Best-of list · Cocktail Guides
The 10 best cocktail bars in Mexico City for 2026 — Hanky Panky, Limantour, Handshake and seven more. Latin America's cocktail capital. Updated 2026.
The short answer
10 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Mexico City's cocktail scene has been on a tear since Licorería Limantour opened in 2011. Hanky Panky, Handshake and Xaman have all made the world's top 10. The 10 below cover the modern Mexican cocktail vocabulary: mezcal, tequila, sotol, and a generation of bartenders who train in CDMX and export globally.
Hanky Panky hides behind an unmarked door in Colonia Juárez, one of the city's original speakeasies and a World's 50 Best Bars regular. You need a reservation and a code to get in. Inside is a tight, classic room built for stirred drinks done properly. Order from the house menu and go early in the week, since weekend tables vanish fast.
Full listing & hours →Limantour opened in Roma Norte in 2011 and effectively launched modern Mexican cocktailing, landing for years on the World's 50 Best list. The signature is the Margarita Al Pastor, built on the flavors of the taco. The street-corner room runs loud and full most nights. Come on a weeknight or early evening to get a seat at the bar.
Full listing & hours →Handshake in Colonia Juárez was named the World's Best Bar in 2024, and the reservations reflect it. The drinks are precise, technical and clarified, served in a polished low-lit room. Book well ahead, since walk-ins almost never get in. This is a destination for people who care about the craft rather than a casual drop-in, so plan the night around it.
Full listing & hours →Xaman sits below street level near the Centro, a dark, ritual-themed room leaning into pre-Hispanic ingredients with live music late. It has made the world's top lists for its herbal, agave-forward drinks. The crowd builds after midnight when the band starts. Order something with mezcal or a house herbal cocktail, and go late rather than early for the full effect.
Full listing & hours →Baltra is the small Roma Norte bar from the Limantour team, named for a Galápagos island and themed around science and nature. The menu changes often and rewards trusting the bartender. With only a handful of seats, it fills quickly. Come early evening on a weeknight for a counter spot and a stirred drink before the room gets two-deep.
Full listing & hours →Pare de Sufrir is a small, irreverent Colonia Juárez bar whose name translates as stop suffering, themed with a playful nod to storefront churches. It mixes serious agave drinks with a loose, fun crowd. The cocktails stay creative without being precious. Best on a Thursday or Friday, when the neighborhood is out and the room hits its stride.
Full listing & hours →Tlecan on Avenida Álvaro Obregón is Roma Norte's most serious agave bar, ranked third in North America's 50 Best Bars 2025. Co-owner Eli Martínez Bello sources bacanora, sotol, pox, raicilla and mezcal straight from craft producers. The earthy, tomb-like room is walk-in only with limited seating. Go early to claim a spot at the bar and let them guide the agave.
Fifty Mils sits inside the Four Seasons on Paseo de la Reforma, a polished hotel bar that has placed on the World's 50 Best list. The drinks are precise and the garden terrace makes it a calm escape from the avenue. It suits a refined first drink over a late party. Book the terrace early evening for the quietest, prettiest version of the room.
Full listing & hours →El Mayor opened in 2008 above the Porrúa bookstore in the Centro Histórico, with a terrace looking straight at the Templo Mayor ruins. The draw is the view paired with Mexican plates and a relaxed drink. It does not take reservations, so a daytime or early-evening visit beats the wait. Come for sunset over the archaeological site with a margarita in hand.
Departamento is a multi-level Roma Norte bar that climbs to an open-air rooftop, mixing good drinks with two dance floors that fill as the night runs on. It leans party over quiet conversation. Start on the rooftop early for the air and the view, then move down as the music picks up. Best on a weekend, when both floors are running.