North America’s Best Bars Are More Than Just Great Drinks

In one of the grand ballrooms of the Vancouver Convention Centre, bathed in blue light, a crowd of bartenders and industry insiders assembled to hear the 2026 list of North America’s 50 Best Bars. The rankings are decided by more than 300 experts, who cast their votes for the best drinking experiences in Canada, the US, Mexico and the Caribbean. In the room, the energy was high, fueled not only by anticipation, but by the constant flow of cocktails being served from the booths circling the perimeter of the room.

Earlier that day, over coffee instead of cocktails, we had the chance to chat with the owners and bartenders of five of those bars—all had travelled to Vancouver for the awards; none knew what their bar’s standing would be.

Being crowned a 50 Best Bar isn’t only about making a great drink—although that helps. It’s also about a guest’s overall experience. Ashtyn Harris is a lead bartender at Press Club in Washington, DC, which came in at No. 34. “When you’re going to certain bars that are known for their cocktail programs… you can feel like they just want you to taste the cocktail,” she says. “However that drink, it’s merely a drink, right? So the experience, I think means more.”

Music is at the heart of the experience at Press Club, and lead bartender Franklin Sahlhoff describes the 27-seat venue as a “living-room record bar” that’s also a nod to their approach to hospitality. “People know that they can come in and they can pick out a record,” Harris says. “What makes it memorable for them? Is it the fact that they were listening to Rock Creek Park at 5 p.m. on a Thursday?”

Creating a lasting impression is also part of the program at El Gallo Altenero, which took the No. 10 spot. Located in Guadalajara, Mexico, this intimate space is a temple to the agave plant, with the majority of the selections coming from small, craft producers.

“When you see a memorable movie, you’re gonna talk to your friends next day, or maybe get in the shower and be like, ‘Damn, that ending’… It’s very like that,” lead bartender Alejandra de Aguinaga says. “People who’ve been there, [it’s] changed their life.” But not in a lightning-bolt-from-the-sky way. “It’s a memory forever, and a memory, when you have it forever, it change a little bit of you. Maybe change the way they remember Jalisco, Guadalajara.”

New York’s Bar Snack aims to be a soft landing for their guests, and made an impressive debut at No. 3 on the list—claiming the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award. “We’re a neighbourhood bar, first and foremost,” says bartender Rob Crowe. “We’re not trying to be this upper-scale cocktail bar. We want to be available to everyone and anyone. We’re not, not an Irish bar. We’re not, not a gay bar. We want anyone and everyone walking through the door feeling comfortable.”

The cocktail menu is fun and playful, and for first-time guests Crowe recommends starting with the Split Ends, a raspberry-spiked Whiskey Sour topped with Guinness. “That’s madness,” he says. Rest assured: the drinks go down easy. “All the drinks are very crushable,” says Crowe, an extension of the venue’s relaxed vibe. “I have friends that come in, and I can see them relax and deflate from the day and just feel safe. And I feel like that’s such an important aspect for bars to have.”

In a class all their own is La Factoría—No. 26 on the list—a labyrinthine complex of eight bars located in Old San Juan, Dominican Republic. This venue holds 500-600 people, and each room has its own vibe: cocktail bar, wine bar, salsa room, discotheque, speakeasy, Caribbean-style bodega, terrace, and a “big dance floor.” Carlos Irizarry, bar manager, says “One of the challenges is how to keep a standard of service in that chaos. In terms of all of the bars, they need to carry the same culture, the same style of service.”

The way someone moves through the space, and either settles on a spot to linger or moves on, is part of the experience. “The layout is sort of like a maze, and it is the experience of discovery that the guest explores each one of the rooms and connects with them, maybe by accident,” explains Irizarry. “That’s a very powerful thing, because it creates a very special bound to the experience, interaction of the space when it’s through discovering accidentally.”

Back in Canada at Toronto’s Civil Works, which landed at No. 29, the innate Canadian-ness stands out. “Canada in general, but Toronto particularly, is an exceptionally polite place,” says Nick Kennedy, co-owner. But beyond manners, they also seek an “in” with their guests through sense of place—the fabric menu for instance, is a nod to their garment-district location—and a sense of humour. “We make really good jokes. We really care,” says Nick Kennedy, co-owner. “If you can get a guest to laugh and be curious, that is, I think, what has always helped us.”

But it also sets the vibe. “We don’t want to be the experts of cocktail culture. We want to be ambassadors. Being an expert removes you from the public.”

After all, it’s not just about an excellent drink—it’s about how it’s presented to the world. “We are very good bartenders,” says Irizarry, of how La Factoría became the maze-like complex it is. “We are not very good at designing. We are not very good at business, necessarily.”

The full list can be seen at theworlds50best.com. —Jill Von Sprecken