Final week, the 50 Greatest group introduced its record of the highest bars in North America. Now in its fourth yr (although, globally, the group has been awarding eating places since 2002 and bars since 2009), the annual rating has a number of eyes on it—and a few critics.
When we checked in final yr, trade attendees on the awards ceremony had combined emotions. Some discovered the record vital and validating, whereas others felt they prioritized sure sorts of bars—these with PR groups, particularly—and one nameless attendee mentioned the awards “are typically a bit little bit of a circle jerk.” Prior to now, 50 Greatest has additionally acquired criticism associated to sexism (which is one motive that the voting physique now contains “a 50/50 gender cut up”) and preferential remedy.
Those that have made the record say they’ve felt significant, materials impacts from being awarded. “Though we’ve at all times believed we have been within the caliber, exterior recognition wasn’t at all times our main aim,” says Nicolas Torres, proprietor of San Francisco’s True Laurel, No. 17 on this yr’s record. “These techniques do are likely to drive good foot site visitors, and that issues. On the finish of the day, we have now individuals to maintain—our crew and our company. That is the system we’ve all, indirectly, agreed to take part in. We’d like new individuals always discovering what we do, proper alongside our regulars, and one thing like 50 Greatest definitely helps facilitate that.” For Max Reis, beverage director of Mírate (No. 12), the advantages that come from recognition allow the bar to proceed supporting others. “We assist households and producers in Mexico as straight as you may in my subject,” he says, “and this simply means we get much more skill to assist and momentum to proceed to take action.”
This yr, the nominators comprised one-third bartenders and bar house owners, one-third drinks writers and educators and one-third “well-travelled cocktail consultants.” As for standards, there aren’t many. Every voter (there are greater than 300) is requested to call as much as seven bars the place they’ve had their “finest expertise” up to now 18 months, and a most of 5 of these bars may be in a voter’s residence nation (for these exterior of the U.S.) or residence state (for these within the U.S.). The record comes with accompanying Particular person Awards, although not each bar that acquired one in every of these made the highest 50.
However what does it take to be a 50 Greatest bar? We ran the numbers, taking a look at each entry on the record in consideration of assorted components: location, drink costs, social media following, years open and extra. We checked out what number of bars take reservations, what number of have a centrifuge or rotovap, what number of have been new to the record in contrast with what number of have been veterans—and we compiled all that knowledge to see what it actually takes to be awarded one of many coveted spots.
Greater than half of the awarded bars (54 p.c) are within the U.S., adopted by 28 p.c in Mexico, 16 p.c in Canada and a pair of p.c within the Cayman Islands. The preferred metropolis represented on the record is New York Metropolis, adopted by Mexico Metropolis, Chicago and Toronto.
Solely eight bars on the record are new to 50 Greatest. Final yr, Los Angeles bar Mírate was No. 46. This yr, it’s No. 12, leaping 34 locations within the record (the most important shift from 2024 to now). Requested how the bar has modified up to now yr, beverage director Max Reis says the crew “honed in and developed our voice as a bar—identical tonality, however clearer and louder.”
Additionally making massive strikes: New York’s Katana Kitten and Dante, which dropped by 30 and 26 spots, respectively, Café de Nadie in Mexico Metropolis (-30) and Greatest Intentions in Chicago (+23). On common, most bars moved round 9 locations.
Final yr, Sother Teague of Amor y Amargo, which opened in 2011, advised Punch, “I’ve been on [the list] as excessive as No. 23 [in 2022] after which I haven’t been on the record in any respect since then… I do see that lots of the new bars that open and which have cash behind them and PR behind them, they do come screaming outta the gate with a number of sizzle and never as a lot steak.” So, does newness matter? On this yr’s record, six bars (12 p.c) opened in 2024, and 22 bars (44 p.c) opened within the 2020s. The oldest bar on the record, Staff Solely (No. 18), opened in 2004—except you rely Angel’s Share, whose authentic location opened in 1994, whereas the brand new iteration opened in 2023. However maybe most fascinating—particularly for an inventory capturing the previous 18 months—is the latest: Bar Mauro, at No. 14, opened very just lately, in November 2024.
The highest bars on the record additionally are likely to have bigger social media followings, though it may be a little bit of a chicken-or-egg state of affairs. For instance, the No. 1 bar this yr, Handshake Speakeasy, additionally has the very best variety of followers on Instagram, round 159,000, although it’s honest to imagine that a number of that following got here from topping the record final yr. Nonetheless, the typical follower rely for the highest 10 on the record (54,100) is greater than the typical of the total record of fifty (38,920).
Additionally, 52 p.c of bars on the record have been lined by Punch.
As Eater reported a couple of years in the past, “spontaneity is formally lifeless” on the hottest bars. We discovered this to be true, to an extent, at many of the 50 Greatest: 52 p.c take reservations, and on a current Friday when our crew tried to safe seats for a celebration of two that very same night time, solely eight (about 31 p.c) of these had availability. As for the reservation platform of selection, 13 bars use Resy, 9 use OpenTable, two use CoverManager, one makes use of SevenRooms and one takes reservations over the telephone.
At the least one bar on the record, Double Hen Please (No. 19), has reported points with bots snatching up reservations; on a reservations brokerage web site (it sounds as dystopian as it’s), proprietor GN Chan noticed seats promoting for $340.
We checked out a complete of 43 bars’ menus. For these whose menus weren’t publicly accessible, we reached out for digital copies. 5 bars didn’t reply, and two bars (Civil Liberties in Toronto, No. 21, and Cloakroom in Montreal, No. 31) don’t have set menus.
One of many, if not essentially the most, costly drinks you may get at a 50 Greatest Bar is at Library by the Sea, in Grand Cayman. The Three Musketeers is described as a mixture of brandys, bourbon, rum, amari and liqueurs from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and it’ll run you 690 Cayman {dollars}, or about $829 USD. Probably the most inexpensive drinks (not together with mini or N/A cocktails) are round $8, at a number of bars.
We additionally reached out to high bars on the record to study extra about their bestselling drinks. At Superbueno, No. 2 on the record, the Vodka y Soda nonetheless reigns supreme. Tlecan, No. 3, says the Pulque Colada (a coconut-washed model of the drink made with fermented agave sap) is hottest, whereas Jewel of the South (No. 4) is promoting a lot of the Jewel Sazerac. Sip & Guzzle (No. 5) reviews the Yuzu Mugirita (a shochu-based tackle the Margarita), Miami Vice Negroni and Tomato Tree (a floral gin cocktail) are tied as bestsellers.
Additionally trending: Coladas of all kinds, from the aforementioned Pulque Colada to the Absinthe Colada at Maison Premiere (No. 33) and Negroni Piña Colada at Clemente Bar (No. 11), in addition to high-tech cocktails—at the very least 26 p.c of bars on this record seem to have a centrifuge or a rotovap.
Disclosure: Some Punch contributors are a part of the voting physique for the 50 Greatest Bar awards.
