Best-of list · World Lists
The 50 best bars in the world for 2026, from Death and Co in New York to Bar High Five in Tokyo. Ranked by our editors and confirmed open this year.
The short answer
10 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
There are thousands of bars worth writing about in the world. This guide gathers the rooms our editors return to and recommend without being asked, cross-checked against the World's 50 Best Bars, its regional editions, and each bar's own programme. The criteria are unromantic: how the room makes the drink, how it makes you feel, and how distinctive it is in its city. Every bar here was confirmed open in 2026.
Death & Co opened on East 6th Street in 2006 and rewrote the template for the modern American cocktail bar. The leather-and-dark-wood room runs a long, exacting menu, and the Oaxaca Old Fashioned was born here. Reservations help, though the bar seats reward walk-ins who arrive early.
Full listing & hours →Attaboy keeps Sasha Petraske's no-menu method alive on the old Milk & Honey site on Eldridge Street. Knock, name a spirit and a mood, and the bartender builds to order. There is no list and no sign. Come early or late on a weeknight to skip the wait at the door.
Full listing & hours →Dante has poured on MacDougal Street since 1915 and took the World's Best Bar title in 2019. The Negroni program is the reason to come, served a dozen ways in a bright, all-day Greenwich Village room. Order a Garibaldi with the fluffy orange juice, best in the afternoon sun.
Full listing & hours →Clover Club brought Julie Reiner's polished cocktails to Smith Street in Brooklyn, a Victorian-styled room built around its namesake gin sour. The back parlor with its fireplace is the seat to ask for. Come for weekend brunch or an early drink before Carroll Gardens fills up.
Full listing & hours →The Dead Rabbit turned a Financial District corner into an Irish-American institution, twice named World's Best Bar. The ground-floor Taproom pours Guinness and Irish whiskey; the upstairs Parlor runs the serious cocktail list. Order the signature Irish Coffee. Best on a weekday before the after-work crowd lands.
Full listing & hours →Katana Kitten fuses Japanese precision with American dive energy on Hudson Street, the work of Masahiro Urushido. The Hinoki Martini and a frosty Toki Highball are the orders, poured to a soundtrack that keeps the West Village room loose. Come early, since the narrow space fills fast after nine.
Full listing & hours →Employees Only has run behind its psychic's storefront on Hudson Street since 2004, a Prohibition-style room and a World's 50 Best regular. The Provencal and a tableside chicken soup nightcap are the rituals. Come late, when the curtain crowd thins and the bartenders settle in.
Full listing & hours →Bar Goto carries Kenta Goto's restraint to the Lower East Side, a small, quiet room built around the Sakura Martini and an immaculate house Negroni. Japanese bar snacks like okonomiyaki anchor the food. This is a place for conversation, not crowds. Best on a weeknight at the counter.
Full listing & hours →Little Branch hides down a staircase off Seventh Avenue South, another keeper of the Petraske dealer's-choice tradition. Name a spirit, take a booth, and let live jazz fill the low-lit West Village basement. There is no menu. Come on a weeknight before the line forms at the unmarked door.
Full listing & hours →The Connaught Bar in Mayfair has topped the World's 50 Best list, famous for its tableside Martini trolley where a bartender builds the drink to your bitters preference. The silver-and-pearl room is formal and expensive. Dress up, book ahead, and order the Martini the way it is meant to be made.
Full listing & hours →Beyond the 10
The American Bar at the Savoy is the oldest surviving cocktail bar in London, home of the Savoy Cocktail Book and a live pianist most evenings. Order a White Lady or whatever the seasonal menu is built around. It is grand and pricey. Come early evening for a seat with the music.
Happiness Forgets sits in a Hoxton Square basement, low-lit and unfussy, long a critics' favorite for value and craft. The Tokyo Collins is the order. There are no frills and the room is small, so book ahead. Best for an early, quiet drink before Shoreditch gets loud.
Nightjar near Old Street pairs an ambitious, era-spanning cocktail menu with live jazz, swing and blues seven nights a week. The drinks arrive theatrical, garnished to the hilt. Book a table, since walk-in space is tight and the band carries a cover. Come for the music as much as the glass.
Lyaness sits inside Sea Containers on the South Bank, Ryan Chetiyawardana's follow-up to Dandelyan, built around a rotating set of house ingredients that recur across the menu. The Thames-side room is sleek and busy. Order whatever showcases the season's signature base. Best at sunset over the river.
Little Red Door in the Marais has ranked among the World's 50 Best for years, known for menus that tie each drink to a concept, recently sustainability and terroir. The room behind the small red door is intimate and design-led. Order from the current themed list and let the bartenders explain it.
