World's 50 North America's Best Bars 2023 Edition

Double Chicken Please revolutionizes New York City's cocktail scene through GN Chan's innovative "liquid dishes" concept, transforming beloved foods into extraordinary cocktails across two distinct spaces. This award-winning East Village destination earned Best Bar in North America 2023, offering both experimental cocktails on tap and intimate culinary-inspired mixology experiences.

Handshake Speakeasy claimed the World's 50 Best Bars number one position in 2024 and has held the top spot in North America's 50 Best Bars for two consecutive years. Split across two floors inside a Colonia Juárez hotel, it pairs culinary-driven cocktails with a service model where every team member rotates through every role. The Fig Martini has been on the menu since opening; the clarified piña colada rewrites what the drink is capable of.

Katana Kitten on Hudson Street has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global rankings every year since 2019, reaching #10 in 2021 and maintaining a North America top-15 position through 2024. The West Village bar occupies a specific niche in New York's cocktail scene: Japanese-American technique applied with enough precision to attract a loyal repeat clientele alongside the global bar crowd. Reservations are advised, particularly on weekends.

Matt Whiley's revolutionary Re transforms waste into wonder through zero-waste cocktails like the signature Bone Dust Martini, served in a striking brutalist space crafted from recycled materials. This World's Best Bar proves sustainability and luxury create the perfect blend.

Housed in an 1835 Creole cottage on St Louis Street in the French Quarter, Jewel of the South has become New Orleans' most decorated cocktail bar since opening in 2019. A 2024 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar and a #4 ranking in North America's 50 Best Bars 2025 position it firmly at the top of the city's drinking hierarchy. The bar's identity is built around the historical cocktail record of New Orleans, refined rather than replicated.

A MacDougal Street fixture since 1915, Dante NYC has ranked among the world's most recognised bars for nearly a decade, holding the number-one spot on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2019. The bar's Italian aperitivo tradition, sustained critical recognition, and Greenwich Village address place it in a peer set well above the typical neighbourhood anchor. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 2,500 votes.

On the 64th floor of a 1930s Art Deco tower in the Financial District, Overstory has placed in the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2022, reaching #15 globally in 2024. The wrap-around open-air terrace delivers panoramic Manhattan views, while the drinks program — spirit-led, locally sourced, technically considered — ensures the bar earns its ranking on merit rather than altitude alone.

Kumiko has accumulated one of the most decorated award records of any bar in the United States, including the 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar, a World's 50 Best ranking, and a North America Top 10 placement. Operating Wednesday through Sunday from a West Loop address on Lake Street, the bar occupies a serious position in Chicago's cocktail scene and in the national conversation about American bar culture.

On Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana, Café La Trova has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global ranking every year since 2021, reaching as high as #24 globally and #6 in North America. The bar channels classic Cuban cocktail culture through a program that has shifted and matured across four consecutive years of international recognition. Bookings are recommended; the address is 971 SW 8th St.

A technique-driven cocktail bar on West Temple Street, Thunderbolt has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list four consecutive years running, most recently ranking #64 globally in 2024. The format is deliberately low-key: a neighbourhood-bar atmosphere that sits in sharp contrast to the precision of what arrives in the glass. R&D is the engine here, with original ingredients driving a program that consistently earns global recognition.

Ranked #11 in North America's Best Bars for three consecutive years (2022–2024) and holding a 4.7 Google rating, Zapote Bar is one of the most consistently recognised cocktail programs on the Riviera Maya. The bar draws on Mexican botanical and agricultural traditions to build a drinks program that sits well outside the resort-corridor norm, making it a reference point for serious bar culture in the Yucatán Peninsula.

A neon pineapple is the only sign you need. Civil Liberties on Bloor West operates without a menu, letting bartenders move through the conversation instead — through house-made fortified wines, seasonal liqueurs, and draft cocktails that have earned the bar a spot in the World's 50 Best North America rankings four consecutive years running. The room is deliberately unpretentious; the drinks are anything but.

On Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side, Attaboy has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars every year since 2013, reaching as high as #4 globally in 2014. The format is no-menu, guest-led: bartenders build drinks around what you tell them you like. It is one of the most consistently recognised bars in North America over the past decade.

