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
The article These Are the 50 Best Bars in North America (2026) appeared first on VinePair.