Bars you have to find.
Behind a toy shop in Kuala Lumpur. Behind a camera display in Saigon. Through a fake locker with a rotary phone in Bangkok. Some have no sign at all, and a few make you ring a bell and wait to see if there is room.
True crime-themed speakeasy hidden upstairs inside Mad Ronin Ramen on Batu Bolong, with cocktails named after infamous crimes and unsolved mysteries. Finding it is half the fun.
Speakeasy hidden behind a fake locker with a rotary phone entry, leaning hard into gin-forward cocktails behind the concealed door. Half the fun is finding it; the other half is staying longer than planned.
Push through the unmarked wooden door on Thong Lo and you'll find three dim floors of cocktails arranged A through Z, the work of bar director Palm Muttarattana and head bartender Depp Hirunwathit. K mixes kimchi brine with absinthe and shochu; M leans on matcha, Ardbeg, and black salt.
The unmarked wooden door in the corner of the Salil Hotel opens onto a 15-metre teak slab lit orange, run by Boyd Rodbamrung of 2013 Diageo World Class fame. Order the Sazerac built on beef brisket oil-infused bourbon, or the black sesame Manhattan with walnut bitters.
A whole roasted cauliflower arrives slicked in spiced butter with yoghurt tahini, walnuts, and pomegranate, one of the rotating sharing plates chef Athanasios Kargatzidis pulls from Tripoli fishing boats and Bekaa farms. Blonde wood, slate, an open counter, and a garden terrace in Mar Mikhael. Kewpie and miso butter turn up unannounced.
Ring the bell on Friedrichstraße - the unmarked door opens onto 28 seats curved around an open kitchen, vinyl spinning, walls styled like an upgraded 1980s rec room. The "brutally local" rule bans olive oil, pepper, citrus, chocolate; expect Lake Stechlin pike, smoked potato purée, raw-milk butter from Brandenburg, now six courses instead of ten.
Caronte takes its underworld mythology seriously - ring the bell on Calle 65 and descend into a candlelit space where bartenders ferry Colombian aguardiente and native fruits into cocktails you won't find elsewhere. The intimate room fits maybe 30 people, and that intimacy is deliberate.
Queensland's first whisky bar, opened in 2013 on Browning Street with no signage, dark curtains at the door, and 400-plus whiskies accessible via a sliding ladder behind the bar. The 25-cocktail list changes every six months, hand-cut ice is standard, and they won Best Small Bar in Australia in 2016.
The speakeasy that launched a thousand imitators in Buenos Aires: ring the bell at Thames 878, walk through the unmarked door, and order whatever the bartender suggests. Still one of the best cocktail bars in South America after all these years.
Inside an unmarked 1853 building that outlived the Great Chicago Fire and once held his parents' pool hall, Emidio Oceguera and chef Becky Carson serve cheese-free Jalisco-style goat birria, a chorizo smash burger, and duck carnitas nachos by candlelight.
Speakeasy-style cocktail bar through an unmarked door, dark and intimate with serious bartenders. Order an old fashioned and trust them to take it from there.
Relocated speakeasy now at 63/52 Tô Ngọc Vân, with passcode entry, raw brick walls, reclaimed Vietnamese furnishings, and a 10-drink signature list served with paired snacks. DJ-owner Quoc Anh runs Friday and Saturday dance nights that turn the two-floor space into something entirely different after midnight.
Speakeasy and izakaya hidden behind a camera display in a quiet alley. The signature Xoi Xoai Chieu Tim tells you everything about how seriously they take Vietnamese-influenced craft drinks.
Speakeasy-style cocktail bar above Quince restaurant with seasonally rotating drinks by mixologist Ivan Shenekskii. Chinoiserie interior, Chesterfield leather sofas, and zero pretense about the luxury.
You enter through a fake toy shop at number 150, then push through creaky doors into three rooms: a red-lit Opium Den, a Tiki courtyard, an neon main bar. Angel Ng's menu reads like a school exercise book, sorting drinks by era and building them on asam boi, pandan, and ginger wine.
Prohibition-era-inspired restaurant on VI serving New American cuisine with a hidden bar and poolside lounge tucked behind the dining room. The theatrics actually work here, which says something.
Dimly lit cocktail bar tucked behind Cafe Birdie on York, with espresso service during the daytime and a simple drink menu at night. One of those low-key rooms that rewards you for knowing it's there.
No sign out front, no window display - you find the door or you don't. Inside, forward-fashion streetwear for men and women hangs alongside a philosophy of buying less, while the 2015 headquarters folds in a greenhouse, a library, and a kitchen that skips sugar, gluten, salt, dairy, and animal protein entirely.
The Nava brothers, alums of Limantour and Café Paraíso, opened this Tabasco Street spot in October 2024 as an homage to their grandfather Mauro, an Italian aperitif devotee whose photos watch over the room. Order the passion fruit garibaldi, then the cheeseburger regulars insist on. No sign out front.
Hidden behind Gigi Tavola on the port through a discreet passage, with interiors by Holy Banana design studio: exposed brick, draped walls, velvet banquettes, and wallpaper of whimsical animals. 'Zitto' means 'shhh' in Italian, and the seasonal cocktail menu changes completely every few months.
A zero-waste cocktail bar hidden behind crooked red doors, with a living-room-sized interior and vegan snacks alongside inventive, eco-conscious drinks. The owner-bartender makes every visit feel personal, which is rare for a bar this good.
Push on the Coca-Cola vending machine at the corner of Street 51 and 288, and it swings open into exposed brick, dim light, and vintage clutter. Live bands work through English and Khmer sets while the kitchen sends out seafood pasta and garlic shrimp. Open 6 PM to midnight, daily.
Tucked behind Piccolo Forno through its own separate entrance, dedicated to grappa, amaro, and Italian spirits. Small room with a very specific mission, executed with quiet confidence matching the restaurant next door.
Proper cocktail bar downstairs, speakeasy upstairs. Ring the buzzer for the Needle & Thread room and let someone who cares deeply make your Old Fashioned.
Named after the mezcal cocktail invented at Death & Co in New York, with agave spirits running deep through the menu. No sign on the door, three distinct rooms inside, and a complimentary welcome drink before you even order.
Ring the unmarked bell and descend to a basement where bartenders build bespoke cocktails around your mood and palate. No printed menu, no repeated recipes - every visit is different.
Candlelit basement bar on ul. 6-ti Septemvri with no sign outside - you knock and they decide if there's room. Rakia and red wine consumed in near-total darkness, exactly as it's been for years.
Unmarked wine salon near Levinsky with no signage outside, over 200 labels, and an extended by-the-glass list selected by wine director Aviv Hajaj. High ceilings, rough walls, wine books scattered around, and a weekly Grilled Cheese Friday that regulars plan their week around.
Speakeasy-style cocktail bar in a gold-walled werfkelder beneath Papi's Comfort Kitchen on Twijnstraat, open Thursday through Saturday only. Every cocktail is a signature original made with fermentation and dehydration techniques - no standard menu, no safe picks.