It’s that time of year again: North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2024 have been revealed.
The list, sponsored by Perrier, was unveiled at a live awards ceremony on April 23 at Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The honorees include establishments in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Kicking off the list is Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy, the first bar in Mexico to take the No. 1 spot on the annual ranking. It features throwback Prohibition-era decor, a marble bar, and of course, next-level cocktails courtesy of bar director Eric van Beek. The menu stars innovative ingredients like infused cordials and house-made syrups, as well as batched cocktails on-draft like last year’s winner Double Chicken Please. Handshake Speakeasy ranked No. 2 on last year’s list, as well as No. 3 among 2023’s 50 Best Bars in the World.
“We give our biggest ¡Felicidades! to Handshake Speakeasy and head bartender Eric van Beek for the team’s incredible work in delivering excellence,” says Emma Sleight, head of content for North America’s 50 Best Bars in a press release. “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.”
Stateside, New York City continues to boast the highest density of North America’s top bars. Claiming the No. 2 spot on the list is Manhattan’s Mexican-American cocktail bar Superbueno, which won VinePair’s Next Wave Award for Bar Program of the Year in 2023. The bar, co-owned by New York hospitality veterans Ignacio “Nacho Jiménez and Greg Boehm, opened in the East Village in April 2023.
The Big Apple’s Overstory and Martiny’s ranked as No. 3 and 4 on this year’s list, and 2023’s top-ranked bar Double Chicken Please slid into the No. 7 spot. Overall, New York is home to 12 of the 26 U.S. bars honored this year.
Up north, Toronto’s Civil Liberties won the title of the Best Bar in Canada, and Puerto Rico’s La Factoría was given the top spot in the Caribbean, ranking No. 18 in the list overall.
Check out the full list of North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2024 below.
| Rank | Bar Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Handshake Speakeasy | Mexico City |
| 2 | Superbueno | New York City |
| 3 | Overstory | New York City |
| 4 | Martiny’s | New York City |
| 5 | Rayo | Mexico City |
| 6 | Jewel of the South | New Orleans |
| 7 | Double Chicken Please | New York City |
| 8 | Thunderbolt | Los Angeles |
| 9 | Licorería Limantour | Mexico City |
| 10 | Tlecān | Mexico City |
| 11 | Zapote Bar | Playa del Carmen |
| 12 | Katana Kitten | New York City |
| 13 | Café La Trova | Miami |
| 14 | El Gallo Altanero | Guadalajara |
| 15 | Employees Only | New York City |
| 16 | Aruba Day Drink | Tijuana |
| 17 | Café de Nadie | Mexico City |
| 18 | La Factoría | San Juan |
| 19 | Kumiko | Chicago |
| 20 | Dante | New York City |
| 21 | Civil Liberties | Toronto |
| 22 | Service Bar | Washington DC |
| 23 | Allegory | Washington DC |
| 24 | Botanist Bar | Vancouver |
| 25 | Herbs & Rye | Las Vegas |
| 26 | Baltra Bar | Mexico City |
| 27 | Bekeb | San Miguel de Allende |
| 28 | Kaito del Valle | Mexico City |
| 29 | Bar Pompette | Toronto |
| 30 | True Laurel | San Francisco |
| 31 | Attaboy | New York City |
| 32 | Meadowlark | Chicago |
| 33 | The Dead Rabbit | New York City |
| 34 | Selva | Oaxaca |
| 35 | Library by the Sea | Grand Cayman |
| 36 | Century Grand | Phoenix |
| 37 | Arca | Tulum |
| 38 | Pacific Cocktail Heaven | San Francisco |
| 39 | Cloakroom | Montreal |
| 40 | Bar Mordecai | Toronto |
| 41 | Maison Premiere | New York City |
| 42 | Hanky Panky | Mexico City |
| 43 | Angel’s Share | New York City |
| 44 | Milady’s | New York City |
| 45 | Brujas | Mexico City |
| 46 | Mírate | Los Angeles |
| 47 | Cure | New Orleans |
| 48 | Best Intentions | Chicago |
| 49 | The Keefer Bar | Vancouver |
| 50 | Atwater Cocktail Club | Montreal |
