500 Top Bars: Prague speakeasy makes list of world's best bars

A historic hideout located beneath Prague’s Old Town Square has once again gained world recognition. Black Angel’s Bar, known for its moody Gothic decor and Prohibition-era style, has been ranked 357th on the prestigious Top 500 Bars list for 2025.

The annual Top 500 Bars ranking, announced in stages this year, celebrates inspired spirits slingers across 125 cities in 53 countries.

Unlike traditional awards, this list uses a data-driven algorithm that gathers information from over 2,000 online sources in more than 20 languages. It combines expert reviews, customer ratings, social media mentions, and search trends.

Founder Anthony Poncier stated that the 2025 edition marks “an incredible resurgence of creativity and innovation” in the cocktail industry after years of pandemic challenges. “Our ranking captures this excitement and showcases the most significant establishments worldwide,” he said.

Located in the cellar of the U Prince Hotel, just steps from Prague’s Astronomical Clock, the Black Angel’s Bar atmosphere has all the elegance and secrecy of 1930s speakeasies.

The concept honors legendary Czechoslovak bartender Alois Krcha, whose handwritten cocktail diaries were discovered during renovations of the bar’s historic cellar.

Today, head bartender Pavel Šíma leads the venue, blending inspiration from the past with modern mixology to create a menu rooted in both tradition and trends.

Drinks like the Angel’s Monastery, a contemplative blend of hibiscus, Beefeater gin, orange liqueur, and lemon nod to the bar’s monastic past. Drink No. 10 ventures into more experimental territory, combining egg yolk, nutmeg, rum, and beer to create a cocktail that’s part dessert, part surprise, earning a cult following among patrons.

The Alois Becher-Cobbler offers a smooth, herbaceous mix of Czech Becherovka and vermouth, reflecting Krcha’s ahead-of-the-times, lower-ABV creations.

Black Angel’s Bar opened in mid-2009. It has featured in the Top 500 Bars rankings for two consecutive years, ranking no. 312 in 2024; Prague’s Hemingway Bar has also claimed a spot on the list in past years.

The complete Top 100 list will be revealed at a ceremony in Florence this November.