Back on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list for the seventh year is the Philippines’ The Curator Coffee and Cocktails. The Makati bar is the only Filipino establishment to make it to the top 50 list which was announced in a live ceremony in Hong Kong’s Rosewood Hotel Tuesday night. The awards show is the first full scale gathering of the Asian bar industry since the 2019 awards.

In a night where COA of Hong Kong landed again on the number 1 spot for the third year in a row, The Curator ranked #34, which also means it earns the distinction of “Best Bar in the Philippines” this year. It’s a higher spot compared to its highest standing so far at number 38 in 2021. The Curator has carried the distinction of being the Asia’s 50 “Best Bar in the Philippines" from 2017 to 2023.

The Curator is one of the early pioneers of the cocktail scene in the country. On the Asia’s 50 Best Bars website, it is described thus: “Dedicated to two of the very finest things in life: coffee and cocktails. The former is taken in the light café up front, while the suitably impressive latter are served in an intimate back room. The understated space plays host to a regular schedule of global bartender takeovers. And the drinks menu is filled with fun descriptions, a flavour map and, crucially, a credit for the bartender who invented them.”

Last July 11, the Asia’s 50 Best Bars announced its 51 – 100 list with Shangri-La Fort ‘s speakeasy bar —The Back Room, now led by Volkan Ibil landing at the number 75 spot.

The Curator Coffee and Cocktails is located at 134 Legazpi Street corner C.Palanca Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City.