The Dandy Dozen: Best New Bars That Opened This Year

The bar scene in 2024 rejected the speakeasy template in favor of transparency, craftsmanship, and concepts that actually make sense. These twelve new bars — from a mezcal-focused spot in Austin to a wine bar disguised as a record shop in London — each brought something the nightlife landscape was missing.

Double Chicken Please in New York expanded to a second location on the Lower East Side, and the new space doubles down on the food-inspired cocktail concept that earned them a spot on the World's 50 Best Bars list. The Chicken Sandwich Old Fashioned — clarified with rotisserie drippings — sounds insane and tastes transcendent.

Superbueno in Austin opened as a dedicated agave spirits bar with over 200 mezcals, raicillas, and sotols. The back patio features a custom clay oven where they roast agave hearts for house infusions. The flights are curated by region and production method, turning every visit into an education. It is the most serious agave bar between Mexico City and New York.

Bar Kismet in Halifax, Nova Scotia, relocated to a waterfront space and launched a cocktail menu built entirely around Atlantic Canadian ingredients — sea buckthorn, dulse seaweed, spruce tips, and wild blueberries. The approach proves that terroir belongs in bartending as much as winemaking. Their Dulse Negroni earned coverage from Punch magazine at https://punchdrink.com.

Seed Library in London's Shoreditch neighborhood operates as a natural wine bar by night and a vinyl listening room by afternoon. The wine list focuses exclusively on producers using regenerative agriculture, and the soundtrack is curated by guest DJs who pull from the bar's collection of 5,000 records. It is Shoreditch at its most thoughtful.

Kumiko in Chicago, run by Julia Momose, expanded with an omakase cocktail experience in a private eight-seat room. Each of the seven courses pairs a Japanese-inspired cocktail with a small dish prepared by guest chefs. At $185 per person, it is an event, not just a drink — and the most sophisticated bar experience in the Midwest.

Also on the dozen: Overstory in San Francisco for its 70th-floor panoramic cocktails, The Bamboo Bar at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok for its reopening, Paradise Lounge in Miami for its Caribbean-meets-Art-Deco concept, Analogue in Singapore, Locale Firenze in Florence for natural wines, and Side Hustle in Los Angeles for its chef-driven bar snack menu. Twelve bars, twelve reasons to plan a trip.