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 Best Bar title at the 2024 World's 50 Best Bars awards and has held the North America number-one position for three consecutive years. Spread across two floors inside a Colonia Juárez hotel, the bar runs a culinary cocktail program across a Gatsby-era ground floor and a hip-hop basement, with every team member rotating through all roles weekly.

Katana Kitten on Hudson Street in the West Village has spent six consecutive years inside the World's 50 Best Bars global list, peaking at #10 in 2021 and earning a #3 North America ranking in 2023. The bar operates within a Japanese-American cocktail tradition that has reshaped how New York approaches spirits-forward drinking. A Google rating of 4.5 across more than 1,100 reviews signals consistent execution at high volume.

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.

Few bars in New York City carry the kind of documented critical record that Dante NYC has accumulated since 2016. Situated on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village, it holds multiple World's 50 Best Bars placements, including a #1 ranking in 2019, and a 4.5 Google rating across more than 2,500 reviews. The combination of neighbourhood longevity and sustained award recognition places it in a very small peer set.

On the 64th floor of 70 Pine Street, Overstory has built a serious case for high-rise drinking in New York. Ranked #6 in North America and #15 globally by World's 50 Best Bars in 2024, it pairs a wrap-around open-air terrace with a technically disciplined cocktail program built around agave spirits, whiskey, and locally foraged ingredients — including salt harvested directly from the Rockaway Peninsula by the bar team itself.

Among Chicago's most decorated bars, Kumiko has earned a 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar alongside a World's 50 Best global ranking of #97 — credentials that place it in a narrow peer set of American bars operating at the highest level of craft and intention. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 6pm on West Lake Street, it represents Chicago's case for holding its own against any drinking city on the continent.

Ranked #82 globally and #13 in North America by World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Café La Trova on Calle Ocho is the standard-bearer for Cuban-American bar culture in Miami. The space runs on live music, classic Cuban cocktails, and a room that feels like it belongs somewhere between 1950s Havana and the present. Consistent top-25 recognition since 2021 places it among a small peer set of culturally specific bars that have crossed into global relevance.

Thunderbolt has held a position inside the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list every year from 2022 through 2025, peaking at #8 in 2024 and sitting at #64 globally that same year. Located on West Temple Street in Echo Park, it occupies a tier of Los Angeles cocktail programs defined by consistent international recognition rather than neighbourhood novelty. A Google rating of 4.7 across 353 reviews tracks closely with its award trajectory.

Zapote Bar has held a spot in the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars ranking every year since 2022, peaking at #11 in both 2023 and 2024. Located along the Cancún–Tulum highway corridor in Playa del Carmen, it represents the serious end of the Riviera Maya cocktail scene — a programme built on Mexican ingredients and technical rigour rather than resort-bar ease.

A neon pineapple is the only signage on Bloor Street West, and that restraint is intentional. Civil Liberties runs on no-menu, bartender-guided cocktail service, house-made fortified wines, and a room that shifts from focused spirits conversation to full neighbourhood party as the night progresses. Ranked #21 in North America's Best Bars for 2025, it has held that tier of recognition since 2022.

On Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side, Attaboy has built one of the most sustained award records in North American bartending — ranked as high as #4 globally by World's 50 Best Bars and #1 in North America as recently as 2022. The format is spare and the room is small, but the cocktail program operates with a precision that places it in a different category from most bars in the city.

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 West Village address on Hudson Street operates as one of New York's most consistently recognised cocktail programs, drawing on a European apéritif and spirits tradition that sits apart from the speakeasy-revival bars that followed in its wake. 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 brings a Parisian café sensibility to Toronto's cocktail scene. Since opening in 2021, the marble-bar counter and an esoteric, technically precise drinks program have set a reference point for bar service in the city. Bookings are competitive; arriving early gives you the best chance at a seat.

Baltra Bar in Condesa ranks among the most consistently recognised cocktail programmes in Latin America, holding a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars global list every year since 2021. The bar operates from a compact address on Iztaccihuatl and draws a 4.5-star average across more than 1,500 Google reviews. Its back bar and spirits curation signal a programme built on depth rather than novelty.

Rayo CDMX has built one of the most consistent award records in Latin American bartending, ranking #87 globally on the World's 50 Best Bars 2024 list and #5 in North America the same year. Located on Salamanca 85 in Roma Norte, it operates in Mexico City's most active bar corridor and holds a 4.3 Google rating across 421 reviews. Plan ahead: demand at this level means Rayo bar Mexico City is not a walk-in proposition.

Mace at 35 W 8th St in Greenwich Village has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars list across multiple years, including a #28 ranking in 2016 and a #18 North America ranking in 2023. The bar built its reputation on spice-driven cocktail concepts and a back bar assembled with uncommon depth. A Google rating of 4.4 across nearly 1,000 reviews reflects durable standing in one of New York's most competitive drinking scenes.