On Hudson Street in the West Village, Employees Only has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2009, peaking at #4 globally in 2015. The bar operates a walk-in policy with no reservations, making timing and crowd knowledge the key variables for any visit. In 2025 it holds #18 in North America and #95 globally.

Ranked #55 on the World's 50 Best Bars list for 2025 and #7 in North America, Bar Pompette on College Street has set the standard for cocktail craft in Toronto since 2021. The marble bar, French-inflected hospitality, and technically precise drinks built around unusual flavour pairings make it one of the most consistently decorated bars in Canada.

Ranked #20 in North America and #78 globally by World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Baltra Bar in Condesa has built a consistent presence at the top of Mexico City's cocktail scene over five consecutive years of recognition. Positioned on a quiet residential street in one of the city's most walkable neighbourhoods, it draws a crowd that takes its drinking seriously without the theatrics that define some of its peers.

Rayo sits inside a Roma Norte mansion and operates at the top tier of Mexico City's bar scene, ranking #5 in North America and #87 globally on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024. The programme draws on the Aztec mythology of Mayáhuel, channelling it into technically precise cocktails built entirely from Mexican-made spirits and ingredients. A rooftop laboratory format and 4.3 Google rating across 421 reviews confirm its position among CDMX's most consistently recognised bars.

Mace has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars rankings since 2015, making it one of New York City's most consistently recognised spice-driven cocktail bars. Located at 35 West 8th Street in Greenwich Village, it operates in a tier of technically serious, ingredient-led programs that have shaped how the city thinks about flavour. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across nearly a thousand responses.

Ranked 26th in North America's Best Bars for 2025, Botanist Bar occupies an intimate corner of the Fairmont Pacific Rim on Vancouver's waterfront, with a glass-fronted laboratory visible from the main floor and a cocktail program that draws on the Pacific Northwest's natural larder — from orchard fruits to coastal botanicals. The alcohol-free program is among the most developed in the city.

Hanky Panky is Mexico City's first speakeasy and one of its most decorated cocktail bars, holding a place in the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2021. Located in the Juárez neighbourhood, it draws its drink philosophy from international travel while keeping Mexican ingredients and hospitality at the centre of every glass. Tuesday through Saturday, from early evening deep into the night.

El Gallo Altanero has ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2022, reaching #48 globally in 2024 and placing eighth in North America in 2025. Located in Guadalajara's Colonia Americana, it represents the leading edge of Mexico's agave-driven cocktail movement and draws serious bar travellers well beyond the city's own circuit.

Sabina Sabe has climbed from a regional curiosity to one of the most-ranked bars in North America, appearing in the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list four consecutive years and holding a 4.5 Google rating across nearly 2,000 reviews. Set in Centro Histórico, it channels Oaxacan ingredients, mezcal culture, and technical bartending into a programme that has no real equivalent in the city.

Arca has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2022, reaching #55 in 2024 and #77 in 2025, making it the most consistently decorated bar in the Yucatán Peninsula. Set on the Tulum beach road at Km 7.6, it operates where the jungle presses against the Caribbean coast and where fermented, foraged, and fire-driven drinks have become the dominant local idiom.

La Factoría has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars global rankings every year since 2015, reaching #12 in North America in 2022. Located on Calle San José in Old San Juan, it operates Tuesday through Saturday on daytime and early-afternoon hours, making visit timing a genuine planning consideration. Rated 4.6 across more than 4,200 Google reviews, it occupies the upper tier of Puerto Rico's bar scene.

Café de Nadie has ranked inside the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars every year from 2022 to 2025, peaking at #15 in 2022. Located in Roma Norte on Chihuahua 135, the bar operates in one of Mexico City's most competitive cocktail corridors. Its sustained award presence over four consecutive years positions it among the most consistently recognised bars on the continent.

Kaito del Valle is an all-women-run bar in Mexico City's Juárez neighbourhood that blends Japanese izakaya culture with kawaii aesthetics. Ranked #40 in North America's Best Bars 2025 and holding a spot in the World's 50 Best Top 500, it has built a sustained presence on the international bar circuit. The bar recently moved to a new location on Hamburgo, keeping its place in one of the city's most concentrated drinking corridors.

