For more than a decade, Paradiso has stood among the world’s most influential cocktail bars, evolving from a Barcelona hotspot into a global creative leader. Its accolades speak to its impact: World’s Best Bar in 2022, multiple Top 5 rankings in The World’s 50 Best Bars—including No. 4 in 2025—and Spain’s first Food Made Good Standard sustainability award in 2022. The bar is consistently cited for its innovative design and groundbreaking approach to mixology.
Yet for its founders, the awards are only a by‑product of a far larger ambition.
Today, Paradiso is entering what we can call Paradiso 2.0—a new phase defined by strategic expansion, rigorous creative processes, and a design‑driven mindset that seeks to keep redefining what a bar can be.
A Creative Ecosystem, Not Just a Bar
What sets Paradiso apart is not limited to its now‑iconic hidden refrigerator entrance or its theatrical cocktail vessels. Behind the spectacle lies an intricate creative ecosystem made up of multiple interconnected projects, each contributing to the evolution of the brand.
At the center is the Barcelona flagship and its forthcoming new menu. Surrounding it are an expanding constellation of initiatives:
- Paradiso Lab, the bar’s R&D engine for experimentation and education,
- A production center for the preps of all the different venues,
- A growing international franchise, following openings in Ibiza and Dubai,
- The Barcelona Cocktail Fest 2026, which will succeed the former Sustainability Summit,
- A new bar concept opening just meters from Paradiso in time for summer,
- The club Monk, handled by Paradiso’s team,
- The new Macallan Room, dedicated to immersive whisky experiences that will be ready in a couple of months,
- And additional collaborations and creative projects still under development.
Rather than operating as separate ventures, these projects function as parts of a broader long‑term vision—one that positions Paradiso as a multidisciplinary creative platform rather than a single venue.
The Discipline Behind the Spectacle
While the bar’s aesthetic is playful and fantastical, the work that supports it is highly structured. A new menu requires six to twelve months of development and follows a precise workflow inside the Paradiso Lab, where iterative testing, technical research, and team‑wide creative input are the norm.
Approximately 40 people contribute to the creative process, reinforcing a collaborative culture anchored in shared values. Co‑founder Giacomo Giannotti regularly credits the team as the driving force behind Paradiso’s success, as well as the essential support of his partner Margarita Sader, whose role has been pivotal in sustaining the bar’s emotional stability and long‑term vision.
This culture of discipline, trust, and mutual elevation stands in stark contrast to the toxic environments that have recently come to light across the hospitality sector.
A Vision That Extends Beyond the Bar Counter
Paradiso’s evolution is also the result of a deliberate refusal to be constrained by a single concept. While the dream began with the opening of a great bar, the vision has expanded into a fluid, multidisciplinary universe.
Inspiration comes from a wide array of sources: museum exhibitions, scientific research, design studios, technological innovation. The team takes the craft seriously, yet insists that the guest experience must remain joyful. No matter how elaborate the presentation—be it a treasure chest, a skull, or a whimsical creature—the cocktail must always remain technically balanced and emotionally generous.
This approach ensures that each new initiative feels like a coherent expansion of the Paradiso identity rather than an isolated idea.
Resilience as a Creative Engine
Running multiple high‑profile projects simultaneously demands a unique kind of steadiness. Giannotti’s leadership style is defined by rotation rather than acceleration—moving from one initiative to another with clarity and intention.
In this dynamic, Margarita plays a crucial role, reinforcing the organizational and emotional foundations that allow creativity to flourish without being overwhelmed. The partnership at the heart of Paradiso ensures that growth never comes at the cost of wellbeing.
A Model for Hospitality’s Future
Paradiso’s approach reflects a broader shift in the industry, with bars increasingly functioning as cultural engines—places in which storytelling, design, emotion, and gastronomy converge.
Giannotti’s philosophy highlights several principles shaping the sector’s future:
- creativity can scale with the right structure,
- storytelling can be strategic,
- bars can act as interdisciplinary creative hubs,
- and hospitality can become a platform for innovation.
Paradiso embodies these ideas, offering an experience in which design drives emotion, discipline powers imagination, and dreams take shape within a sustainable framework.
The new production center:
A Legacy Built on Wonder
As Paradiso enters its next chapter, its driving forces remain unchanged: passion, resilience, and a commitment to creating joy. For guests, a visit is never just a cocktail stop—it is an encounter with warmth, playfulness, and creativity that lingers long after the final sip.
And in an industry hungry for reinvention, Paradiso stands as a reminder that with intention, design, and the right people, the future of hospitality can be both visionary and deeply human.
Paradiso’s story continues—and the world is watching.
The Macallan room:
Cocktails in Paris 
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