Bar in Mexico City, Mexico

Handshake Speakeasy

2,305Pearl Points

Worth booking if cocktails matter most

About Handshake Speakeasy

Handshake Speakeasy is worth the reservation effort if the goal is a polished, two-person cocktail night at Mexico City’s highest-profile bar. The 32-seat main room, 90-minute sittings, and major 50 Best wins make it a plan-ahead choice, not a casual fallback. Book for technical drinks and atmosphere, not dinner or happy-hour value.

Verdict

Against Mexico City cocktail peers such as Baltra Bar, Brujas, and Bar Mauro, Handshake Speakeasy is the high-demand, high-production choice for a first-timer who wants the city’s headline bar rather than a looser neighborhood night. The black-and-gold room, theatrical curtain entry, and 32-guest main bar make it strong for a two-person date, but the tradeoff is booking difficulty: treat this as a plan-ahead reservation, not a casual drop-in.

Portrait

Colonia Juárez is one of Mexico City’s stronger drinking neighborhoods right now, and this address inside the NH Hotel gives the bar a polished, controlled feel rather than a street-corner cocktail crawl energy. The current setup matters: since 2024, the venue has operated in newer hotel digs, with the small main bar joined by a basement space styled as a Japanese izakaya. For a first visit, the ground-floor room is the cleaner date-night pick because it is tighter, more theatrical, and limited to 90-minute sittings.

The case for booking is the awards record. Handshake Speakeasy was The World’s 50 Best Bars #1 in 2024, North America’s 50 Best Bars #1 in 2024 and 2025, Top 500 Bars Leading Bars #4 in 2025, and is Pearl Recommended Bar for 2025. That does not make it the right bar for every night, but it does justify the effort if the goal is to see why Mexico City is competing at the highest cocktail level. Google reviews sit at 4.4 from 1,626 ratings, which is a useful reality check: the room is famous and crowded enough that expectations should be set around a choreographed experience, not a relaxed local haunt.

For drinks, the draw is technical cocktail work led by bar director Eric Van Beek, with Mexican spirits such as sotol, tequila, and mezcal in the back-bar mix. Known drinks from the awards notes include the clarified piña colada, the Fig Martini, and the Three Sips Martini. For a date, the better move is to lean into that style rather than order safe classics all night; the bar’s value is in the preparation and presentation, not in being a low-key place for standard rounds.

Ratings and recognition

Pearl Recommended Bar, 2025.
The World’s 50 Best Bars #1, 2024.
North America’s 50 Best Bars #1, 2024 and 2025.
Top 500 Bars Leading Bars #4, 2025.
Google rating: 4.4 from 1,626 reviews.

Booking

Booking difficulty is near impossible relative to most Mexico City cocktail bars. The main bar serves only 32 guests in 90-minute sittings, so two-person reservations should be treated like a fixed evening plan. If availability is gone, look at Bijou Drinkery Room for another polished cocktail option, or use Pearl’s Mexico City bars guide to build a backup list before the trip.

Practical details

The address is C. Amberes 65, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX. Published venue data does not list current hours, phone, website, price range, dress code, or food program, so do not plan around happy hour, walk-in timing, or dinner here unless confirmed directly through the venue’s active booking channel. For a fuller Mexico City itinerary, pair this with Pearl’s Mexico City restaurants guide, hotels guide, experiences guide, or wineries guide.

Quick reference: Leading for two-person cocktail-focused nights; weakest for spontaneous plans, large groups, or anyone trying to combine drinks with a confirmed meal.

How it compares

Choose Handshake Speakeasy over Baltra Bar when awards pedigree and a staged room matter more than ease. Choose Brujas or Bar Mauro when the priority is a less constrained night with more flexibility.

For Mexico-focused cocktail travel beyond the capital, El Gallo Altanero in Guadalajara and Selva in Oaxaca are better fits for building a wider drinking trip. If the comparison point is Mexican cocktail influence abroad, Superbueno in New York City is the useful cross-shop.

Pearl picks nearby and similar

If this reservation does not happen, use Bijou Drinkery Room for a composed cocktail alternative in Mexico City, or Brujas when the night should feel less tightly scheduled. For broader planning, start with the full Mexico City bars guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Handshake Speakeasy have happy hour deals?

Do not count on happy hour as the reason to go. The venue record focuses on demand, awards, and a 32-guest main room with 90-minute sittings at C. Amberes 65, not discount pricing, so this is a full-price bar rather than a deal-hunting stop.

What's the crowd like at Handshake Speakeasy?

Expect a cocktail-first crowd that plans ahead, not a casual drop-in mix. The World's 50 Best Bars #1 ranking in 2024 and the small 32-seat main bar in Colonia Juárez make it a magnet for people who care about rankings, design, and execution.

What's the signature drink at Handshake Speakeasy?

The Fig Martini is the clearest signature call, and the Three Sips Martini is another named anchor from the basement menu. If the goal is a place where the drinks are the point, this is the right order of priorities at Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City.

Is the food good at Handshake Speakeasy?

Go here for drinks first, food second. The basement adds a Japanese izakaya format, which makes sense if you want something to eat with the bar visit, but the venue’s reputation and awards are built on cocktails, not dining.

Is Handshake Speakeasy good for a date?

Yes, especially for a planned drinks date where the room matters. The dark, Gatsby-style ground floor, 90-minute sittings, and basement option in NH Hotel make it more polished than a casual neighborhood bar, though it is less relaxed than easier-to-enter spots like Brujas or Bar Mauro.

Does Handshake Speakeasy have outdoor seating?

No outdoor setup is part of the experience here. The bar sits inside NH Hotel at C. Amberes 65 and splits service between a ground-floor room and a basement space, so this is an indoor-only booking.

Location

C. Amberes 65, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX

Mexico City, Mexico

Handshake Speakeasy is the awards-led choice in Mexico City: harder to book than Baltra Bar, Brujas, Bar Mauro, or Bijou Drinkery Room, but more compelling if the night is built around a destination cocktail experience. The main bar’s 32 seats and 90-minute sittings make it stronger for couples than groups, while the hotel setting gives it a more controlled feel than a neighborhood bar crawl.

For value and flexibility, Baltra Bar or Bar Mauro are safer cross-shops because they are less dependent on securing one specific sitting. For atmosphere with a stronger point of view, Brujas is the better alternative if Handshake Speakeasy feels too polished or too difficult to access. Bijou Drinkery Room is the closest substitute for readers who still want a composed, cocktail-first evening.

If the trip extends beyond Mexico City, El Gallo Altanero in Guadalajara and Selva in Oaxaca make more sense for a broader Mexican bar itinerary. Handshake Speakeasy should be the splurge in planning effort, not necessarily the only serious bar on the trip.