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.
“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
Culinary Masters 2024
Don’t miss the food event of the year. Register for Robb Report’s Culinary Masters now. Or, for more information on Robb Report experiences, visit RR1.
