Best Bars in Mexico City: 3 Unforgettable Drinking Experiences

San Juan after dark in Mexico City is its own education. The same streets that carried you past Aztec ruins and Art Deco palaces during the day transform at night — animated by music drifting from open doorways, mezcal poured by people who traveled rural Mexico to find it, and cocktail programs that have put this city on the global map in a way that Paris and London are still catching up to.

During my visit, I found three bars that together tell you everything you need to know about CDMX after dark. One is hidden behind an unmarked door and has been ranked the number one bar in the world. One seats six people and pours mezcals you cannot find anywhere else. One is concealed inside a contemporary art gallery. None of them are easy to stumble upon. All of them are worth finding.

Handshake Bar

If there is one bar that has put Mexico City's cocktail scene on the global map, it is Handshake Speakeasy.

Ranked among the World's 50 Best Bars for several consecutive years and recently crowned the number one bar in the world, Handshake has become one of the hardest reservations to secure in the city.

Finding it is part of the experience.

The only clue is an unassuming doorway marked with the number 13.

After checking in, guests are escorted through a series of hallways and doors before finally entering the bar itself.

The payoff is immediate.

Inside, Handshake feels like stepping into another era. Dark woods, warm lighting, polished brass, and intimate seating create an atmosphere reminiscent of a 1920s speakeasy. It is elegant without feeling pretentious and sophisticated without sacrificing comfort.

Think 1920's Prohibition Era vibes, or just conjure up your favorite passages from The Great Gatsby.

Coconut and Tarragon

The menu is intentionally concise, allowing the focus to remain on execution.

Our first cocktail, the Coconut and Tarragon, combined tequila, coconut, tarragon, and palo santo into a drink that felt both tropical and unexpectedly refined.

Coconut and Fig Negroni

The Coconut and Fig Negroni followed. As someone who rarely passes up a Negroni, this was an easy favorite. The traditional bitter backbone remained intact, while coconut and fig introduced subtle sweetness that balanced the drink beautifully.

Even the complimentary bar snack was memorable. Instead of standard nuts or chips, Handshake serves a trail mix featuring seasoned almonds, sunflower seeds, and edible insects—a reminder that Mexican culinary traditions often embrace ingredients many visitors never expect.

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Campfire

My favorite cocktail of the evening, however, was the Campfire.

Prepared tableside, the bartender roasted a marshmallow before incorporating it into a cocktail built around Dewar's 12-year Scotch and lapsang souchong tea. The result was smoky, aromatic, playful, and surprisingly elegant.

It was easy to understand why Handshake has become one of the most celebrated bars in the world.

Ahuehuete

While cocktails may dominate Mexico City's nightlife conversation, no visit would be complete without exploring mezcal.

To understand mezcal is to understand a piece of Mexico itself.

Many visitors mistakenly assume that great mezcal should taste overwhelmingly smoky. In reality, excessive smoke often masks flaws in production. The finest mezcals showcase balance, revealing layers of earthiness, fruit, herbs, flowers, minerals, and only subtle smoke.

Shot of Mezcal with a Corona

For the best mezcal experience I had in Mexico City, I visited Ahuehuete.

This tiny six-seat bar offers something far more personal than a typical tasting room. The owners travel throughout rural Mexico sourcing bottles directly from exceptional producers, building a private collection that reflects the incredible diversity of agave spirits.

Each tasting is curated individually, creating an experience that feels more like a conversation among friends than a formal lesson. The result is an introduction not only to mezcal, but also to the communities, traditions, and craftsmanship behind it.

Our guide that evening had spent years building relationships with small-scale mezcal producers across Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Durango — regions where mezcal production has continued in the same families, using the same methods, for generations. We tasted a tobalá — a wild agave that takes fifteen years to mature and produces only a small amount of spirit — alongside a tepeztate, which takes even longer. The difference between them was startling: the tobalá delicate and floral, the tepeztate almost savagely mineral, both entirely unlike anything labeled "mezcal" in a typical bar. The lesson I left with was not simply about spirits. It was about patience, and about what it means to make something that cannot be rushed.

Of all the bars I visited in Mexico City, Ahuehuete may have been the most memorable.

Nardo Cocktail Club

Mr. Lee

Hidden inside an art gallery in Centro Histórico, Nardo Cocktail Club offers yet another side of Mexico City's drinking culture. The space feels creative and intimate, blending contemporary art, design, food, and cocktails into a single experience. The menu, developed by Ramón Tovar, features a carefully curated selection of drinks that highlight both local ingredients and international influences.

The first cocktail I tried was the Mr. Lee, a combination of Montelobos mezcal, sake, green tea, and lychee. The drink balanced smokiness, floral notes, and subtle sweetness in a way that felt distinctly modern.

Aguil Y Sol

The second was the Aguil y Sol, made with cupreata-cured tequila, green Chartreuse, lemon, bay leaf, fig, nopal honey, and nopal chicharrón. Complex yet approachable, it demonstrated the creativity that has helped elevate Mexico City's cocktail scene to international prominence.

Practical Information

Handshake Speakeasy: Reservations are essential and typically fill several weeks in advance. Book via their website at handshakebar.com.mx. Look for the door marked "13" on Calle Amberes in the Juárez neighborhood. Smart casual dress. Arrive at your reservation time — they are precise about it.

Ahuehuete: A tiny, walk-in bar with no reservations. Hours vary and it sometimes closes without notice — check their social media before going. Located in Centro Histórico. The experience is entirely dependent on who is pouring that evening; all of them are excellent.

Nardo Cocktail Club: Located inside a contemporary art gallery in Centro Histórico. Walk-in friendly, intimate space. Menu changes seasonally.

One of the things I loved most about Mexico City was its ability to offer completely different experiences without ever feeling fragmented.

At Handshake, I found world-class cocktails and theatrical presentation. At Ahuehuete, I discovered the depth and complexity of mezcal. At Nardo, I experienced the city's creative spirit expressed through both art and mixology.

There were dozens of other bars on my list that I never had time to visit, which gives me one more reason to return.

As if I needed another.

A complete guide to CDMX is linked here.