Everyone remembers a good bar. Somewhere the drinks are worth a second round, the music gives you something to talk about, and the person behind the counter can help you choose without making you feel like you should have studied the menu beforehand. You might arrive for one drink and end up rearranging the evening. You might even become a regular.
Every city has these places. Some are tucked into hotels or hidden behind unmarked doors. Others face the beach, host bands or share their walls with artists. Asking someone about their favourite bar can tell you quite a bit about how they spend their time, and following their recommendation can be a good way to get to know a city because the best bars also tell you where you are. The ingredients behind the counter, the art on the walls, the playlist and the crowd all carry the flavour of a place.
That pleasure of discovery is part of the appeal of The 50, the organisation behind The 50 Best Bars. Its annual rankings turn individual experiences into an international conversation about where to drink and who is doing interesting work. This year, that conversation includes two bars in Accra: Front/Back at No.80 and La Borracha at No.87 in the extended world ranking.
What is The 50?
Formerly known as 50 Best, The 50 is an international media company that recognises restaurants, bars, hotels and vineyards through rankings, awards and editorial coverage. Its lists draw on the opinions of experts around the world, helping readers discover places through the experiences of people working in and around hospitality.
Its bar ranking, The 50 Best Bars, has run since 2009. Voting is done by an academy of more than 800 industry authorities, from bartenders and bar owners to consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists. The list is now released in two parts: the 51–100 extended ranking, published a couple of weeks ahead, and the top 50, revealed at a live ceremony. The 2026 edition was announced in Milan on 7 October, where Hong Kong's Bar Leone was named The World's Best Bar for the second year running.
For readers, the result is a collection of recommendations to explore. For the people behind the bars, inclusion can bring international visibility, introduce their work to potential visitors and create opportunities within the wider hospitality industry. A ranking gives a venue’s name a much larger audience, extending attention to the city around it.
The 50 also describes itself as building a genuine community, a space for knowledge sharing among bartenders, owners and writers around the world.
The extended 51–100 ranking has widened that reach. In the organisers' words, it lets them recognise a broader range of venues and encourages cocktail lovers to discover new destinations. For regions that rarely make the top 50, Africa included, that extra space has been the door in.
There are limits to what any list can tell us. These rankings reflect the places voters have visited and the experiences they remember. They offer a starting point for discovery; the life of a city’s bars will always extend well beyond the names that appear.
Africa’s history on the list
African bars were part of the ranking from its first edition. In 2009, Cape Town’s Planet Bar placed at No.43 and Asoka at No.45. The following year, Café Caprice reached No.27, while Planet Bar appeared again, listed at No.29. Asoka returned at No.50 in 2012.
Those early entries offered different versions of Cape Town hospitality: cocktails at Mount Nelson, evenings around Asoka’s olive tree and drinks overlooking the beach at Camps Bay.
Later appearances widened the geography and the range of venues. Johannesburg’s Sin + Tax entered the extended ranking at No.88 in 2019, climbing to No.69 in 2020. That same year, Cape Town’s Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen and Art of Duplicity appeared at No.75 and No.88 respectively.
Nairobi joined the story in 2021, when Hero Bar debuted at No.70. It went on to appear in five consecutive editions through 2025, reaching No.62 in 2023. Meanwhile, Cape Town added The House of Machines at No.92 in 2022, alongside returning entries from Cause Effect and Art of Duplicity.
By 2025, Hero Bar flew the flag alone at No. 69, and was named The Best Bar in Africa, the first time the title stood on its own rather than being shared with the Middle East.
The history is more varied than a glance at the latest list might suggest. Hotel bars, beachfront venues, experimental cocktail kitchens and music spaces have all featured, with Cape Town, Johannesburg and Nairobi contributing their own approaches to a good evening.
For 2026, the attention turns to Accra
This year, the story moved west. Accra entered the list for the first time, and not with one bar but two: Front/Back at No. 80 and La Borracha at No. 87. They are the first bars from West Africa ever to appear on the ranking, and the first time since Cape Town in 2010 that a single African city has placed two bars in the same year.