Candelaria hides a cocktail bar behind a working taqueria in the Marais, a pioneer of the Paris speakeasy wave. Push through the back door for mezcal-driven drinks like the Guepe Verte. The front serves sharp tacos. Come early to beat the queue at the unmarked rear door.
The Experimental Cocktail Club opened in 2007 near Rue Saint-Denis and helped launch a global group. The narrow two-floor room runs a serious seasonal menu to a late, lively crowd. Drinks are precise and not cheap. Come after dinner and head upstairs for a quieter seat.
Bar High Five sits in a Ginza basement under Hidetsugu Ueno, one of Japan's most revered bartenders. There is no menu; describe what you like and a flawless stirred drink follows, often a hard-shaken Daiquiri. The room is small and the etiquette quiet. Book ahead and let the master choose.
Bar Trench in Ebisu helped bring the craft revival to Tokyo's west side, a tiny, atmospheric room with an absinthe leaning and an inventive menu. The Death in Venice is a signature. Seats are few. Come early in the evening before the narrow bar fills.
Star Bar Ginza is Hisashi Kishi's temple to Japanese precision, a basement of dark wood where hand-carved ice and a stirred Martini are the point. The house style is quiet and exacting. Order the Martini or a Daiquiri and watch the technique. Book, and observe the hush.
Jigger & Pony reached World's Best Bar in 2023, presenting its menu as a glossy magazine in a polished Amoy Street hotel room. The drinks are classics refined to a high shine, and the Pisco Sour and Old Fashioned are reliable orders. Book ahead. Best for an early, dressed-up evening drink.
Native on Amoy Street builds its list around Southeast Asian ingredients, foraged and fermented, from ants to regional spirits. Vijay Mudaliar's room is a World's 50 Best fixture with a real sense of place. Order the Antz or whatever the seasonal list features. Best for the curious drinker.
Atlas dazzles inside Parkview Square, an Art Deco lobby with a towering gin column holding more than a thousand bottles. The Gin and Tonic and Champagne service suit the grand setting. There is a smart dress code. Come for the room and a classic, early evening before the crowds.
The Old Man in Central honors Hemingway with literary-named drinks and has ranked among Asia's best. The batched, spirit-forward list moves fast in a small, busy room. Order whatever quotes the author. Come early, since the narrow space fills quickly after work.
Coa, Jay Khan's agave bar on Hollywood Road, has been named the World's Best Bar, built around an encyclopedic mezcal and tequila list. The Margarita is benchmark; let the team guide a flight. The small room takes a wait, so come early or expect to queue for one of the best agave bars anywhere.
Paradiso hides behind a pastrami fridge in El Born and was named the World's Best Bar in 2022. Giacomo Giannotti's theatrical drinks arrive in smoke and sculpture. Push through the cold-room door, and expect a line, so come early. Order from the illustrated menu and let the spectacle land.
Sips on Carrer de Muntaner was named the World's Best Bar in 2023, a room with no back bar where drinks are built around the guests themselves. Marc Alvarez and Simone Caporale's creations are inventive and precise. Book ahead. Best for a drinker who wants the cutting edge of the craft.
Salmon Guru near Huertas is Diego Cabrera's color-soaked room and a long-running World's 50 Best entry. The Chipotle Chillon, served in a comic-strip tiki mug, is the signature. The vibe is playful and the crowd young. Come later, since Madrid drinks late and this room peaks well after ten.
Buck and Breck began as a tiny hidden table in Mitte and built a global reputation for spirit-forward drinks served at a single communal counter. The room is dark, small and conversation-led, and its namesake brandy-and-Champagne drink is the order. Book ahead, since seats are very limited.
Door 74 opened Amsterdam's speakeasy era behind an unmarked door near Rembrandtplein, reservation-only and intimate. The seasonal menu is precise and the booths are snug. Message ahead for the address and entry. Best for an early, quiet drink before the canal-side crowds spill over.
Red Frog hides behind a press-the-doorbell entrance near Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon's speakeasy standard-bearer and a World's 50 Best regular. The menu leans creative and the room stays low-lit. Ring the bell, and book if you can. Best early evening before the small space fills.
The Jerry Thomas Project revived the speakeasy in Rome, a members-style room near Campo de' Fiori that asks for a password from the website. The drinks honor classic technique and house bitters in a small, serious space. Get the password, book, and come early in the night.
The Clumsies sits in a neoclassical Athens townhouse and has reached the top of the World's 50 Best list. The all-day room runs from coffee to a polished, accessible cocktail menu. Order the signature Lola or Black Mirror. Come for an early drink upstairs, the quieter seat in the house.
