Top 14 Best Bars in Mexico, According to North America’s 50 Best Bars 2024

If you missed the 50 Best Bars 2024 ceremony and celebration in San Miguel de Allende, we have these amazing videos for you:

1: Handskake Speakeasy

Location: Mexico City
@handshake_bar
handshake.bar/

Evoking images of the original speakeasies of the 1920s seen through a Hollywood lens, Handshake Speakeasy is the continent’s finest drinking establishment. It is hidden behind a secret door in a dimly lit room stocked with vintage spirits, and every element of the decor takes guests back to a simpler time away from the distractions of modernity. All who come through the door are set to fully embrace its beautifully curated surroundings and sip on concoctions composed of vintage spirits! 

As expected, classic drinks are the big players here, but there is also a carefully crafted drinks list masterminded by Eric Van Beek. He uses impressive techniques to transform oftentimes unexpected flavor combinations into explosive and memorable experiences.

5: Rayo

Location: Mexico City
@rayocdmx
rayococktailbar.com/

Rayo is deeply inspired by the legend of the goddess Mayahuel, who is said to have taken the form of an agave plant. When this plant was struck by a lightning bolt (in Spanish, Rayo), it caused it to release a cooked liquid that, when fermented, became pulque. Distillation led to the creation of mezcal, tequila, and more.

Honoring the legend, Rayo uses an array of Mexican spirits, as well as international ones, in cocktails that tell stories and capably accompany the accompanying dishes offered at this bar. 

Their drinks use the best Mexican produce and spirits, which can be experienced through Rayo’s tasting menu, “Mexico Through the Senses.”

9: Licorería Limantour

Location: Mexico City
@limantourmx
limantour.tv/

When Licorería Limantour—housed in a two-story, art deco-inspired venue—,  opened its doors in 2011, it was widely considered the starting point of Mexico City’s craft cocktail scene. 

13 years later, the bar is as strong as ever under the leadership of Benjamin Padrón and José Luis León, whose agave-forward cocktails keep crowds coming through its doors over and over again.

Overseen by the ever-welcoming Jose Luis Leon, Limantour may rake in the accolades, but it still retains its laidback Latin vibe, all the while serving up cocktails that would rival creative frontrunners from London or New York. Always expect to discover some unique and regional flavors hidden among the familiar names on the menu, like the famous and glorious Margarita al pastor. 

10: Tlecān (New Entry)

Location: Mexico City
@tlecan
tlecan.com

Tlecān (Náhuatl for “place of fire”) is no ordinary mezcalería. Paying homage to pre-Hispanic culture in Mexico, it’s developed a totally new way of understanding mezcal through the fusion of ancestral methods and contemporary cocktail vision. Let their wide selection of spirits and creations delight you, in which a wide variety of mezcal options such as lechuguilla, chacaleño, or papalote will amaze you.

11: Zapote Bar

Location: Playa del Carmen
@zapotebar
rosewoodhotels.com/en/mayakoba-riviera-maya/

Named after the eponymous tree native to the Yucatan province, Zapote Bar places hospitality at the center of its operation. Taking inspiration from Mayan culture and tradition, where the Zapote tree symbolizes hospitality, head bartender Joshua Monaghan has crafted a cocktail paradise in a luxury resort in Playa del Carmen. 

Using the best ingredients from its locality, the bar’s guests get lost in the profound offerings of this region of Mexico, from its picturesque views to its incredible produce. 

Located within the Rosewood Mayakoba Resort in a rainforest in Yucatán, with Zapote’s celebrated drinks menu and a moniker translating as ‘hospitality’, its dedication to ensuring guests’ comfort is second to none.

14: El Gallo Altanero 

Location: Guadalajara
@elgalloaltanero
galloaltanero.com.mx/

Not surprisingly, this cozy spot in Guadalajara is dedicated to agave, with a menu that changes every single month. 

This mecca to agave provides the quintessential Jalisco experience. From brightly colored pastel walls to its back bar stocked with boutique mezcal and tequila producers from across the region, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more authentic drinking experience.

16: Aruba Day Drink

Location: Tijuana
@arubadaydrinkbar

Away from the bustling tourist-filled city center, Aruba Day Drink offers a breezy art-deco-inspired sanctuary just a stone’s throw from the US border. 

The space, which features an abundance of natural light, high ceilings, and dark green tiling, is a masterclass in design, mirroring the aura of the sun-soaked city. 

This well-considered curation goes a step further with its menu, dedicated to good drinks and good times. Cocktails range from light and breezy for visiting surfing crowds to short and caffeinated for those in search of a pick-me-up.

The bar also often plays host to visiting bar talent and chefs from across Mexico, delivering a taste of the country to local gastronomes and cocktail enthusiasts.

17: Café de Nadie 

Location: Mexico City
@cafe.denadie
cafedenadie.mx/cafe-de-nadie/

With 1,500 vinyl records lining its walls, Café de Nadie has become a must-visit attraction for Mexico City’s music lovers and cocktail enthusiasts alike. Every one of the drinks on its menu is inspired by a song, with each as harmonious as its namesake.

Café de Nadie was established in the south of Mexico City in 2021 by the team behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants high-flier, Pujol. It’s a bar that prioritizes hospitality and music, a minimalist venue dedicated to giving guests a great time and serious drinks. 

