Latin America is the new global cocktail centre of gravity. Mexico City's Handshake holds World's #1 Bar (2024). Buenos Aires's Florería Atlántico has been a 50 Best regular for over a decade. Lima's Carnaval has won Best Bar in South America three years running. The 10 below show the breadth: mezcal temples, Pisco Sour institutions, cachaça cellars, and the cocktail laboratories that are currently rewriting the global playbook.
The 10 best bars in Latin America
01 · Mexico City
Mexico City (Roma Norte)
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World #1 (2024)
Currently World's #1 Bar (2024 50 Best). Hidden Roma Norte speakeasy.
Order: Whatever's first on tonight's menu
02 · Mexico City
Mexico City (Roma Norte)
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World #6 · Iconic
José Luis León's Roma Norte cocktail temple.
Order: Margarita Al Pastor
03 · Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires (Retiro)
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Iconic · Florist front
Renato Giovannoni's flower-shop-fronted speakeasy.
Order: Negroni Balestrini
04 · São Paulo
São Paulo (Vila Madalena)
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Iconic · Speakeasy
Iconic Vila Madalena hidden cocktail speakeasy.
Order: A precise Manhattan
05 · Rio
Rio (Leblon)
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Iconic · Cachaça
Iconic Leblon cachaça temple with 100+ bottles.
Order: A cachaça flight
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06 · Medellín
Medellín (El Poblado)
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Iconic · Cocktails
Iconic El Poblado modern cocktail bar.
Order: A precise Old Fashioned
07 · Lima
Lima (Miraflores)
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World #20 · Iconic
World's 50 Best regular — Miraflores cocktail bar.
Order: A Pisco-led signature
08 · Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires (Palermo)
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Iconic · Hidden behind sushi
Hidden Palermo speakeasy behind a sushi restaurant.
Order: A precise Manhattan
09 · Mexico City
Mexico City (Condesa)
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Iconic · Speakeasy
Hidden Condesa speakeasy with pre-Columbian-inflected cocktails.
Order: Whatever the bartender pours stirred
10 · Havana
Havana (Habana Vieja)
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Iconic 1817 · Hemingway
Iconic 1817 Habana Vieja bar — Hemingway's regular.
Order: A Daiquiri (the original)
The full guide, city by city
Each entry below is a deep dive into the best 10 bars in that city — picked by editors who live there.
Browse the full Latin America bar indexBars by Latin American city — every featured venue has a profile.
See the full list
What makes a great Latin American bar
Forget the all-inclusive resort. The best Latin American bars work because they've learned to make great cocktails out of native spirits — mezcal, pisco, cachaça, rum, tequila — and the world has finally caught up. The 10 above all do that. Pick the city that matches the night you want.
