8 of the Best Bars in Mexico City, From Speakeasies to Mezcalerías

Mexico City’s street food scene is world-renowned, from its dripping birria tacos to its overstuffed tamales, served steaming-hot from bustling stalls. But there’s another side to the Mexican hospitality experience, found under the moody lights of lavish speakeasies and well-stocked cocktail bars. 

Mexico City’s mixology has taken an inventive turn over the last few years as indigenous ingredients make their way into the spotlight. It’s not unfamiliar to taste pulque (fermented agave) as a natural sweetener or raicilla instead of the more widely known local spirit, tequila. 

These have long been a part of the Mexican cocktail experience — but, as Baltra Bar’s head bartender José Luis says, “what’s changed is the attention the world is now paying to it”. As the international drinks scene lays its eyes on Mexico’s mixological prowess, keep these bars in mind for your next trip.

1. Hanky Panky

Best for: Cloak-And-Dagger

Hanky Panky goes hard on the clandestine trappings of the speakeasy experience: the address and entry instructions are shared only once a reservation is made, and guests first visit a humble-looking working fonda (taco restaurant) before a host materialises to lead you through a secret doorway at the back of the shop. Inside is a cosy, low-lit den where curved red leather booths hug tiny round tables, and a gleaming marble bar is lined with high-backed throne-like stools. The bartenders are part of the attraction here: check out their prowess in the mirrors above and behind the counter.

The bar first started life as owner Walter Meyenberg’s private drinking hole, open only to friends, before opening to the public in 2016. Menus are high-concept and usually travel-themed, mixing in a love of agave spirits with ingredients and techniques from around the world. Try the Greek-inspired Thalassaki, made from melon-infused tequila, herbal vinegar, lemon verbena and basil cordial, or the twist on a Gibson, served with a bowl of pickles perched on the glass.

2. Baltra Bar

Best for: Date Nights

Pulling up a chair at Baltra Bar feels like hanging out in Charles Darwin’s quarters aboard the Beagle — if the grandfather of evolution was also a discerning boozehound and interior-design obsessive. Baltra is named after one of the Galápagos Islands and is decorated accordingly, with vintage maps, butterfly collections, biological lithographs, taxidermied fauna and other adventurer ephemera.

The effect is closer to a private explorers’ club than a conventional cocktail bar. The vibe here is less party-hard and more geared towards intimate conversation and leisurely sipping. The palette is relatively subdued, with soft greys, warm browns and deep green seats, and there’s little standing room, making it perfect for dates where you don’t mind your knees touching. The drinks menu is inspired by travel and exploration, and includes the Goldfinch (sherry, Becherovka bitters and pineapple-cinnamon syrup), Old George Sour (tequila, Pernod, basil, cucumber and cardamom) and Airplane Mode (tequila, house vermouth and cucumber brine).

3. Bar Mauro

Best for: Italianate Cool

Landing at number two on North America’s Top 50 Bars in 2026, Bar Mauro brings the glow of old-world Italian charm to the hip, jacaranda-shaded streets of Roma Norte. The bar is named after Mauro Mendoza, the Milanese grandfather of Mexican-born owners Ricardo and Eduardo, who opened it as a tribute to their nonno’s love of a daily aperitif. The understated look captures the chic nostalgia of 1970s Milan, with mirror-lined walls and gleaming tiles offset by black-and-white portraits of the impeccably besuited grandpa.

The bar shelves groan with Italian liqueurs, amaro and vermouths to be combined with local mezcal and tequila. Presentation is clean and unfussy, enabling the drinks to speak for themselves without the need for theatrics. The Negroni 1929 is a more complex take on the ubiquitous classic, adding cacao nibs and strawberry to the typically bitter profile, while the slinky Banana Adonis combines red vermouth, sherry and banana. The kitchen serves up classic Italian charcuterie, cheese and snacks, while its humble cheeseburger is spoken of in reverential whispers among the initiated.

4. Brujas

Best for: The Witching Hour

Meaning ‘witches’ in Spanish, Brujas takes its name from the handsome 1908 building it’s located in — Casa de las Brujas in the Roma Norte neighbourhood is said to have been the home of a folk healer named Pachita in the mid-1900s. Rumours abound that the place is haunted and the atmosphere here is suitably witchy. Candlelight flickers through the heady smoke from copal incense, illuminating taxidermied bats, Ouija boards and shelves spilling over with dried herbs and vintage apothecary bottles. Drinks are rooted in Mexico’s shamanistic traditions and ancient healing practices, with an emphasis on herbal ingredients.

