The 50 Best Bars in North America for 2024, Ranked
For the first time ever, the best bar in North America is in Mexico.
Handshake Speakeasy, located in Mexico City, has won this year’s top honor on the list of the 50 best bars in North America. The North America’s 50 Best Bars organization announced its 2024 rankings at a ceremony on Tuesday evening in San Miguel de Allende. Handshake Speakeasy dethroned last year’s winner, New York’s Double Chicken Please, which has moved down to No. 7 on the list.
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“What a momentous occasion for the Mexico cocktail scene,” Emma Sleight, the head of content for North America’s 50 Best Bars, said in a statement. “We give our biggest ¡Felicidades! to Handshake Speakeasy and head bartender Eric van Beek for the team’s incredible work in delivering excellence. Handshake Speakeasy continues to push the boundaries of the art of cocktail creation as well as always putting service first, so we are pleased to see them crowned the first bar in Mexico City named No. 1 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list.”
Following the Mexico City spot is New York’s Superbueno at No. 2, which is all the more impressive considering it’s the bar’s first appearance on the list. Overstory in N.Y.C. comes next at No. 3, then Martiny’s at No. 4—a huge jump of 25 spots from last year, making the New York bar the highest climber in 2024. The top five is rounded out by Rayo in Mexico City.
In all, the United States saw the most bars make the grade, with 26 entries in the top 50. Including the three in the top five alone, a dozen are located in New York City. Mexico continued its strong showing with a total of 15 bars on the list, followed by Canada with seven and the Caribbean with two. Canada’s best bar, sitting at No. 21, is Civil Liberties in Toronto, while the Caribbean’s is La Factoría in Puerto Rico at No. 18.
“North America is the melting pot of the world, where cultures, flavors, ingredients, and techniques combine,” Elisa Gregori, the global business unit director of Perrier, a sponsor of the awards, said in a statement. “This is on display like nowhere else in the bar community that leads the way in terms of innovation and creativity, where hospitality is more of a way of life than just a job.”
Visiting all 50 spots would make for one great North American road (and boat) trip—although that’s probably not the best idea when so much alcohol is involved.
The 50 Best Bars in North America Complete List:
Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
Superbueno, New York
Overstory, New York
Martiny’s, New York
Rayo, Mexico City
Jewel of the South, New Orleans
Double Chicken Please, New York
Thunderbolt, Los Angeles
Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
Tlecān, Mexico City
Zapote Bar, Playa del Carmen
Katana Kitten, New York
Café La Trova, Miami
El Gallo Altanero, Guadalajara
Employees Only, New York
Aruba Day Drink, Tijuana
Café de Nadie, Mexico City
La Factoría, San Juan
Kumiko, Chicago
Dante, New York
Civil Liberties, Toronto
Service Bar, Washington D.C.
Allegory, Washington D.C.
Botanist Bar, Vancouver
Herbs & Rye, Las Vegas
Baltra Bar, Mexico City
Bekeb, San Miguel de Allende
Kaito del Valle, Mexico City
Bar Pompette, Toronto
True Laurel, San Francisco
Attaboy, New York
Meadowlark, Chicago
The Dead Rabbit, New York
Selva, Oaxaca
Library by the Sea, Grand Cayman
Century Grand, Phoenix
Arca, Tulum
Pacific Cocktail Heaven, San Francisco
Cloakroom, Montreal
Bar Mordecai, Toronto
Maison Premiere, New York
Hanky Panky, Mexico City
Angel’s Share, New York
Milady’s, New York
Brujas, Mexico City
Mírate, Los Angeles
Cure, New Orleans
Best Intentions, Chicago
The Keefer Bar, Vancouver
Atwater Cocktail Club, Montreal
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