Herbs & Rye has held a position among North America's 50 Best Bars every year from 2022 through 2025, making it the most consistently recognised cocktail bar in Las Vegas. Located away from the Strip on West Sahara Avenue, it operates where serious drink programs and food pairings matter more than spectacle. The 4.7 Google rating across more than 5,000 reviews suggests that reputation holds in practice.

Pacific Cocktail Haven on Sutter Street has tracked a consistent upward arc through the World's 50 Best North America rankings, climbing from #38 in 2024 to #16 in 2025, with parallel recognition from Top 500 Bars and Pearl. The program sits at a technically serious register within San Francisco's cocktail scene, drawing a crowd that treats the bar as a destination rather than a stop. Rated 4.6 across 929 Google reviews.

Ranked #15 in North America and #75 globally by the World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Martiny's on East 17th Street has established itself as one of New York City's most consistently decorated bar programs. Its trajectory — from #68 globally in 2023 to #24 in 2024 — signals a bar operating with real upward momentum in a competitive Manhattan field. Google reviewers rate it 4.2 across 374 responses.

Death & Co's Los Angeles outpost on East 3rd Street carries the technical credibility of the New York original into the Arts District's after-dark scene. Ranked #30 on North America's Best Bars in 2023 and Pearl Recommended in 2025, it sits in a narrow tier of LA bars where programme depth and cocktail precision matter as much as atmosphere. The room delivers both.

Ranked #29 on World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars in 2025, Selva is Oaxaca's foremost destination cocktail bar, built around the biodiversity and native spirits of the region. Located on Macedonio Alcalá in the historic centro, it offers a focused, plant-forward drinking program that draws from Oaxacan produce and traditional distillates. Booking ahead is strongly advised.

Ranked #36 among North America's best bars in 2025, Atwater Cocktail Club has grown from a neighbourhood cinq à sept spot into one of Montreal's most decorated drinking destinations without losing the local ease that defines it. A deep collection of rare agave and sugar-cane spirits anchors a cocktail program that runs from technically inventive milk punches to approachable classics, all served in a glittery, DJ-driven room on Avenue Atwater.

On U Street NW, Service Bar has held a consistent position among North America's most recognised cocktail programs, appearing in the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list every year from 2022 to 2025. The format is deliberately unpretentious: serious drinks inside a neighbourhood joint atmosphere, where the bar's technical ambition doesn't announce itself with ceremony. Google reviewers rate it 4.6 across more than 800 responses.

Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list since 2017, reaching as high as #21 globally in 2018. Located on 20th Street in Miami Beach, it operates as one of the most credentialed cocktail bars in Florida, drawing both local regulars and visiting drinkers who track the North America rankings closely. A Google rating of 4.6 across more than 2,500 reviews reinforces its sustained standing.

Concealed behind a made-to-measure menswear shop on Montreal's Golden Mile, Cloakroom is a 25-seat no-menu bar ranked #31 on World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars (2025). Bartenders, trained individually by co-owner and mixologist Andrew Whibley, read each guest's palate and build bespoke cocktails using house-made amari, rotary-evaporation extracts, and a vintage spirits collection nearly a decade in the making.

A Freret Street institution since 2009, Cure operates out of a converted horse and carriage firehouse and has maintained a position among North America's most recognised bars for over a decade. Its 2025 World's 50 Best North America ranking (#50) confirms continued relevance in a cocktail city that demands more than novelty. For serious drinkers, this is where New Orleans' classic cocktail revival took root.

On Queen Street West, Mother has ranked among North America's top bars three consecutive years on the World's 50 Best list, reaching #37 in 2023. The program is built around fermentation, with bar lead Massimo Zitti — 2022 World Class Canada Bartender of the Year — drawing on ingredients like bee pollen and black garlic. The food earns its own attention, particularly the garlic-and-Parmesan fries and house-made sourdough with miso butter.

