The best places in the world to sit behind the bar

There’s magic in sitting at the bar—where mixology becomes theater and strangers become friends. This category celebrates the world’s most captivating bar counters, from New York’s Prohibition-era speakeasies with mahogany rails worn smooth by generations of elbows, to Tokyo’s eight-seat cocktail temples where ice is hand-carved for each drink. Discover stools that offer more than seating—they’re front-row tickets to flaming citrus peels, cascading whiskey pours, and bartenders who remember your name after one visit. We spotlight establishments where the bar is the main event—Parisian absinthe bars with marble counters perfect for people-watching, Mexico City’s pulquerías with colorful tiled bars serving ancestral fermented drinks, and London’s Victorian gin palaces where the bartender’s chalkboard menu stretches overhead. Whether you crave the precision of a Kyoto sake bar, the rowdy camaraderie of a Nashville honky-tonk, or the silent reverence of a Scotch whisky shrine in Edinburgh, these venues prove the best seats in the house often don’t have tablecloths. From rum shacks in the Caribbean to alpine après-ski bars with fur-covered stools, every great bar counter tells a story through its scratches, stains, and the regulars who guard their favorite spots.