Front/Back is a private members’ club where African art, design, food and music sit alongside the cocktail programme. La Borracha is a Mexican-inspired cantina built around tequila, mezcal and margaritas. One brings several forms of African creativity into a shared space; the other explores the pleasures of agave spirits in the Ghanaian capital.
Together, they give a sense of the choices available within one city. They also offer a timely reason to revisit the African bars that have appeared across the ranking’s history.
Every African bar on the list
Front/Back — Accra, Ghana
On the list: No.80 in 2026
Front/Back brings art, design, music and hospitality into a private members’ club. More than 40 artisans contributed to its surroundings, according to The 50’s earlier profile, with work spanning fabrics, decor and artwork. Many pieces can be purchased or commissioned. The cocktail programme includes the Spicy Note: tequila, raspberry purée, orange liqueur, agave and lime, with hot pepper dust on the rim.
La Borracha — Accra, Ghana
On the list: No.87 in 2026
Opened in 2021, La Borracha is a Mexican-inspired cantina with colourful murals, an extensive tequila offering and a smaller mezcal selection. Its 2026 profile highlights 11 margarita variations, with tacos and tortas to accompany them. Game nights and weekend DJ sets add to its sociable appeal.
Hero Bar — Nairobi, Kenya
On the list: No.70 in 2021; No.68 in 2022; No.62 in 2023; No.75 in 2024; No.69 in 2025
On the ninth floor of the Trademark Hotel, Hero builds its identity around comic-book storytelling, with illustrated murals and drinks organised into playful categories. Its ingredients receive equally imaginative treatment, including preparations using tree tomato, banana and fermented watermelon. Japanese-inspired food and a terrace overlooking Nairobi complete the experience.
Sin + Tax — Johannesburg, South Africa
On the list: No.88 in 2019; No.69 in 2020; No.100 in 2022; No.94 in 2023; No.81 in 2024
Sin + Tax combines an intimate setting with a seasonal cocktail programme. A blue-tiled bar and leather seating frame a relaxed space, while the changing menu gives the bartenders room to explore flavour combinations alongside established classics. Its first extended-list appearance came in 2019.
Planet Bar — Cape Town, South Africa
On the list: No.43 in 2009; listed at No.29 in 2010
Planet Bar sits within Mount Nelson, bringing the hotel-bar tradition into Africa’s ranking history. Cocktails and champagne form part of its offering at the landmark Cape Town property. Its appearance in the inaugural edition, followed by another in 2010, makes it one of the earliest African names recognised.
Asoka — Cape Town, South Africa
On the list: No.45 in 2009; No.50 in 2012
Set in a converted early twentieth-century house, Asoka is built around an olive tree beneath a skylight. The restaurant and bar follow the progression of an evening, from food to cocktails and later nights. Its distinctive setting accompanied two appearances in the main Top 50.
Café Caprice — Cape Town, South Africa
On the list: No.27 in 2010
Overlooking Camps Bay’s beachfront, Café Caprice has been part of Cape Town’s social scene since 2001. Its coastal location shapes the experience, with dining and cocktails carrying guests from afternoon into evening. Its No.27 position in 2010 remains a notable early appearance for the city.
Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen — Cape Town, South Africa
On the list: No.75 in 2020; No.75 in 2021; No.53 in 2022
Cause Effect takes inspiration from Cape Town’s surrounding oceans, mountains, fynbos and vineyards. Owner-bartender Kurt Schlechter’s interest in flavour extraction and the team’s reuse of ingredients give the programme an experimental character. Three consecutive appearances culminated in No.53 in 2022, just outside the main top 50.
Art of Duplicity — Cape Town, South Africa
On the list: No.88 in 2020; No.86 in 2021; No.88 in 2022
Art of Duplicity is a hidden location within a Victorian warehouse; password-led entry and vintage interiors establish its Prohibition-inspired atmosphere. Signature cocktails and live jazz give guests reasons to settle in once they have found their way inside.
The House of Machines — Cape Town, South Africa
On the list: No.92 in 2022
The House of Machines combines motorcycles, coffee, clothing, food, live music and drinks on Shortmarket Street. Its bar serves approachable variations on classics alongside straightforward spirit-and-mixer orders. The appeal lies partly in that combination: somewhere to catch a gig, meet people and have a drink within the same space.
Member discussion