Ranked #26 among North America's Best Bars in 2025 by World's 50 Best, Botanist Bar occupies an intimate corner of the Fairmont Pacific Rim with a program built around nature-led concepts and a glass-fronted cocktail laboratory. The alcohol-free selection runs deeper than most hotel bars at any price point. Open daily from 6:30am on weekdays and 7am on weekends.

Ranked among the World's 50 Best Bars since 2021 and sitting at #35 on North America's Best Bars in 2025, Hanky Panky operates from Colonia Juárez as one of Mexico City's most decorated cocktail addresses. Its trajectory through global rankings places it in a peer set well above the city's general bar scene, drawing serious drinkers who treat the address as a reference point for where Mexican bartending stands internationally.

El Gallo Altanero has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2022, climbing from #65 to #48 before landing at #71 in 2025 — a trajectory that reflects Guadalajara's growing weight in the global bar conversation. Located in the Col Americana neighbourhood, it operates as the agave-focused anchor of Mexico's second city, where mezcal, tequila, and regional spirits meet considered technique.

Sabina Sabe has held a position inside the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars rankings every year from 2022 to 2025, peaking at #20 in 2022. Located on 5 de Mayo in Oaxaca's historic centre, it represents the city's argument that serious cocktail culture doesn't require a capital-city address. With a Google rating of 4.5 across nearly 2,000 reviews, it draws both locals and international bar travellers.

Arca has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2022, reaching #55 globally in 2024 and #77 in 2025 — a consistent ranking that places it among a small group of bars outside major metropolitan centres to hold sustained international recognition. Set along the Tulum beach road, it operates at the intersection of jungle-coastal atmosphere and technically grounded cocktail work, drawing a crowd that comes specifically for the programme rather than the setting alone.

La Factoría has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2015, making it one of the most consistently recognised cocktail programmes in the Americas. Occupying a colonial building on Calle San José in Old San Juan, the bar operates across several distinct rooms, each with its own format. Open Tuesday through Saturday, it draws a mix of locals and well-travelled drinkers who understand what the ranking signals.

Café de Nadie has ranked among North America's top bars in the World's 50 Best programme every year since 2022, peaking at #15 in 2022 and #17 in 2024. Positioned on Chihuahua street in Colonia Roma Norte, the bar operates within Mexico City's most competitive cocktail corridor and holds a 4-star Google rating across more than 670 reviews.

Kaito del Valle sits at the intersection of Mexico City's Japanese-influenced bar culture and the international cocktail circuit, holding a consecutive run of World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars rankings since 2022. Located on Hamburgo 70B in the Juárez neighbourhood, the bar carries a 4.6 Google rating across nearly 800 reviews, signalling consistent performance at a tier where peer pressure is constant.

Herbs & Rye has held a consecutive position on the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list since 2022, making it one of the most consistently recognised cocktail programs in the American West. Located off the Strip on West Sahara Avenue, it operates in a different register from Las Vegas's casino bar circuit, with a program built around technique and depth rather than spectacle.

Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH) has climbed from #38 to #16 in North America's Best Bars rankings between 2024 and 2025, placing it in the upper tier of San Francisco's cocktail scene. Positioned on Sutter Street in Union Square, it draws on Pacific Rim ingredients and techniques to produce a program that sits well outside the city's standard European-influence playbook. With a 4.6 Google rating across nearly 930 reviews, it holds that standing with consistency.

Ranked #15 in North America and #75 globally by the World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, Martiny's on East 17th Street sits in the upper tier of Manhattan's serious cocktail program circuit. The bar has held consistent recognition across multiple consecutive years, placing it alongside a small cohort of New York venues where craft discipline and hospitality depth keep pace with international benchmarks.

Death & Co's Los Angeles outpost, at 818 E 3rd St in the Arts District, carries the technical credibility of the original New York bar into Southern California. Ranked among North America's 50 Best Bars in both 2022 and 2023, and Pearl Recommended in 2025, it operates in the upper tier of the city's serious cocktail scene — deliberate, precise, and worth the planning.

Ranked among North America's top 30 bars by World's 50 Best four years running, Selva operates from a courtyard address on Macedonio Alcalá in central Oaxaca. The program draws on the state's extraordinary depth of agave spirits — mezcal, tepache, and beyond — positioned within a broader Mexican cocktail scene that has accelerated sharply since 2022. Google reviewers score it 4.1 across 659 ratings.

Ranked #36 among North America's Best Bars in 2025 by World's 50 Best, Atwater Cocktail Club has held a place in Montreal's top tier of destination bars since 2016 while keeping its neighbourhood roots intact. The programme centres on rare sugar-cane and agave spirits, with inventive milk punches and barrel-aged builds alongside a tight list of bar plates. Thursdays through Saturdays, DJs push the room past cocktail hour into something closer to a late-night event.

Service Bar on U Street NW has ranked among North America's top bars every year since 2022, reaching as high as #18 on the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list. It holds a Pearl Recommended designation and a 4.6 Google rating across more than 800 reviews, placing it at the serious end of Washington D.C.'s cocktail scene alongside a neighbourhood defined by music history and independent energy.

Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company on Miami Beach has held a position inside the World's 50 Best Bars global rankings, reaching #21 in 2018 before transitioning into the North America tier. Sitting at 237 20th Street in Miami Beach, it draws a 4.6 Google rating across more than 2,500 reviews and holds a 2025 Pearl Recommended designation. For Miami's cocktail scene, it remains a consistent reference point.

Concealed behind a made-to-measure menswear shop on Montreal's Golden Mile, Cloakroom is a 25-seat bar that has appeared on the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list every year since 2022, ranking #31 in 2025. The bar operates without a printed menu, instead building bespoke cocktails for each guest from a library of house-made amari, liqueurs, and around 30 tinctures, plus a vintage spirits collection assembled over nearly a decade.

Housed in a converted 1903 firehouse, Cure New Orleans pioneered the city's craft cocktail renaissance under founder Neal Bodenheimer's visionary leadership. This James Beard Award-winning bar seamlessly blends New Orleans cocktail tradition with innovative mixology, creating an atmosphere of sophisticated comfort where premium spirits meet meticulous craftsmanship.

On Queen Street West, Mother has ranked among North America's 50 Best Bars three consecutive years, landing at #44 in 2025. The bar's fermentation-focused program, led by 2022 World Class Canada Bartender of the Year Massimo Zitti, builds cocktails around ingredients like bee pollen and black garlic, backed by some of Toronto's more serious cocktail-adjacent food.

Tucked inside the Chicago Athletic Association hotel on Michigan Avenue, The Milk Room is one of Chicago's most respected intimate cocktail bars, ranking #38 on North America's Best Bars 2023 and holding a 2025 Pearl Recommended designation. The eight-seat format and archive-driven spirits program place it in a different competitive tier than the city's larger cocktail venues.

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.

Aruba Day Drink has ranked among North America's top 22 bars in the World's 50 Best rankings three consecutive years running, making it the most decorated cocktail address in Tijuana and a benchmark for the city's broader bar scene. Located in Zona Este, it draws serious drinkers from both sides of the border for a program that sits comfortably alongside Mexico City's elite cocktail rooms.

Bar Leather Apron holds a rare position in American cocktail culture: a James Beard Award-winning bar operating out of downtown Honolulu, ranked among North America's 50 Best Bars in three consecutive years. The programme favours technical precision over theatrics, drawing a crowd that knows what it's looking for and books accordingly.

Yacht Club has appeared on the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list two consecutive years — ranked 42nd in 2023 and climbing to 41st in 2025. Located on North Williams Street in Denver's RiNo corridor, the bar holds a 4.7 Google rating from nearly 300 reviews, placing it at the sharper end of Denver's increasingly competitive cocktail scene.

Ranked #37 on World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars in 2025 and #154 globally by Top 500 Bars, Bar Mordecai on Dundas Street West runs one of Toronto's most programmatically ambitious cocktail operations. The main floor delivers hotel-lobby polish while the Green Room downstairs shifts into karaoke-and-highballs territory, and the drink list moves between guava-chocolate-ale combinations and boozy soft-serves.

Positioned at the serious end of New York's cocktail hierarchy, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog at 30 Water St has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2013, including the #1 spot in 2016. The Financial District address shapes the experience as much as the program itself: a two-floor Irish-American bar where the drinking is taken seriously and the historical framing runs deep.

Allegory has placed inside the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list three consecutive years, reaching as high as #24 in 2024. Located in the lobby of a K Street hotel, it operates as one of Washington D.C.'s most recognised cocktail programs, with a format built around narrative-driven technique and a level of conceptual ambition that separates it from the city's more straightforward bar scene.

Clover Club has held a place in the global cocktail conversation since 2008, with consistent World's 50 Best recognition and a 4.6 Google rating across more than a thousand reviews. Located on Smith Street in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens, it operates at the intersection of pre-Prohibition technique and contemporary bar craft — a reference point for serious drinking in New York City.

Brujas has held a consecutive position on the World's 50 Best North America's Best Bars list since 2023, most recently ranking #65 in 2025. Located in Santa Cruz Xochitepec, it operates well outside Mexico City's bar-heavy central corridors, drawing a mix of regulars and informed visitors. Its Google rating of 3.9 across more than a thousand reviews reflects a bar shaped by community use as much as critical attention.

Platform 18 earned its place on North America's 50 Best Bars list in 2023, ranking 48th and signalling that Phoenix's cocktail program has genuine standing outside the Southwest. Located on East Indian School Road in the Arcadia corridor, the bar sits inside a city scene that has grown increasingly serious about craft — and Platform 18 is one of the addresses driving that shift.

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 corner bar on Prince Street with two consecutive North America's Best Bars rankings (World's 50 Best, #44 in 2024) and a place on the Top 500 Bars global list, Milady's earns its recognition without the pomp of a high-concept cocktail program. It operates as a genuine neighbourhood watering hole where the drinks are serious but the atmosphere is not performative — a rare combination in lower Manhattan.