 51st.

Placing 74th and 76th were Singapore’s No Sleep Club and Semarang’s Wishbone Bar, respectively. Barc in Kathmandu rounded out the list at the 100th spot.

The top five bars in Asia include Seoul’s Zest, Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich, Bangkok’s BKK Social Club, Singapore’s Jigger & Pony, and Hong Kong’s Coa, which has been in the number one spot since 2021.

The ranking was based on votes from members of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which includes 260 drinks industry experts across 14 countries, and dozens of cities across Asia.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars is the regional ranking under The World’s 50 Best Bars brand. The brand is owned and organized by William Reed Business Media, the same group behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking, where Makati restaurants Toyo Eatery and Metiz both made the cut for 2023. – with reports from Sophia Gonzaga/Rappler.com

Sophia Gonzaga is a Rappler intern.