There’s a new top bar in South America, and it’s only a short stroll from Plaza Italia in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
On Tuesday, the World’s 50 Best Bars Academy released its list for 2024, and three local spots were honored — just as they were in 2023. Tres Monos and CoChinChina, both in Palermo, came in at 7 and 22, while Floreria Atlántico, in Retiro, placed 46. Last year, the bars ranked 11, 26, and 30, respectively.
Tres Monos, which the Herald visited after it snagged a Michter’s Hospitality Award last September, replaced Alquimico in Cartagena, Colombia, as the best in the region. Floreria Atlántico meanwhile earned a Rémy Martin Legend award for being a “pioneer and stalwart of the Buenos Aires bar scene,” per the World’s 50 Best Bars website.
This year’s list featured bars from 28 cities and included 16 new entrants from Bangkok, Bogotá, Guadalajara, Hong Kong, Lima, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, New York, Paris, São Paulo, Singapore and Tokyo.
Handshake Speakeasy, in Mexico City, was voted the world’s best bar by the Academy. It’s the first time that a Mexican bar has claimed the mantel. The runner-up was Bar Leone, in Hong Kong, which earned the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award after making its first appearance on the Academy’s list.
The announcement was made at an award ceremony in Madrid, Spain. Founded in 2009, the World’s Best Bar Academy consists of 700 industry insiders across 28 geographical regions. This year’s list was sponsored by Perrier.
Tres Monos, a neon-infused dive, is located at Guatemala 4899, at the corner of Thames; the upscale CoChinChina is located at Armenia 1540, just off of Plaza Serrano; while the more rustic Floreria Atlántico is located on Arroyo 87, a block and a half away from the Emperador Hotel.