Bar Leone, the Hong Kong venue named Asia’s best bar for two years running, has announced plans to open a second site in Shanghai, China this autumn.
Set to open in late Autumn 2025, Bar Leone’s second site will bring the Cocktail Popolari or ‘Cocktails for the People’ concept to Shanghai.
Co-founders Justin Shun Wah and Lorenzo Antinori announced the news on Instagram, writing: “Bar Leone was always meant to be a neighbourhood bar, celebrating conviviality and community. We can’t wait to join the thriving Shanghai bar scene, meet old friends and make new ones along the way.”
Bar Leone’s original site in Central, Hong Kong, opened in 2023 and was the first to debut at number one on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2024. It retained the title in 2025 and sits at number two on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.
Bar Leone Shanghai will be located in the city’s Huangpu area, home to some of Shanghai’s best bars including Sober Company and Pony Up, both of which appear on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars top 100.
The news that Bar Leone is venturing into Shanghai comes just months after fellow Hong Kong icon Penicillin announced it would be opening a second site in the Chinese city. “The Shanghai bar – we’re trying to make it the same as Penicillin Hong Kong,” co-founder Agung Prabowo told The Spirits Business in June. “The core elements will be applied in Shanghai – the same concept – however, the design will be more elevated.” Visitors to the Hong Kong site will notice a similar striking bottle display in Shanghai, as well as neon lights, which were repurposed from local shops that closed down during the pandemic.
Lorenzo Antinori, one of Bar Leone’s co-founders, recently launched Montana, a Cuban-inspired bar in Hong Kong, with fellow bartending legend Simone Caporale.
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