Bramble hides in a Queen Street basement and remains a fixture on world bar lists despite its unfussy, cave-like room. The drinks punch well above the low-key setting. There is no sign; find the stair down. Come early on a weeknight before the small space packs out.
The Blind Pig is a reservation-only Dublin speakeasy off Suffolk Street, reached by a code sent before arrival. Prohibition-era cocktails meet New York-Italian plates and live music most nights. Book ahead and watch for the directions. Best for a theatrical, dressed-up evening in the city center.
The Violet Hour pioneered Chicago's craft revival behind an unmarked Wicker Park facade, a high-backed-booth room that won a James Beard award. The seasonal menu is long and exacting, and the rules ask for quiet. Come on a weeknight to skip the door wait.
The Aviary is Grant Achatz's avant-garde cocktail lab in Fulton Market, where drinks arrive as engineered, edible-art courses from a kitchen rather than a bar. Expect a ticketed, high-priced tasting, not a casual round. Book well ahead. For the drinker who wants theater and technique over a quick Martini.
Thunderbolt in Historic Filipinotown pairs a sharp, spirit-forward menu with a retro Los Angeles room and a frozen drink worth the trip. A Bon Appetit favorite, it draws a stylish crowd. Order the frozen Irish Coffee. Come early evening before the small bar fills.
Sweet Liberty in Miami Beach is John Lermayer's beloved neighborhood room, a World's 50 Best regular built for happy hour and late nights alike. The Daiquiris are benchmark and the kitchen sends out solid plates. Come for the daily happy hour, one of the best on the beach.
Trick Dog in the Mission reinvents its entire menu around a new theme every six months, from Pantone chips to zodiac signs. The two-level room stays loud and fun, a World's 50 Best fixture. Order from whatever concept is current. Come early or expect a wait on weekends.
Licoreria Limantour in Roma Norte has twice topped Latin America's bar list, anchored by its Margarita al Pastor with a chili-and-pineapple edge. The corner room runs lively and unpretentious across two floors. Come early evening, since this is one of the city's most-recommended rooms and the wait grows late.
Hanky Panky is Mexico City's marquee speakeasy, entered through a hidden door after a text-ahead reservation in Juarez. The room is plush and the classics are precise. Get the address sent, and dress the part. Best for a dramatic start to a Mexico City night.
Floreria Atlantico hides beneath a flower shop in Retiro, Tato Giovannoni's immigrant-themed room that reached the top of the World's 50 Best. The gin and the Negroni-leaning list nod to the city's mixed roots. Walk through the cooler door downstairs. Come early, since the basement fills fast and stays late.
Guilhotina in Pinheiros is a Sao Paulo World's 50 Best regular, an easy, design-led room with a tight, well-made menu and a strong batched-classics game. The crowd is young and the drinks are sharp. Come for an early start before the Pinheiros nightlife builds.
SubAstor has poured beneath Vila Madalena for two decades, a foundational Sao Paulo cocktail bar with a deep classics list and house creations. The basement room stays buzzy and informal. Order a caipirinha variation or a stirred classic. Best as a launch point for a long Vila Madalena night.
Maybe Sammy brings Rat Pack glamour to The Rocks, a World's Best Bar contender with tableside flourish and a golden, retro room. The Espresso Martini and a theatrical Negroni service are the orders. Dress sharp and book. Best for an early, celebratory drink near Circular Quay.
Black Pearl has anchored Fitzroy's Brunswick Street for more than two decades, a dependable, unpretentious World's 50 Best regular with a dealer's-choice spirit. Tell the bartender your mood and a drink follows. The upstairs Attic is the seat to seek. Come on a weeknight to settle in at the bar.
Zuma in the DIFC pairs a high-energy Japanese izakaya with a long bar that draws the after-work finance crowd. The cocktails are polished and the sake list is deep. It runs loud and pricey. Come for the early-evening bar scene, dressed up, before the dinner rush takes the room.
Central Station has poured in Beirut since 2013, the city's purist pick for cocktails over party, set above old Lebanese ruins with a swing-and-jazz soundtrack. The drinks borrow culinary technique and reward a slow visit. Come for the craft and the music rather than the crowd, best early in the night.
The House of Machines on Shortmarket Street blends a coffee bar, cocktail room and motorcycle culture, with live music and a community feel. A World's 50 Best Discovery pick, it runs from daytime espresso to late-night gigs. Come in the evening for cocktails and a band in the city center.
The Churchill Bar inside La Mamounia is Marrakech's most opulent cocktail room, velvet and brass named for the hotel's famous guest, with live jazz most nights. Cocktails are priced for the setting. Dress for it and book. Best after dinner, when the pianist plays and the room settles into its glamour.