Mexico City
Polanco is Mexico City's dress-up district, where embassy mansions and luxury storefronts line Avenida Presidente Masaryk. Its bars run from a speakeasy hidden under a taqueria to rooftop lounges, a sake standing bar and the bar rooms inside the city's best restaurants. This guide covers the rooms worth planning a night around, what each does best, and when to go.
POLANCO · $$$ · SPEAKEASY
Jules Basement hides below a taqueria on Julio Verne, reached through a kitchen door into a low brick room. The list runs long on agave and stirred drinks, and the crowd skews late. Best for a second-half-of-the-night cocktail. Walk-ins get tougher after 10pm on weekends.
POLANCO · $$ · SAKE BAR
Le Tachinomi Desu is a standing sake and highball counter on Schiller, modelled on a Tokyo tachinomi. The pours focus on Japanese whisky, sake and sharp highballs, with a few seats and lots of standing room. Best for a quick, precise drink before dinner. Go early, since the counter fills fast.
POLANCO · $$$ · COCKTAIL BAR
Bottega Cocktail sits on Anatole France with a tight Italian-leaning list built around amari and spritzes. The room stays calm enough to talk. Best for an aperitivo-style start to the evening. Quietest on weeknights, busier after 9pm on Friday and Saturday.
POLANCO · $$$$ · ROOFTOP BAR
Cityzen crowns the Hyatt Regency on Campos Eliseos, forty floors up with a wide view across Polanco and Chapultepec. The drinks lean modern and the prices match the height. Best for sunset before a Polanco dinner. Book a window table ahead on weekends.
POLANCO · $$$ · GARDEN BAR
Blanco Castelar occupies a restored mansion on Emilio Castelar facing Parque Lincoln, with a courtyard bar and garden seating. It works as a long brunch that slides into cocktails. Best for an afternoon drink outdoors. Weekend middays book out, so reserve.
POLANCO · $$$$ · MEZCAL BAR
Pujol keeps a separate bar and terrace on Tennyson where the mezcal and agave program runs alongside the tasting menu. Walk-in bar seats let you drink without booking the full dinner. Best for a serious agave flight. Arrive at opening to claim a bar stool.
Use this guide as a route or a checklist. Polanco rewards a slow walk between Avenida Presidente Masaryk and Parque Lincoln, where most of these bars sit within a few blocks. Reserve ahead for the rooftops and the restaurant bars, which fill on weekends.
For the wider city, start with the best bars in Mexico City, then narrow by occasion with the best cocktail bars in Mexico City and the best rooftop bars in Mexico City. For a planned route, see the Polanco bar crawl, and nearby the bars in Roma Norte.
Editorially curated by Marcus Webb. Venue details cross-checked against official sites, Time Out and Mexico City press in 2026.