A hip East-meets-West cocktail bar in Greenwich Village has been named North America’s top watering hole for 2026 in a new “World’s 50 Best” survey.
“Sip & Guzzle” — helmed by a pair of internationally recognized New York City-based mixologists — was tops among more than 800 industry experts rating bars across the US and Canada based on their experience, according to Restaurant magazine, which oversees the report.
“We are a love story between New York cocktail culture and Tokyo cocktail culture,” said Steve Schneider, the manager and head bartender at “Guzzle” — a no-frills American bar that forms the trendy dual-lounge establishment by teaming up with moody, pensive Japanese counterpart “Sip.”
“And I think it’s a beautiful thing to see how those things influence each other,” Schneider said.
“I think that’s one of the things that makes it so special.”
The dual-floor Manhattan cocktail bar, which only opened in January 2024, was inspired by the longtime friendship between industry veteran Shingo Gokan, previously of neighboring West Village bar Angel’s Share, and former Employee’s Only bartender Schneider, said “Sip & Guzzle” owner Justin Weitz.
Both “Sip” and “Guzzle” features nods to New York, Tokyo and nautical fare stemming from the legend of 77 samurai who made their first voyage to the Big Apple in 1860.
But while Gokan’s famed SG Club bar in Tokyo imagines the American bar that the samurai would’ve opened in Japan, “Sip & Guzzle” theorizes if the swordsmen were to sling cocktails in Manhattan instead, Weitz said.
“It’s all about our personalities,” Schneider told The Post, calling his no-fuss outpost featuring “comfort” drinks a polar opposite to Gokan’s “Sip,” where every drink is a thoughtful, paced experience.
Schneider’s drink menu includes riffs on classics with the “Miami Vice Negroni” and “Rum & Cola Without Cola,” whereas Gokan’s program offers libations that “require a bit more talking, a dissertation, when it comes to what it is and how it’s prepared.”
“Sip” drinks, for instance, include the Tomato Tree, which uses “every element” of a tomato plant, from its fruit and flower to leaf and sap.
“Guzzle is more party and casual, which reflects Steve,” Weitz said. “Shingo is amazing, but definitely a little more quiet, more reserved.
“[‘Sip’ is] more of an intimate experience — and the food bridges the gap.”
The bar’s menu — served at both “Sip” and “Guzzle” — offers what Weitz calls an American twist on Izakaya, from its $150 “Royale with Cheese” A5 wagyu sandwich to mochi fries with nacho powder.
Its Tavern Burger, made from Wagyu, has been getting attention in its own right, being named the best in North America by World’s Best Steaks.
The bar’s laundry list of other accolades include being named No. 39 best bar in the world and No. 5 on North America’s 50 best bars list in 2025.
“The more we’re open here, the more we’ve settled into our own,” Schneider said.
“I’ve got the ‘Guzzle,’ crowd, [Gokan] has ‘Sip,’ there’s a little something for everyone.”
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