2012 Reader Bar & Club Awards: Bar of the Year

With all the results announced on Saturday at our 2012 Reader Bar & Club Awards party, now it's time to take a closer look at who won, who narrowly missed out and what it all means.

Yesterday we looked at the "Club of the Year" winners, so today we'll move on and look at the other one that everyone wants to win: Bar of the Year.

Bar of the Year
Winner: Migas
Outstanding: First Floor, Mao Mao Chong

Many saw Migas' "Bar of the Year" victory coming, but that's testament only to the fact that the Spanish-run bar-restaurant has absolutely trounced most of its competitors over the past year. One reason for their success might be that they appear never to be satisfied. They had the best rooftop in the city last summer. They could have rested on their laurels and looked forward to a repeat this year. It could have been so easy. But what did they do? They doubled the size of their rooftop for this summer. They could have trudged through winter, using the restaurant to accommodate indoor parties. Instead, they carved a whole new bar out of what space they had left, and a well-designed one at that. These guys don't stop, and that ethic is part of the reason they have people actually wanting to queue up to cram into a tiny elevator on a Friday night. You can moan that it's predictable - we reckon it's obvious.

Last year's Bar of the Year, First Floor, slipped back this year but they've still managed a runners-up spot. Thanks to its central location, the bar gets insanely busy on the weekends, and attracts a few cretins, but it's still one of the most convenient, straight-up places in town - and you're always likely to run into somebody you know. Even if it's not always somebody you actually like. In any case, Jack Zhou and his team continue to do a great job, from solid service to excellent value for money and DJs armed with crowd-pleasing playlists.

Mao Mao Chong's reputation has continued to grow over the past 12 months, and though they were successful across many categories, winning a total of eight awards, the fact that they've again bagged a runners-up spot for "Bar of the Year" tells you they're still up there in people's minds as one of the very best places in town.

More on the Reader Bar & Club Awards to come tomorrow ...