Combining its main loves, most drinks utilize local and underappreciated ingredients from the surrounding Xochimilco district of the city.

26: Baltra Bar

Location: Mexico City
@baltrabar
baltra.bar/

Named after one of the Galápagos Islands, Baltra acts like a warm living room, as chatty groups of locals scatter themselves among the grey couches and couples huddle over light wooden coffee tables, examining the concise and approachable drinks menu. 

Its theme is evident in the Charles Darwin paraphernalia that hangs on the walls—think vintage maps, butterfly collections, lithographs, and taxidermy. 

Owned by same group as The World’s 50 Best Bars regular Licorería Limantour, Baltra is the informal, relaxed sister venue with friendly service, fresh ingredients, and a seasonally evolving menu, meaning there’s always something new and delightful to try. It is now well established in its own right, thanks to its warm hospitality, cozy interiors, and seasonal menus that go big on flavor. 

27: Bekeb (New Entry) 

Location: San Miguel de Allende
@bekeb_sma
bekebsma.com/

Perched on one of San Miguel de Allende’s signature sun-soaked rooftops, Bekeb is Fabiola Padilla’s homage to Tzotzil culture through drinks that emphasize agave spirits, local age-old ingredients and traditional techniques.

For full immersion in the flavors and culture of Mexico, the rooftop bar Bekeb Artisanal Mixology in San Miguel de Allende is the place to be. 

The bar’s name refers to the word for “seed” in the Tzotzil language, a nod to the bar’s commitment to the land and its roots. 

This extends to the drinks list, which features drinks that major on agave spirits, local age-old ingredients, and traditional techniques, making creative and remarkable use of the country’s produce and spirits. 

28: Kaito del Valle

Location: Mexico City
@kaitodelvalle

Drawing inspiration from Japan’s fabled “kaito” (female pearl divers), Kaito del Valle’s all-women team has become renowned for mixing up one-of-a-kind Japanese inflected cocktails showcasing Asian flavors and making extensive use of sake. At its helm is Claudia Cabrera, winner of the Roku Industry Icon Award 2024.

Ingredients such as tea, ginger, and wasabi come together to create complex and compelling drinks that pair beautifully with the Japanese snacks and ramen on offer. There’s also a section dedicated to the Highball, with some refreshingly original takes on this classic.

34: Selva  

Location: Oaxaca
@selvaoaxaca
selvaoaxaca.com/

The essence of Oaxaca distilled into a bottle, Selva has all the charm and terroir of the region in seriously sippable form. With each drink focusing on a different market, plant, or community around the region, there’s no better place to soak up the local culture.

Selva doesn’t stop there, however. It champions local ingredients and Mexican flavors, not to mention its wide range of spirits. Seasonal ingredients have been used to create gourmet cocktails here since the bar opened its doors in 2019, combining environment and flavor in drinks. The bar itself is rustic and refined in equal parts—the perfect setting for these distinctly local flavors.

37: Arca   

Location: Tulum
@arcatulum
arcatulum.com/ 

Tucked away in a rainforest on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, Arca is an oasis of fine food and drink, courtesy of René Redzepi’s protégé chef Jose Luis Hinostroza and bartender Peter Sanchez.

Yes, you really are in a restaurant built in the jungle, alongside a beach, being served drinks and dishes that couldn’t better suit this truly unique setting if they tried. 

This restaurant was literally built around the trees that shade its dining area. The team here is heavily inspired by their surroundings, and rightly so. 

The approach is micro-seasonal, with plenty of open-fire cooking and big flavors when creating a captivating menu of small plates. The same applies to the cocktails, of course, which are a colorful celebration of local flavors, ingredients, and spirits, all beautifully and elegantly presented.

42: Hanky Panky 

Location: Mexico City
@hankypankydf
hankypanky.mx

They’re not kidding around with this speakeasy idea: Hanky Panky’s address is only given out when you make a reservation, along with instructions for how to gain entry. 

Once you’ve found the place, choose from a drinks menu that combines classics, original creations, and recipes borrowed from the world’s best bartenders. 

Bar snacks are also a cut above, with familiar dishes such as patatas bravas taken to the next level. If you were wondering about the bar’s name, it’s inspired by the seriously punchy Fernet, gin, and sweet vermouth cocktail invented by legendary mixologist Ada Coleman at London’s Savoy Hotel in the early 1900s.

Originally founded as a secluded place for local bar mogul Walter Meyenberg to meet his friends for a drink, Hanky Panky has since evolved into one of Mexico City’s worst-kept secrets, where guests can be found queuing around the block daily for a taste of its mixology.

45: Brujas  

Location: Mexico City
@brujasmex

This female-led cocktail bar takes its name from the building it’s in, the Casa de las Brujas, or House of the Witches. That’s not where the references to witchcraft and shamanism end though. The intimate, esoteric and dimly-lit interior is the setting for a drinks offering that’s rooted in Mexican herbalism. 

The result is a frequently changing cocktail list that’s both herbal-led and inspired by the classics. It’s made with an array of interesting ingredients prepared in the bar’s lab and honors female Latin American writers and activists. 

The beautifully illustrated menu features drinks and delicious alchemy creations by its “coven” of female bartenders.