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Pop the cork, because Miami just scored a major win on the national drinks scene. According to Food & Wine’s 2026 Global Tastemakers Awards, the Champagne Bar at the Surf Club in Surfside has been named the best hotel bar in the United States, beating out heavy hitters like The Carousel Bar in New Orleans (which came in at No. 3) and Bemelman's Bar in New York City (No. 5).
The accolade comes from a panel of more than 400 culinary and travel experts, who evaluated bars across the country based on atmosphere, creativity and overall hospitality.
RECOMMENDED: The best bars in Miami: a definitive guide to drinking in the 305
Located inside the ultra-luxurious Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, the bar is less a place to grab a quick drink and catch up than it is an experience, one that comes with palm-fringed interiors, old-school glamour and a carefully calibrated drinks program that includes Miami's largest selection of Champagne.
As Food & Wine writes, "It’s a polished, palm tree–populated parlor where, behind a marble-clad bar, charismatic drink makers in white tuxedos assemble a tight list of classics." That's right, in addition to bubbly, The Champagne Bar also doubles as a cocktail experience, leaning heavily (and drily in many instances) on martinis.
Elsewhere, New York City notched three slots on the list, with Hotel Chelsea's Lobby Bar, The Carlyle's Bemelmans and The Fifth Avenue Hotel's The Portrait Bar. Meanwhile, New Orleans, Chicago, D.C. and San Francisco each earned a spot.
Here's the full ranking of the top 10 U.S. hotel bars:
1. Champagne Bar (Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Surfside)
2. Lobby Bar (Hotel Chelsea, New York City)
3. Carousel Bar (Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans)
4. Broken Shaker (Freehand Miami, Miami Beach)
5. Bemelmans Bar (The Carlyle, New York City)
6. Silver Lyan (Riggs, Washington, D.C.)
7. Prelude (The Jay, San Francisco)
8. Z Bar (The Peninsula, Chicago)
9. HMF (The Breakers, Palm Beach)
10. Portrait Bar (The Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City)