Two Lions, One Name, Bar Leone's Soho Twin Draws Fire

On Broome Street the Martinis come with caviar and the basement comes with a dance floor. Upstairs is wood and red travertine. Downstairs is red velvet and Italo disco. The sign says Bar Leone. Half a world away, in Hong Kong, there is another Bar Leone, and it would like everyone to know the two are strangers.

The Hong Kong bar was named the World's Best Bar in 2025 by The World's 50 Best Bars. This week, as the bar world waited on the 2026 ranking, VinePair reported that the original is dealing with a New York venue that shares its name and, critics say, a good deal of its look.

Same Name, Different Room

The Soho bar opened on September 10. It is the work of the restaurateur Andres Diaz, who is behind La Rubia and the now-closed Her Name Was Carmen. Time Out described a 4,800-square-foot space over two floors, designed with the New York firm BOND. Upstairs is a mid-century Martini lounge that doubles as a gallery. Downstairs is a disco den with vinyl banquettes and a red lacquer and chrome bar. A caviar Martini runs $45. Suite 646 wrote about the room when it opened.

The original Bar Leone was opened in Hong Kong in June 2023 by Lorenzo Antinori, a Rome native, and added a Shanghai outpost in November 2025. Its idea is the Italian aperitivo bar. Its motto, VinePair notes, is "Cocktail popolari," or cocktails for the people.

The overlap goes beyond the name, according to VinePair. The publication points to matching color palettes, similar website designs and nearly identical logos, each showing a lion in profile holding a tray of Martinis.

What Hong Kong Says

The Hong Kong team has posted an Important Announcement on its website. It says it first learned of the New York plans in May 2026, when it publicly said it had no tie to an associated Instagram account. "That remains the case today: we are not affiliated, associated, or in any way connected with the New York venue now trading under the Bar Leone name, and we have not authorized, licensed, endorsed, or sponsored it in any way," the statement reads.

The notice also says the bar continues to weigh international expansion, including in the United States. Then it closes the door on further talk. "We take the protection of the Bar Leone name and reputation seriously. As this is an active matter, we are not able to comment further at this stage."

VinePair reports there has been no direct sign of legal action between the two bars. A spokesperson for the New York venue declined to comment beyond one line. "There is no correlation between the two venues," the spokesperson told VinePair.

The Bartenders Weigh In

Some of the city's bartenders are less reserved. Jonathan Adler, a New York bartender who previously worked at Shinji's and co-founded the forthcoming Chiqui, told VinePair the name alone might have passed. "If they just called it Bar Leone, then okay, that would've been reasonable, but they're completely ripping off someone else's creativity, their branding, everything," he said.

His bigger complaint is about what each bar stands for. The Hong Kong original is built on the idea that anyone can walk in. The New York room describes itself as a Martini lounge serving caviar, Champagne and bites, open by invitation and reservation only, VinePair reports. Time Out lists hours of Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m., with reservations through the bar's website.

"It's like literally the polar opposite of what Bar Leone is all about, which is somewhere that everyone can go," Adler said. "At this new place, the drinks range anywhere from $30 to $45. It's the opposite of what people are asking for in New York right now."

"It's like literally the polar opposite of what Bar Leone is all about, which is somewhere that everyone can go."

A City That Collects Famous Bars

The fight lands at a moment when bars from the top of the global list are making their own way to New York. VinePair points to schmuck., the cocktail bar Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy opened in the city in 2025 after their run at Two Schmucks in Barcelona. New Yorkers like a famous name. They also like to know who is actually behind the bar.

For now there are two lions. One serves aperitivo for the people in Hong Kong and Shanghai and says it has nothing to do with Soho. The other pours $45 caviar Martinis on Broome Street and says the two have nothing to do with each other. On that point, at least, both sides agree.