MIAMI, FL — A Florida bar is shaking up the state's cocktail scene after being named among the top 100 in North America.
Bar Kaiju in Miami came in as one of the best 100 bars on the continent, according to 50 Best's North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 list. The annual, globally recognized list ranks top-tier venues across the U.S., Canada and Central America.
50 Best released the first half of its list of the top 100 bars on Tuesday, revealing the spots ranked from No. 51 to 100. The list is compiled through votes cast by the "voting academy," which includes more than 300 independent cocktail experts, renowned bartenders, educators and drink writers.
The full ranking of North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 will be revealed at a live awards ceremony in Vancouver on April 22.
Bar Kaiju came in at No. 70 on the list. Nestled in a lofty industrial second-floor nook with a bird’s eye view of the Citadel food hall below, Bar Kaiju is the perfect place for cocktail drinkers looking for something a little off the beaten path, according to 50 Best.
"Where many speakeasies take notes from Prohibition-era secluded drinking dens, Bar Kaiju looks elsewhere for inspiration," 50 Best wrote. "Here, the giant monsters of Asian cinema are transformed into a neon-hued space bedecked in movie posters and Japanese artwork, with cocktails derived from individual characters, such as the highball-type MechaGodzilla."
See the first half of 50 Best's 100 Best Bars.
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