Three Spanish bars make prestigious The 50 Best Bars list 2026, and one has been crowned a legend

Spain’s cocktail scene has just earned a very big round of applause, The 50 Best Bars, previously known as The World’s 50 Best Bars, has unveiled its 2026 ranking after a glitzy Milan ceremony, and both Madrid and Barcelona made the cut.

Barcelona’s big hitters make the top 20

Hong Kong’s Bar Leone defended its crown as The World’s Best Bar at the ceremony in Milan on October 7, the 18th edition of the ranking. Milan’s Moebius Milano took second place and Cartagena’s Alquimico came third. Barcelona was well represented, with Sips at a very respectable No.16 and Paradiso at No.17.

Both bars sat higher last year, when Sips came third and Paradiso fourth, but two places in the top 20 is still a fine return for one city. Sips took the No.1 spot in 2023 and is known for technique-driven, modernist cocktails from Simone Caporale and former elBulli man Marc Alvarez.

Paradiso collects a special honour

Paradiso also won the Remy Martin Legend of the List award. Guests reach this Dali-esque speakeasy through a pastrami shop on Carrer de Rera Palau, an entrance that has become part of its legend. Back in 2022, it became the first bar outside London or New York to be crowned the world’s best.

Madrid’s Angelita makes the top 50

Madrid has also now scraped into the top list. Angelita enters the top 50 at No.50, after placing 51st last year and 65th in 2024. Brothers David and Mario Villalon have run it in Chueca since 2017, with a wine bar at street level and an atmospheric cocktail lounge in the basement. Its Bebidas Vivas menu has featured 20 plant-inspired cocktails, many using ingredients from the family allotment in Zamora.

Spain’s has also been recognised just outside of the top 50. The extended 51-100 list, released in September, included Boadas in Barcelona at No.52, Salmon Guru in Madrid at No.66 and Foco in Barcelona at No.90. That brings Spain’s total to an impressive six bars in the global top 100.

Now if you are visiting Barcelona, you can do your very own ready-made cocktail tour, from the classic surroundings of Boadas to the theatre of Paradiso and the modernist drinks at Sips. Madrid visitors can add Angelita and Salmon Guru to their list of must try cocktails.