New York’s curiously named Double Chicken Please is now the number one cocktail bar in North America. That is, according to a new ranking released by World’s 50 Best, going through and guiding us toward what are the best bars in North America in 2023, from the USA and Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean.
New York City pulls in the lion’s share of the 50 Best Bars in America as far as the US goes. The Big Apple has 12 bars in the top 50 while Mexico has the most at 14 and Canada scrapes in with seven bars. The Caribbean is only represented once, with Puerto Rico’s La Factoria coming in at #24.
Double Chicken Please, which began life as a pop-up cocktail minibus in 2017, has quickly shot through the city’s dense hospitality scene to become the top-rated cocktail bar in the country. Split between a frontroom and a backroom, the venue – at least from photos, I haven’t had the pleasure – looks like a straightforward, well-dressed cocktail bar but according to reviews it’s got a very playful vibe, with food-inspired cocktails like the French Toast and Japanese Cold Noodle served alongside the eponymous chicken sandwiches.
Last year Double Chicken Please was sitting at #17. The big jump has been credited to an unseasonably strong year for the Lower East Side bar, which was founded by GN Chan and Faye Chen and has been praised for its “staggering creativity and precision.” That was apparently enough to overshadow the city’s arguably better-known Attaboy, which topped the list last year but now falls to #13.
The biggest surprise is seeing Mexico dominate so hard. Although perhaps it shouldn’t be such a shock, given in 2021 Tequila and mezcal were both listed as the second-fastest growing spirits segment with a 75% annual growth rate in the US market alone. The country’s Handshake Speakeasy sits at #2 on the list, with Mexico also slotting in at #4 with Licoreria Limantour.
The rest of the top 10 jumps around the US. New York gets three more licks in here with Katana Kitten (#3), Dante (#6) and Overstory (#7) while New Orleans comes in with Jewel of the South at #5, Chicago pushes through with Kumiko at #8, Miami comes in at #9 with Cafe La Trova and L.A.’s Thunderbolt rounds out the top 10.
The World’s 50 Best releases different lists like this one at various points throughout the year and while they may all seem arbitrary, the bars are selected by a broad panel typically made up of professional critics, key figures in the hospitality industry and frequent travellers. You can read more about the Worlds 50 Best Academy members and how the voting system works here.
The 50 Best Bars In North America (2023)
- Double Chicken Please, New York City
- Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
- Katana Kitten, New York City
- LicorerÃa Limantour, Mexico City
- Jewel of the South, New Orleans
- Dante, New York City
- Overstory, New York City
- Kumiko, Chicago
- Café La Trova, Miami
- Thunderbolt, Los Angeles
- Zapote Bar, Playa del Carmen
- Civil Liberties, Toronto
- Attaboy, New York City
- Employees Only, New York City
- Bar Pompette, Toronto
- Baltra Bar, Mexico City
- Rayo, Mexico City
- Mace, New York City
- Botanist Bar, Vancouver
- Hanky Panky, Mexico City
- El Gallo Altanero, Guadalajara
- Sabina Sabe, Oaxaca
- Arca, Tulum
- La FactorÃa, San Juan
- Café de Nadie, Mexico City
- Kaito del Valle, Mexico City
- Herbs & Rye, Las Vegas
- Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco
- Martiny’s, New York City
- Death & Co (Los Angeles), Los Angeles
- Selva, Oaxaca
- Atwater Cocktail Club, Montreal
- Service Bar, Washington, D.C.
- Sweet Liberty, Miami
- Cloakroom, Montreal
- Cure, New Orleans
- Mother, Toronto
- Milk Room, Chicago
- Maison Premiere, New York City
- Aruba Day Drink, Tijuana
- Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu
- Yacht Club, Denver
- Bar Mordecai, Toronto
- The Dead Rabbit, New York City
- Allegory, Washington, D.C.
- Clover Club, New York City
- Brujas, Mexico City
- Platform 18, Phoenix
- Youngblood, San Diego
- Milady’s, New York City
