North America’s top bartenders were posting selfies and pictures of their suitcases from airports across the continent this weekend while cocktail enthusiasts watched from their phones. Those industry pros were en route to Vancouver, Canada, to attend this year’s awards ceremony for the 50 Best Bars in North America.
New York City’s Sip & Guzzle took the No. 1 spot, jumping up from last year’s No. 5 ranking. Behind it are Bar Mauro (No. 2) in Mexico City and Bar Snack (No. 3) in NYC. Bar Snack is the highest-ranking new entry on the list. North America’s top-two bars from 2025 — Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City and Superbueno in NYC — have fallen to No. 12 and No. 9, respectively. 2026 is the first time in four years that Handshake Speakeasy did not clinch one of the top two spots. Rounding out the top five are NYC’s Schmuck at No. 4 — the second-highest-ranked new entry on the list — and Mexico City’s Tlecān at No. 5.
50Best — the influential institution behind highly sought-after lists across the hospitality sector, such as 50 Best Restaurants and 50 Best Hotels — releases bar rankings for different regions and continents every year. In the fall, it announces the World’s 50 Best Bars list, taking into account each list’s best contenders. 50Best carved a niche for itself in the early aughts when it burst into the hospitality-assessment scene as a foil to long-established organizations like Michelin.
Each year, the list features bars from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. NYC was the most-represented city this year with 13 ranked spots. Mexico City had the second highest concentration of bars with 7; Toronto, Vancouver, and Chicago each had 4 spots on the list.
Below is 50Best’s list of North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2026.
| Rank | Bar Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sip & Guzzle | New York City |
| 2 | Bar Mauro | Mexico City |
| 3 | Bar Snack | New York City |
| 4 | Schmuck | New York City |
| 5 | Tlecān | Mexico City |
| 6 | Jewel of the South | New Orleans |
| 7 | The Keefer Bar | Vancouver |
| 8 | Bar Pompette | Toronto |
| 9 | Superbueno | New York City |
| 10 | El Gallo Altanero | Guadalajara |
| 11 | Kumiko | Chicago |
| 12 | Handshake Speakeasy | Mexico City |
| 13 | Form + Matter | Mexico City |
| 14 | True Laurel | San Francisco |
| 15 | Clemente Bar | New York City |
| 16 | Best Intentions | Chicago |
| 17 | June on Cambie | Vancouver |
| 18 | Mecenas | Guadalajara |
| 19 | Library Bar | Toronto |
| 20 | Licorería Limantour | Mexico City |
| 21 | Cure | New Orleans |
| 22 | Mother | Toronto |
| 23 | Martiny’s | New York |
| 24 | Bekeb | San Miguel de Allende |
| 25 | Kaito del Valle | Mexico City |
| 26 | La Factoría | San Juan |
| 27 | Gus’ Sip & Dip | Chicago |
| 28 | Mírate | Los Angeles |
| 29 | Civil Works | Toronto |
| 30 | Bisous | Chicago |
| 31 | Angel’s Share | New York City |
| 32 | Prophecy | Vancouver |
| 33 | Overstory | New York City |
| 34 | Press Club | Washington D.C. |
| 35 | Double Chicken Please | New York City |
| 36 | Bar Madonna | New York City |
| 37 | Attaboy | New York City |
| 38 | Botanist Bar | Vancouver |
| 39 | Service Bar | Washington D.C. |
| 40 | Maison Premiere | New York City |
| 41 | Pacific Cocktail Haven | San Francisco |
| 42 | Café La Trova | Miami |
| 43 | Selva | Oaxaca |
| 44 | Daisy Margarita Bar | Los Angeles |
| 45 | Employees Only | New York City |
| 46 | Viceversa | Miami |
| 47 | Bandista | Houston |
| 48 | Baltra Bar | Mexico City |
| 49 | Library by the Sea | Grand Cayman |
| 50 | Bon Vivants | Nassau |
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