The Best Mezcal Bars in the World Right Now

A narrow room on the Lower East Side with a mezcal list that runs to nearly 80 expressions, organised by agave variety rather than brand. The staff know every producer on the menu. Ask them to walk you through the difference between a Tepeztate and an Arroqueno and you will leave knowing something real. The kitchen sends out Oaxacan-inflected small plates built to sit next to smoke.

Order: A flight of three tobaziche expressions — they curate a rotating selection covering the full spectrum from herbal to mineral.

Downtown Los Angeles's most serious agave bar operates without the fanfare of some newer arrivals. The selection covers both tequila and mezcal in depth, with an emphasis on small-batch producers from Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Durango. The prices are fairer than anywhere else in the city at this level, which means the regulars come back often enough that it actually feels like a local bar.

Order: A single-village San Marcos Tlacolula poured neat, alongside their house chamoy for contrast.

The agave program here is more serious than the plant-forward dining concept might suggest. Their mezcal selection skews toward certified sustainable producers, and the bartenders are genuinely evangelical about the spirit. The covered garden patio is one of the better places to drink in Los Angeles on a warm evening — which in LA means most evenings.

Order: The Oaxacan Old Fashioned — mezcal, mole bitters, agave nectar. It sounds fussy but it works.

Madre is where London's bartending community goes when they want to drink mezcal properly. The list is encyclopaedic — over 100 expressions at last count — and the team's knowledge is matched by their willingness to share it without condescension. Flights are the move here. Come on a Tuesday when it is quieter and you can have a proper conversation about what you are drinking.

Order: A mezcal Negroni made with smoky espadin and their house orange bitter liqueur.

Forty seats, no walk-ins at peak hours, and a mezcal collection that rivals the inventory of a specialist importer. They source directly from four Oaxacan palenques and their house pours are not available anywhere else in the UK. The food pairing menu — small plates designed specifically around agave spirits — is worth the additional spend.

Order: Ask for the tepeztate and tobala side-by-side comparison tasting — they do it as a formal service, not an afterthought.

Barcelona's best mezcal bar is tucked into El Born behind an unremarkable door. Inside: bare stone walls, maybe 30 covers, and a back bar that stretches higher than seems practical. The mezcal list is curated rather than exhaustive — 45 expressions, chosen for diversity of region and agave variety rather than name recognition. Open from 6pm and reliably packed by 9.

Order: The house sour — mezcal, tamarind, salt, lime. Simple and exactly right for a Barcelona summer evening.

Eight seats at a counter, and behind it a bartender who spent three seasons working harvests in Oaxaca before opening this room. The mezcal list skews toward rare varietals — cuishe, zotolero, barril — that most bars in the world do not stock. Go when they are not busy and prepare for a two-hour conversation you did not expect to have.

Order: Their signature highball — mezcal, yuzu soda, shiso salt — which sounds like a Tokyo affectation but is genuinely excellent.

Berlin's agave bar is not trying to be a temple to the spirit. It is a proper bar that happens to take mezcal more seriously than anywhere else in the city. The music is loud, the room gets crowded after midnight, and the mezcal list — around 60 expressions — is navigated best by asking for a recommendation rather than scanning it cold. Open until 4am on weekends.

Order: A mezcal Paloma with grapefruit shrub — their version cuts the sweetness correctly and drinks better than it has any right to.

New Orleans and mezcal make more sense together than you would think. Criollo sits in the Treme neighbourhood in a converted shotgun house, and the mezcal program leans toward producers from Oaxaca and San Luis Potosi. The cocktail list borrows from both Mexican and New Orleans traditions — Sazeracs with smoky agave spirits that work better than they should.

Order: The Smoky Sazerac — mezcal and cognac, Peychaud's and Angostura, absinthe rinse. It is a genuine hybrid and it is excellent.

We would be remiss to list the best mezcal bars without including one in Mexico City, and this is the room we keep going back to. Roma Norte is packed with good bars, but Agaveria Nacional is the one that feels genuinely authoritative about agave without performing that authority. The mezcal comes from a rotating selection of palenques in eight states, and the food — tlayudas, chapulines — is among the best bar food in the city.

Order: The espadin with chapuline salt rim — earthy, saline, and very specifically Mexico City.