We love a news update where we get to say “I told you so.” When North America’s 50 Best Bars announced this year’s top spots last night at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and named The Keefer Bar (which ranked at #7 on the overall list) the greatest bar in Canada for 2026, we cheered as loud as anyone, of course—but also, were not surprised at all.
We weren’t alone. For Vancouver cocktail lovers (and makers), this is just an affirmation of what we’ve known all along. Which mean the overall vibe in the room last night was one of support and excitement, whether you were on the team of Keefer or sister bar June or not. Media, industry insiders and enthusiastic drinkers alike were all thrilled to see this local institution scale the national honours (in 2025, it ranked at #28).
Toronto had plenty of well-deserved appearances on the list this year (weirdly, nothing from Flin-Flon, Manitoba?) but how sweet it was to see tried-and-true Keefer take the crown and prove that Vancouver has the cocktail chops to compete on a national scale. (In case you were curious, New York’s horrendously named Sip and Guzzle took the #1 spot on the list this year.)
Of course, we’ve been singing the Chinatown cocktail bar’s praises for years: Keefer has won our Readers’ Choice award for Best Cocktail Bar; its illustrious bartenders frequently snag our Bartender of the Year award. Like we said: no surprises here.
We were also thrilled to see so many of our other favourite bars make this year’s top 50, including June (#17, new to the list), Prophecy (#32, first time on the list) and Botanist (#38).
Confusingly, North America’s 50 Best actually compiles a list of 100 great watering holes each year, so there were another handful of other extremely excellent Vancouver bars honoured this year with a spot in the 51 to 100 range—NA50B’s version of honourable mentions.
Congratulations to Bagheera (#59), Meo (#64), Laowai (#72) and Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions (#91), all places we would be absolutely thrilled to go for a drink, and rooms we know will be climbing the ranks up to that coveted top 50 spot soon enough.
This is North America’s 50 Best’s final year hosting the event here in Vancouver, but wherever the big awards party pops up next, we know our homegrown haunts will continue to earn their place on this esteemed world stage. Cheers to you all.
