Cheers!
A new ranking has crowned the best bars in the West — with the Golden State conquering the list.
The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s 2026 Spirited Awards singled out several California bars for their excellence in slinging drinks at multiple venue types.
A ranking of the Best U.S. Cocktail Bar in the West was filled with Cali winners, including Baby Gee in Long Beach, Capri Club and Thunderbolt in Los Angeles, Tallboy in Oakland, The Snug in Sacramento, and True Laurel in San Francisco.
A list of the West’s Best U.S. Bar Team highlighted San Francisco’s Pacific Cocktail Haven and True Laurel; LA favorites Mirate, Real Charmer, and Thunderbolt; San Diego’s Real of the 52 Remedies alongside; and Oakland’s Tallboy.
When it came to the Best U.S. Restaurant Bar in the West, Sacramento’s Kru and The Butterscotch Den landed on the list, alongside Bar Cecil in Palm Springs, LA’s Donna’s, Kato Restaurant and Mírate; and Oakland’s Viridian
Among the honorees for for West’s Best U.S. Hotel Bar were San Francisco’s Cavaña at LUMA Hotel and Starlite at the Beacon Grand Hotel; The Manor Bar at Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito; and Ponyboy at the Pearl in San Diego.
Rounding out the rankings, the Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar in the West featured winner Bar Maritime at the Palihotel in San Francisco alongside five buzzy LA spots: Daisy Margarita Bar, Damn I Miss Paris, Lucia, Not No Bar and Vandell.
The rankings spotlight the top bars across different U.S. regions before the field is narrowed down later this spring.
Meanwhile, two LA bars earned spots on the coveted ranking of North America’s 50 Best Bars for 2026.
LA’s Vandell and Thunderbolt were both named among the top 100 bars across the continent — a list voted on by more than 300 cocktail experts, bartenders, bar owners, and drinks writers.
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