Inside the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel on Michigan Avenue, The Milk Room operates as one of the city's most reservation-driven bar experiences, ranked No. 38 on North America's Best Bars list in 2023 and carrying a Pearl Recommended designation in 2025. The format centers on rare and aged spirits presented with precision, drawing a crowd that books well ahead for a seat at one of Chicago's most closely watched counters. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across 204 responses.

Maison Premiere has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list since 2014, operating from a 19th-century New Orleans-inspired room on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. The bar program centers on absinthe and raw shellfish, two categories that reward attention and patience in equal measure. A 4.6 Google rating across nearly 1,900 reviews reflects a following that extends well beyond cocktail enthusiasts.

Ranked #16 in North America's Best Bars 2024 and climbing to #22 in 2025, Aruba Day Drink has positioned Tijuana's bar scene on the continental map. Located on Avenida Andrés Quintana Roo in Zona Este, it draws a 4.6 Google rating across 358 reviews and operates as one of the most closely tracked bar programs on the border.

Bar Leather Apron holds a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar (2023) and a position on North America's 50 Best Bars list, making it the most decorated cocktail program in Hawaii. Located in downtown Honolulu on Fort Street, it operates in a city where serious bar culture has historically been overshadowed by resort hospitality — and consistently punches above that context.

Ranked #41 on North America's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Yacht Club is one of Denver's most decorated cocktail programs, holding a 4.7 Google rating across nearly 300 reviews. Located in the RiNo corridor on Williams Street, it occupies a tier of serious bar culture that the city has been building toward for the better part of a decade, placing it alongside the region's most recognized drinking rooms.

Bar Mordecai on Dundas Street West operates across two distinct floors: a hotel lobby-polished main bar upstairs and a karaoke-driven Green Room below. The cocktail program ranges from guava-chocolate-pale ale combinations to boozy soft-serves, anchored by an events calendar that includes live music and pop-up concepts. Four consecutive years on the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list place it firmly in Toronto's upper tier.

At 30 Water St in Lower Manhattan, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog has held a position at the top of the global bar rankings for over a decade, reaching number one on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2016. Across two distinct floors, it anchors Irish hospitality to serious cocktail craft in a Financial District setting that draws both locals and visitors with intention.

Allegory has held a position inside World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars since 2023, reaching as high as #24 in 2024. Located on K Street NW in downtown Washington, D.C., it operates with an explicit commitment to community representation, threading a narrative through its space and program that reflects the city it serves. A Google rating of 4.4 across 622 reviews tracks with its sustained critical standing.

One of Brooklyn's most decorated cocktail bars, Clover Club at 210 Smith St has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings since 2009, reaching as high as #18 globally in 2012. It occupies a particular position in New York's bar scene: technically serious, historically grounded, and deliberately unglamorous in the way only confident institutions can afford to be.

Brujas has held a position in the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars rankings for three consecutive years, peaking at #45 in 2024 before settling at #65 in 2025. Located in Santa Cruz Xochitepec, it sits outside the well-worn circuit of Roma and Condesa bar crawls, drawing guests willing to make the trip for a programme that has sustained serious international attention.

Platform 18 earned its place among North America's recognized cocktail programs when the World's 50 Best named it #48 in 2023 — a signal that Phoenix's bar scene extends well beyond regional interest. Sitting on East Indian School Road, the bar draws a loyal crowd that returns for the consistency of its craft, not novelty alone. It holds a 4.6 Google rating across more than 800 reviews.

Youngblood, at 777 G St in San Diego's East Village, ranked #49 on North America's Best Bars 2023, placing it in a narrow tier of regionally recognised cocktail programs with genuine national standing. The bar's 4.8 Google rating across more than 500 reviews reflects consistent execution rather than novelty. For San Diego, it represents the clearest signal that the city's cocktail scene has moved beyond beach-casual.

A SoHo dive bar reborn as a serious cocktail destination, Milady's at 160 Prince Street carries decades of neighbourhood history into a program that earned it a spot at #44 on North America's Best Bars in 2024. The bar holds a 4.5 Google rating and continues to draw a loyal SoHo crowd alongside cocktail travellers who know what the rankings mean. It is the rare place where institutional memory and technical ambition occupy the same room.