The Naja, named for the talisman worn by Navajo people to ward off evil spirits, contains gin infused with squash blossoms, vermouth, Mexican corn liqueur Nixta and Fernet-Branca. Meanwhile, the Matlazihua is an esoteric twist on a Grasshopper Martini with mezcal, chamomile liqueur and a dried, edible chapulín grasshopper as garnish. The bar is entirely female-staffed and its seasonal menus celebrate female Latin American artists and activists.

5. Form + Matter

Best for: Molecular Mixology

Form + Matter (or FO+MA) makes no attempt to hide the mad science underpinning its empirical approach to molecular mixology. Its futuristic lab is kept within view of guests, who are free to check out the centrifuges, rotary evaporators and other specialised equipment used for clarification, fat-washing, distillates, infusions and macerations. The look here is fiercely minimalist and modern, featuring shiny exposed steel, polished concrete and touches of marble. The bar is kitted out with unique custom-built stainless steel stations for each bartender, so they never have to turn their back on customers.

While the drinks here often veer into experimental territory (the Lychee Martini contains lychee water, lychee hydromel, lychee liqueur and a cloud of matcha-vanilla air), the menu is bolstered by a resolute championing of flavour. Mexican spirits and ingredients are spotlit, along with international ingredients such as yerba mate and miso. There’s also a firm focus on sustainability, with byproducts from the lab transformed into snacks, oils and garnishes.

6. Tlecān

Best for: Agave Enthusiasts

Translating as ‘place of fire’ in Nahuatl, Tlecān is an upscale mezcalería showcasing the cultural significance the agave plant holds in Mexico. Lesser-known agave spirits such as bacanora, lechuguilla, sotol, pox and raicilla are spotlighted, alongside tequila and mezcal. Upon entering, guests are confronted with an effigy of Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec god of death. There are a handful of seats but it’s mostly standing room, with everything centred around the bar, which looks like it’s been sculpted from the same sunbaked red clay as the effigy.

Drinks include Paloma Blanca, made from mezcal, clarified grapefruit juice, lime juice, volcanic salt and soda water, and Pulque Colada, featuring fermented agave sap, pineapple milk punch, coconut water and espadín mezcal with a coconut oil fat wash. Don’t miss the bar’s take on tascalate, a 3,000-year-old traditional drink. It’s been reimagined here as a modern sour while featuring the same elements of toasted corn, cacao and achiote seeds as millennia ago.

7. Handshake Speakeasy

Best for: Award-Winning Excellence

Number one on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2024, Handshake Speakeasy is one of Mexico City’s hardest bars to get into, with bookings made months ahead. Once you secure your spot, look for the plain black door with the number 13 on it, avoid getting tangled in the heavy curtains at the entrance and you’ll be greeted by raucous shouts of ‘Bienvenido!’ from behind the bar. The decor evokes Prohibition-era glamour, with dark wood furnishings, warm candlelight and tasteful art deco-style gold flourishes — think The Great Gatsby, but more F Scott Fitzgerald’s arch elegance than Baz Luhrmann’s cinematic excess.

Menus are illustrated by local artists and provide information on ingredients and techniques. Popular drinks include the summer-in-a-glass Fig Martini and the signature Once Upon a Time in Oaxaca, combining mint-infused mezcal, milk, lemon juice and sugar, served aflame to fan mezcal’s natural smokiness.

8. Rayo

Best for: Unabashed Glamour

One of Mexico’s first high-end cocktail bars, Rayo is a multi-sensory experience. The entrance to this meticulously restored mansion is hidden, with a mysterious cast-iron medallion of a bulldog serving as the only signage. Upon arrival, guests take an ornate century-old lift to the third floor, where they pick their first drink through a blind-tasting of unlabelled flasks stored in a box made from Oaxaca black clay. Subtle touches of luxury are sprinkled throughout: a filigreed staircase spirals between the floors, bathrooms gleam with marble and carved walls are hedged with agave plants.

While the sense of grandeur is impressive, there remains a gratifying focus on the drinks. Most items on the menu start their existence in the secret lab, where concoctions are distilled, infused, clarified and perfected before heading to front-of-house. The Soldado Medina is inspired by the tale of a Mexican bandit, and is made with tequila, chilli, herbal liqueur, maraschino, cactus sorbet and lime. Also worth trying is the Avery Milk Punch, containing authentic Mexican moonshine with fig, green apple, lemon, milk and vanilla tea, served in a delicate tea cup.