Handshake Speakeasy — Restaurant in Mexico City

The simple reason for 3 star review (average) is this: the process to get access to the place isn’t matched by the overall experience (most importantly, quality of cocktails). Here’s a detailed description of our experience:

Our motivation was simple. We were visiting CDMX on our vacation and wanted to check out the best bar in the world. We started the reservation process a few weeks before our holiday time, but couldn’t get a reservation. Typically, slots were available for a month or beyond from when we started looking. We tried multiple premium concierge services (including Amex platinum)/access services to get the reservation and failed. So around 6:00 pm on a Tuesday evening, decided to walk from Contramar to Handshake. We arrived at 6:30 pm, and the hostess informed us that the 6 pm session had been seated and there was no room for walk in. So we would have to wait for the next session to try our luck, which would start seating at 7:30 pm. We did inform her we’re visiting and would like to explore the area around the bar if that’s an option. Offered to share our contact details/credit card to make an immediate reservation. She informed us that she could not help us out and seating for walk in guests would be based on first come first serve basis from the line. So we decided to just stay there till 7:30 pm, in order to not lose our spot. Fast forward to 7:30 pm, she started seating the people will reservation first and was ready to seat us 7:55 pm. By this point, there were atleast 10 new parties (predominantly 2 people/party) the line behind us. Once we got in, we noticed that all people from the walk in line were seated shortly after us. To me, this raised a few important questions - why were we not seated at 6:30 pm when we arrived, when people who arrived at 7:30 pm were seated in the same session? If they had so many open spots, why didn’t they just allow us to make a reservation immediately in that moment? Why didn’t we get a reservation online despite trying so hard and through so many different portals?

Moving on to the drinks: we got 5 of them, shared all. Mezcal martini - despite being a lover of bitters and all things smoky, this missed the spot for me. It was too much of both, without any balance. The least favourite. Espresso martini - good, but not mind blowing. Starbucks remains undefeated. Once upon a time in Oaxaca - actually really really good balance and flavour. Definitely top notch. Pina colada - again good, but we’ve had better in Puerto Rico. Carino - good, but not mind blowing again.

The other part of it, which wasn’t necessarily an issue, was this - they restrict the “experience” to 1 hour. So there is a sense of rush as soon as you enter. You can’t sit and sip your drinks at your own pace if you want to try more than 1.

Overall, good vibe. Dark background dimly lit decor consistent with other high quality speakeasies we’ve explored. Attentive staff. But to me, it was more trouble than it was worth. Either the drinks needed to ALL be on point, or the access needed to be a little less of a headache, for it be...

I was truly hesitant to write this review, but I felt compelled to share my honest experience with you. We had a reservation and were seated within a few minutes less than five, in fact. The host’s attitude was very welcoming, warm, and courteous. We were lucky to be seated at the bar, which has only six seats in total. The space itself is very small, and the tables are quite high, which may not be comfortable for everyone.

Before coming to Mexico, I had read that this bar had been named the “Best Bar in the World.” That surprised me, and frankly, it left me questioning the legitimacy of the institution that granted such a title. What are the actual criteria? Are guest reviews even taken into account?

I hoped that perhaps my experience was just an unfortunate exception but after reading many reviews from other guests, I realized we were not alone.

Neither of the main bartenders, Rodrigo or Eric, were present that night. All the drinks were premade not a single cocktail was crafted fresh in front of us. I’m not a professional cocktail critic, but I can certainly tell the difference between the art of a bartender creating a drink with care in the moment, and someone simply pouring from a pre-labelled bottle into a shaker and giving it a quick shake.

I ordered a mojito, which was decent but far from extraordinary. For what is supposedly the “best bar in the world,” that mojito was underwhelming. Once the oversized ice began to melt, the drink lost all of its flavour.

We didn’t witness any craftsmanship or artistry in cocktail-making that night, which is disappointing for a place with such a prestigious title. If the bar was once outstanding and has since declined due to its popularity, that’s truly unfortunate. But if this has always been the standard then how was it ever crowned the best?

None of the drinks we tried stood out or felt unique. They were also quite expensive, and while we were prepared for that, we expected the experience to match the price especially in the absence of the lead bartenders. Sadly, it did not.

I do not recommend this bar and sincerely hope the management will take the time to review guest feedback with the seriousness it deserves.

With...

Enjoying a place like Handshake seems predicated on your expectations and mindset going in. With the two different rooms (upstairs and downstairs) there are two different vibes. We had reservations for two groups of four people, which they aren't always able to accommodate, but they were able to seat us next to each other downstairs on this night. Although this took a little longer and shaved some time of our time limit.

My understanding is that they became known for the upstairs experience, because the downstairs is loud, vibrant, and fast-paced. With your 1-1/2 hour time limit, you'll want to plan and pace the time well. It's easy to get lost in being rowdy and ruckus singing along to the 90's and 00's hip-hop and pop songs. The downside of the noise is that the staff is hard to understand. You'll want to review the menu in advance to get an understanding of what the drinks might be like. Also, the staff is flying around the room and doesn't seem to have the time to take care of your individual experience. With such a large group we were able to order much of the menu. The highlights were those with lighter, brighter ingredients and resulting flavors. Also, those that had accompanying elements like a chocolate Lego brick filled with banana cream. On the other hand, lighting steel wool on fire as a tribute to the agave plant and the mezcal making process is absolute show and no substance when a different fire/smoke show could actually contribute to the cocktail.

We have experienced a lot of very high end cocktail bars, so the level of our expectations were rather high. I think Handshake met those expectations, but they didn't surpass them. In this day and age, the level of ideas, quality, and execution is so high that it's hard to discern how an establishment like Handshake could be #1, or even Top 50, to everyone. Mainly because the experience isn't just one element, and all must line up for you to have the best-of-the-best experience. So, for us, it didn't rank as high as with others but still with a visit if you have the time and are ready...